Hollywood Story – L.A. Clippers Advance To Next Round
31 lead changes.
16 ties.
One second remaining.
The game could not have gone down to the wire more than it did on Saturday night in a game that would have been the most talked about event of the weekend had it not been for a certain fight that was happening in Las Vegas at the same time.
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In what could easily go down as the most exciting game of the season, the Los Angeles Clippers held on to defeat the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. The victory didn’t come easy as the Spurs had the final possession with one second remaining in the game. With all of the activity happening, a buzzer sounded prematurely before the Spurs could inbound the ball and gave the Clippers a glance at the play that had been drawn up. When the play commenced, Kawhi Leonard gained the ball in the paint but Matt Barnes came in from behind to swipe the ball away and sealing the fate of San Antonio. The tension of the moment washed over both teams as Leonard crashed to the floor during the play and the realization of what it meant reflected in his face.
The victory came after a tight game in which the biggest lead for either team was only six points. The hero of the night was Chris Paul who injured his hamstring in the first quarter and went to the locker room. It was a tense moment for the fans in the Staples Center as a visibly hurt Paul sat on the bench and held his head in his hands before leaving the court. When he left the floor it appeared to all watching the game that the Clippers post-season hopes, were disappearing with him.
When Paul returned mid-way through the second quarter an ecstatic Staples Center welcomed their All-Star hero. The left-hamstring however was still hampering him as it was clear that Paul’s movement was visibly affected as he was unable to cut and turn corners with the ease that has been seen all season. Despite this, Paul came in with several clutch points, including the game winner with only a second remaining. To put into perspective, Chris Paul scored the game high (albeit tied with Tim Duncan) 27 points despite essentially taking several shots on just one leg.
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Blake Griffin had his second triple double of the series with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists while Matt Barnes stepped up in a big way with 17 points. J.J. Redick caught fire when he needed to the most, providing 14 points and most importantly four three-point shots in key moments. Jamal Crawford provided the boost needed in Paul’s absence with 16 points of his own. Although he only had 6 points, Glen Davis made his shots in critical moments of the game to keep the Spurs from extending their lead.
Tony Parker, who had struggled for most of the series, had the second most points at 20 in a game where his jump shot was simply on point throughout the night. Kawhi Leonard, who had 13 points had a more subdued night and was visibly disappointed by his let-down in the final moment.
For the Clippers, it marks an incredible win as the majority of experts picked the Spurs to win the series. While news on Chris Paul’s status will be updated in the coming weeks, the team has a night to celebrate as they now move on to Houston where they will play the Rockets on Monday.
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For the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, the loss is shocking after back-to-back Finals appearances as well as three consecutive Conference Finals. Greg Popovich stated that he believes the Spurs core will be back next year, including himself. Tim Duncan did not commit to any such comments however he and Manu Ginobili now become unrestricted free-agents this summer. Defensive player of the year Kawhi Leonard will be a restricted free-agent and as the reigning Finals MVP he will undoubtedly be receiving big offers from across the league.
The Spurs organization has always done the work, both in the front office and from the players on the floor, to make the adjustments and sacrifices to keep the championship caliber team intact and there is no doubt they will attempt to do the same this coming summer. While it will undoubtedly require adjustments and changes in order to keep Kawhi Leonard, it will be interesting to see how the Spurs off-season plays out.
For the Clippers, the second round now awaits them as they face the Houston Rockets. Led by Dwight Howard and MVP candidate James Harden, the series shapes up to be another great matchup between two of the best teams in the NBA.