NBA Playoffs 2015: Latest Buzz Heading into Tuesday's Matchups

The first round of the 2015 NBA playoffs is getting interesting, as just three teams—the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards—have clinched second-round berths. 

Tonight, the Dallas Mavericks look to extend their season with a victory on the road in Houston (8 p.m. ET, TNT). And the Spurs and Clippers, in what has been the most exciting series thus far, will battle for a crucial 3-2 series lead in Los Angeles (10:30 p.m. ET, TNT). Here’s some of the latest buzz entering Tuesday night’s action. 

Mavericks-Rockets

1. J.J. Barea and Monta Ellis

On Sunday, the Mavs staved off elimination behind stellar performances from Barea and Ellis, the former of whom had made very little noise in the first three games. Barea posted his first career postseason double-double in Game 4, finishing with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Ellis shot 13-of-21 en route to 31 points.

In the opening two contests, Dallas starting point guard Rajon Rondo averaged 9.5 points and three assists. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle benched him for nearly the entire second half of Game 2, and Rondo hasn’t played since.

When Carlisle inserted Barea into the starting lineup for Game 4, Barea's frenetic, sprint-down-the-court style of play transformed the Dallas offense—leading many to wonder why Barea wasn’t playing more in the first place. ESPN.com reporter Tim McMahon tweeted the following:

Look for Barea to play major minutes again tonight. 

Ellis, meanwhile, has scored 31 and 34 points in his last two games, respectively. He is arguably the only player on Dallas’ roster—including Dirk Nowitzki—who can legitimately take over a game with his scoring. His dizzying array of pull-up jumpers and slithery drives kept Houston at bay throughout Game 4:

Ellis will almost certainly take plenty of shots tonight. If he can get going, the Mavs will give themselves a fighting chance. 

2. Houston’s Three-Point Shooting

While Ellis and Barea were crucial to Dallas’ Game 4 victory, the Mavericks were also aided by Houston’s uncharacteristically poor shooting from deep. The Rockets shot 36 percent from three-point range as a team this year; they were just 7-of-31 on Sunday night (22.6 percent), per NBA.com. 

James Harden, a 37.1 percent three-point shooter this year, was just 1-of-7. Terrence Jones and Trevor Ariza (both at 35 percent on the year) shot a combined 0-of-7. And Josh Smith, of all people, shot 4-of-5. As plenty of fans noted, if Josh Smith's three-pointers are your team's best offense...things aren’t looking good. 

No NBA team has ever won a playoff series after trailing 3-0. And Houston will almost certainly improve upon its long-range performance from Sunday. If the Mavs want to keep their season alive, they’ll need another superb performance from Monta Ellis. And they could use more of the same defensive intensity from Al-Farouq Aminu, who has proved surprisingly tough when matched up against Harden:

Clippers-Spurs

1. Chris Paul and Austin Rivers

It’s no secret that when Chris Paul plays well, his team succeeds. But that’s been especially true so far in this series:

His 34-point, seven-assist performance on Sunday included a series of ridiculous mid-range jumpers:

And Merlin-esque passes:

He was his usual irascible self, barking at teammates, opponents and referees alike. But he was also spectacular, playing an aggressive game while staying efficient. If that Chris Paul shows up, the Clippers can beat anyone. 

But incredibly, it was a different Clippers guard who made all the difference in Game 4. Austin Rivers provided a much-unexpected boost off the bench:

Speaking to ABC's Lisa Salters after the game, Paul credited Rivers with an absolutely vital performance. “Game ball goes to Austin Rivers,” he said, via Yahoo Sports. “You know, this is his first playoffs. What he did out there tonight, it just motivated our team. It’s a hell of a game for Austin, man.”

Rivers is the first NBA player in history to be coached by his dad (Clippers head coach Doc Rivers). That situation comes with high pressure in its own right, but when combined with the tension of Austin Rivers’ first NBA playoffs, it was a legitimately remarkable performance. 

The Clippers bench was one of the NBA’s worst this year, ranking 25th among 30 teams in HoopsStats.com’s rankings. Jamal Crawford remains one of the most dynamic offensive players in the NBA, but the depth runs thin after him. If Austin Rivers—and Glen Davis—can keep the Clippers close while their starters are on the bench, Los Angeles has a terrific shot at taking the series lead tonight. 

2. San Antonio’s Shooting Woes

Like Dallas, Los Angeles was helped in Game 4 by a subpar shooting night from their opponent. San Antonio was only slightly above-average when it came to three-point shooting this year—they shot 31.8 percent, good for 13th in the league—but their long-range shooting has made a huge difference in this series. 

Consider the following chart:

	Game 1 (FG% - 3PT%)	Game 2	Game 3	Game 4
San Antonio	36.3 - 30.3	46.2 - 32.0	52.6 - 41.7	44.0 - 24.0
Los Angeles	51.3 - 55.6	42.4 - 31.0	34.1 - 26.1	53.6 - 27.8

In their two wins, the Spurs have shot an average of 49.2 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from deep. In their two losses, they’ve averaged 40.3 percent and 27.2 percent, respectively. That’s a big gap.

One player to watch is San Antonio’s Patty Mills, who consistently sparks the Spurs offense with a combination of hustle and deep shooting. He’s averaging 50 percent from three-point range in the series so far, and he played well in the team’s loss on Sunday (14 PTS, 2-5 3PT).

Some of the Spurs’ most beautiful offensive possessions end with an open Mills draining a three, as shown at the 40-second mark in the video below:

The Clippers do not want to return to San Antonio down, 3-2. If Chris Paul plays like he did Sunday and if Austin Rivers and the rest of their bench can provide some relief, they’ll avoid that situation. But that will prove far more challenging if Mills, Danny Green and the Spurs can find their shooting stroke.

(All stats courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise indicated).