NBA ROUNDUP : This No. 1-Seeded Team Escapes

The Atlanta Hawks advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time since 1988, and they can thank Mookie Blaylock for that.

Blaylock finished with 18 assists, a season-high, and 13 points, eight rebounds and four steals in the Hawks’ 102-91 victory over the Miami Heat Sunday at Atlanta.

The Hawks were the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, but they were pushed to a fifth and deciding game by the eighth-seeded Heat.

The Hawks, down two games to one, evened the best-of-five series at 2-2 with a 103-89 victory Thursday night at Miami.

By winning Sunday, they avoided becoming the second No. 1 seeded team to lose to a No. 8. On Saturday, Seattle, top-seeded in the West, was ousted by No. 8 Denver.

Blaylock was getting most of the credit for preventing the same embarrassment for the Hawks.

“He had a sensational game,” teammate Kevin Willis said. “Defense, assists, he did it all. He was incredible.”

Miami Coach Kevin Loughery went even farther. “Over the last two games, Mookie Blaylock was the most valuable player,” he said.

Blaylock capped a late first-half surge that gave the Hawks a 54-44 lead with a desperation three-pointer with 2.4 seconds left, hitting from just over the half-court line. He had eight points, six rebounds and 11 assists in the first half.

Hawk Coach Lenny Wilkins said, “Mookie was terrific the entire game. He gave us tremendous leadership.”

Willis scored a game-high 24 points for the Hawks, 15 in the second half. He also had 12 rebounds.

Miami, making its second playoff appearance in its six-year history, was led by Grant Long with 22 points, 15 in the fourth quarter.

The Hawks, who last advanced to the second round before losing in seven games to the Boston Celtics six years ago, will play host to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night in the opener of a best-of-seven series.

Phoenix 91, Houston 87--Kevin Johnson scored 11 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and the Suns silenced the crowd in Houston with a two second-half spurts to win Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series.

“I had to do some other things in the first three quarters--defense and get some other people the ball,” Johnson said. “In the fourth quarter, I had a lot of energy and I made a few shots.”

Phoenix extended its winning streak to 11 games and won for the first time this season in The Summit. Game 2 is at The Summit on Wednesday.

The Suns, down, 66-61, starting the fourth quarter, ran off 13 consecutive points for a 74-66 lead, their biggest of the game. The Rockets were scoreless over the first five minutes of the fourth quarter.

Charles Barkley scored 21 points for Phoenix and Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon scored 36 points and got 16 rebounds.

Phoenix made nine of 23 three-point shots and broke the playoff record of 20 attempts, set several times. The Rockets and Suns combined for most three-point attempts (42), breaking the playoff mark of 34, set by Houston and the Lakers in 1991.

Houston built a 39-21 first-half lead but it was cut to 45-37 by halftime. The Suns used a 15-4 run at the start of the third quarter to get back in the game.