Say this about the NBA playoffs: It's usually quite predictable. Boston, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, lost the first two games on its home court to No. 8-seeded Chicago, which needed a tiebreaker to slip into the playoffs on the final night of the regular season. He may not survive the opening round, but he's doing his best to extend one of the greatest seasons in NBA history. ___This version corrects the 24th paragraph to remove reference to Dallas Mavericks winning NBA title in 2006.

Source: New Zealand Herald April 21, 2017 23:58 UTC