Los Angeles Clippers Force Game 7

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was sitting court-side, face flushed red with tears spewing out of him in excess.  His companions had to comfort him even when his team was successful at the free-throw line and he should have been able to breath a sigh of relief.  He had full right to be, the Clippers were on the verge of elimination against the defending champions.  Instead, the team showed up and came up with a clutch performance with their backs against the wall and held on to defeat the Spurs 102-96 in another wire-to-wire victory.

More from Los Angeles Clippers

• LA Clippers: Ty Lue promoted to head coach
• Los Angeles Clippers: Doc Rivers shockingly out as head coach
• LA Clippers: Where does the team go from here?
• LA Clippers: 2019-20 Season has been a huge failure
• LA Clippers: The hype was real but the execution wasn’t

In a game where they needed the stars to show up, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul ironically had a rather subdued first half.  Paul did not have a field goal until late in the third quarter and Griffin’s presence was not felt until later in the game.  Instead, a collective effort carried the Clippers through a tense Game 6 with four of the five Clippers starters entering double-digits compared to two for the Spurs.

Blake Griffin once again led the Clippers with a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds.  Chris Paul had his own important double-double with 19 points and 15 assists.  Defensive leader DeAndre Jordan provided a team high 14 rebounds and 15 points.

More from LA Sports Hub

• Lakers: 5 Players to Target Through Trades to make another championship run
• LA Chargers: Week 8 against Denver Broncos is a must-win
• LA Rams: Jared Goff wants to keep the Los Angeles title streak going
• Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles Clippers interested in Rajon Rondo
• LA Chargers: Justin Herbert wins AFC Rookie of the Month

In a cruel twist of irony.  The end of the fourth quarter once again had another basket interference play that affected the game.  With a chance to bring the game within one for the Spurs, Boris Diaw of the Spurs tipped in a ball with under a minute left to go in the game.  Although Blake Griffin also touched the ball, Diaw had touched it first that nullified the basket.  The Spurs were never again in a position to catch up and the Clippers closed out the game six points ahead.

After the game, Spurs’ coach Greg Popovich repeatedly used the word “soft” to describe his team.  He stated “…we should be embarrassed at the way we came out for a close-out game in every regard.”

Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 12 points each in a combined 70 minutes of playing time.  Boris Diaw provided 17 points and Marco Bellinelli had 23 points off the bench to help keep his team in the game.  Bellinelli’s effort can’t be understated as Tony Parker was only able to provide 8 points while Manu Ginobli’s off-night saw him only chip in three.

Live Feed

Betsided

Game 7 is now set to take place on what could likely be the biggest sports night of the decade.  The game will take place at 5:00 pm PT on TNT, a move that was undoubtedly made to piggy-back off of the Mayweather-Pacquiao super fight taking place the same evening.  Likely the NBA and its networks are expecting to use it as a lead in for the many parties and events taking place in the United States and could make it the most watched game in the playoffs before the Finals.

The titanic matchup, basketball I mean, will be an epic season finale for one of the two teams.  Last year, both the Clippers and Spurs won their Game 7 first round matchups to continue to the second round.  For the defending champions, the key will be to limiting the Clippers stars Griffin and Paul.  That will force their inconsistent bench to have to step up in their biggest game of the season against a team that is motivated to have a comeback after their Game 6 performance.  DeAndre Jordan will also have to come through on his end, after making 7-15 on his free-throw attempts on Thursday the Clippers center will need to be very active on the boards if he is to make up the deficit.  Jordan knows that his future price tag for the next few years depends on it if the Clippers lose.

For the home-team, their bench will be the key.  If Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers are able to provide a boost off the bench then the Clippers have a great chance at eliminating the defending champions.  With the injury to Glen Davis, backup big man Spencer Hawes will need to step-up and prove he’s deserved to be out on the floor this series.

The finale of the Clippers-Spurs series will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, live on TNT at 5:00 pm PT.