The Rockets & Spurs series is exactly why we watch playoff basketball. The teams are evenly matched, both with their superstars, and playmakers. It's got it all: Superstars, Team Ball, Coaching Rivalries (did you know D'Antoni has NEVER won a series against Pop? Not even with the Lakers in 2013), old men, rookies, injuries, OT, two-way blowouts and nail-biters. And with what looks like the Finals result no one wants to see brewing on the horizon, it may be the best playoff basketball we see for the rest of the year (although watching IT drop 53 was pretty amazing, and the Spurs/Grizz Game 4 was legit the stuff heart attacks are made of).
So what exactly did Game 5 offer? Everything. We had back and forth. We had struggles and injury to Leonard. We had flopping fouls. We had a 39 year old dunk like he was 19. Clint Capela is WAY better than I ever thought he was, and played that way last night. We had the Spurs from behind go without Leonard at the end of the 4th. I don't know about you, but with the game on the line and few precious seconds left, watching the Spurs take the court without Leonard was stroke-inducing. Then, Patti Mills has to take a 3pt shot to win because Gasol missed his assignment to clear the lane and the shot is GOOD...SPURS WIN...except he got it off too late.
OVERTIME IT IS.
No Leonard, no Tony, no problem. The first 2:30 minutes of overtime NEITHER TEAM SCORED, and we are all starting to get jumpy. Suddenly the shots start falling. The last 1:30 of this game was the best basketball I have watched all year man. Then Dany IcyHot Green FINALLY gets hot. How typical is it that he misses wide open looks but suddenly in this game he's making clutch 3s from half court, and in OT, and then with 33 seconds left in OT he actually drives the lane for a crucial layup inside and the and 1? It's unreal.
Harden meanwhile missed all kinds of ill-advised shots because he threw D'Antoni's library of offensive play books out the window for the old McHale version of ISO Harden. That Harden is terrible. He's roughly 34% from behind the arc in a 3-pt heavy offense and instead of making plays and running the offense THROUGH him, he chose to BE the offense. Three missed shots and a turnover later, he's got ONE CHANCE to win the game for Houston.
And as we all know, instead of winning the game, he lost it for them in spectacular fashion, first elbowing the Spurs' Manu Ginobili in the face, and then losing him as Manu circled behind him. He comes up for the shot and as a true Veteran with Whitewalker Ice in his veins, Manu knew Harden couldn't pump fake - so his hand was up and ready waiting for the shot. Timing it perfectly, Manu cleanly blocks the shot and the game is OVER (except for Harden who tries to sell a foul even here - can't teach an old dog new tricks, ami right).
This series heads to Houston for Game 6 and the Rockets are fighting for their playoff lives, and the Spurs have a newfound confidence. Although it was classic Popvich (albeit risky) to bench Leonard at the close of the 4th and in OT, it was also a shot of confidence in the veins of the rest of the team. He basically told the offensively struggling mismatch of veterans and rookies: I trust you. You can do this without Leonard. Trust the system. And they stepped up in epic fashion - Simmons' D on Harden was unreal and Patti Mills flew around the court like a dervish and Danny Green was unbelievable in the clutch. They head into Houston having finally found the rhythm they need as a team to play Spurs basketball, and with the knowledge that each one of them is a vital part of their game. No Tony? No Leonard? No problem, unless you're the Rockets.
Spurs in 6.
So what exactly did Game 5 offer? Everything. We had back and forth. We had struggles and injury to Leonard. We had flopping fouls. We had a 39 year old dunk like he was 19. Clint Capela is WAY better than I ever thought he was, and played that way last night. We had the Spurs from behind go without Leonard at the end of the 4th. I don't know about you, but with the game on the line and few precious seconds left, watching the Spurs take the court without Leonard was stroke-inducing. Then, Patti Mills has to take a 3pt shot to win because Gasol missed his assignment to clear the lane and the shot is GOOD...SPURS WIN...except he got it off too late.
OVERTIME IT IS.
No Leonard, no Tony, no problem. The first 2:30 minutes of overtime NEITHER TEAM SCORED, and we are all starting to get jumpy. Suddenly the shots start falling. The last 1:30 of this game was the best basketball I have watched all year man. Then Dany IcyHot Green FINALLY gets hot. How typical is it that he misses wide open looks but suddenly in this game he's making clutch 3s from half court, and in OT, and then with 33 seconds left in OT he actually drives the lane for a crucial layup inside and the and 1? It's unreal.
Harden meanwhile missed all kinds of ill-advised shots because he threw D'Antoni's library of offensive play books out the window for the old McHale version of ISO Harden. That Harden is terrible. He's roughly 34% from behind the arc in a 3-pt heavy offense and instead of making plays and running the offense THROUGH him, he chose to BE the offense. Three missed shots and a turnover later, he's got ONE CHANCE to win the game for Houston.
And as we all know, instead of winning the game, he lost it for them in spectacular fashion, first elbowing the Spurs' Manu Ginobili in the face, and then losing him as Manu circled behind him. He comes up for the shot and as a true Veteran with Whitewalker Ice in his veins, Manu knew Harden couldn't pump fake - so his hand was up and ready waiting for the shot. Timing it perfectly, Manu cleanly blocks the shot and the game is OVER (except for Harden who tries to sell a foul even here - can't teach an old dog new tricks, ami right).
This series heads to Houston for Game 6 and the Rockets are fighting for their playoff lives, and the Spurs have a newfound confidence. Although it was classic Popvich (albeit risky) to bench Leonard at the close of the 4th and in OT, it was also a shot of confidence in the veins of the rest of the team. He basically told the offensively struggling mismatch of veterans and rookies: I trust you. You can do this without Leonard. Trust the system. And they stepped up in epic fashion - Simmons' D on Harden was unreal and Patti Mills flew around the court like a dervish and Danny Green was unbelievable in the clutch. They head into Houston having finally found the rhythm they need as a team to play Spurs basketball, and with the knowledge that each one of them is a vital part of their game. No Tony? No Leonard? No problem, unless you're the Rockets.
Spurs in 6.
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