NBA PLAYOFFS : Hawks’ Advantage Over Heat Short-Lived

It was a season-long race, with a four-week sprint to the finish, and Atlanta finally edged out New York and Chicago for the best record in the Eastern Conference and home-court advantage in the playoffs.

Then the Hawks blew the edge in the first playoff game.

Glen Rice got the screen he needed from John Salley, broke free across the lane and tipped in a basket to help the Miami Heat get its first playoff victory ever, 93-88 over the Hawks on Thursday night at Atlanta.

“It wasn’t hard at all,” Rice said of the tip that gave Miami a 90-87 lead with 32 seconds to play.

Rice added two free throws 20 seconds later to stretch the lead to 92-87.

The victory gave Miami a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five first-round series.

The Heat held Atlanta without a field goal in the final seven minutes and erased a 77-69 deficit in the final 10 minutes. It was Miami’s first victory at Atlanta after 11 defeats.

The Hawks won their last seven home games in the regular season and had a 36-5 record at the Omni going into the playoffs.

Atlanta took an 11-point lead in the game’s first 10 minutes.

“We came out with a lot of intensity at the beginning, and I thought we stayed up defensively,” Hawk Coach Lenny Wilkens said. “Then, all of a sudden, we seemed not to be up as much. We allowed them to get too many second shots.”

Indiana 89, Orlando 88--The Magic’s first playoff game ever was derailed by a playoff veteran when the Pacers’ Byron Scott made a three-point shot with two seconds to play at Orlando.

Scott scored on Indiana’s fourth shot in one trip downcourt after Shaquille O’Neal’s rebound tip put Orlando ahead, 88-86, with 25 seconds to go. Rik Smits missed a 12-foot jump shot, Derrick McKey missed a tip inside and Reggie Miller misfired on a three-pointer before Scott made his game-winning basket.

“In my mind, I wanted it to be a three or nothing,” said Scott, a member of three Laker champions in the 1980s.

Miller led Indiana with 24 points.

San Antonio 106, Utah 89--David Robinson scored 25 points and the Spurs, 0-5 against Utah in the regular season, routed the Jazz at San Antonio.

Karl Malone’s 36 points weren’t enough to keep the Jazz in contention, and he was the only Utah player to score in double figures.

The two teams will meet Saturday for Game 2 of their best-of-five series with an undercurrent of hostility.

With 5:29 to play, San Antonio Coach John Lucas angrily benched Dennis Rodman after Rodman swung his arms at Lucas following Rodman’s brief tangle with Utah’s Bryon Russell. A technical foul was called on Russell.

Seattle 106, Denver 82--Detlef Schrempf scored 21 points and Gary Payton 20 as the SuperSonics opened a 25-point halftime lead in winning at home.

The Nuggets, back in the playoffs after a four-year absence, lost their 10th consecutive playoff game.