Spurs, Clippers Giving NBA Fans Everywhere the Heavyweight Fight They Deserve
The biggest heavyweight fighters on Saturday may be wearing more than boxing shorts. Hell, if the battle happens—and it won't be cancelled over a drug-testing dispute or anything of that nature—it won't even cost a penny to watch.
While Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao come to blows in a massive boxing match in Las Vegas, there's a strong possibility we could simultaneously see a Game 7 in the remarkably entertaining first-round series between the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs.
After the defending champions came into the Staples Center and stole Game 5 with a 111-107 victory Tuesday night, the Clippers will admittedly have to win on the road in Game 6 Thursday to make that happen, and that's a difficult task for any team.
But even without Kevin Garnett present to scream up at the rafters, anything seems possible in this see-saw affair.
Thank goodness.
The playoffs are brimming over with high-quality teams, but the opening round of the 2015 playoffs has been quite the dud, lowlighted by series after series without top-notch play or any semblance of competitiveness. The Washington Post's Michael Lee expressed his concern regarding the lack of competitive matchups:
In the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks have struggled to hit open shots, while leaving the door wide-open for the upstart Brooklyn Nets, who are feeding off some resurgent play from Deron Williams and Brook Lopez.
The Washington Wizards swept the Toronto Raptors without the Canadian representatives putting up much of a fight. And while the Cleveland Cavaliers also took out their brooms against the Boston Celtics in a much more competitive series, the outcome still never felt as though it was in doubt.
No, in the NBA's weaker half, it's been the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls carrying the torch of competitiveness. Unfortunately, that series has had a distinct defensive flair magnified by some ugly offensive basketball. Even a version of Derrick Rose displaying flashes of his old MVP form hasn't been enough to completely salvage it.
And the West really hasn't been much better.
Not with the injury-ravaged Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers both playing at less than 100 percent. Not with the Dallas Mavericks imploding, running out of healthy—and capable—bodies and quickly exiting against the Houston Rockets.
Outside of the San Antonio-Los Angeles series, the Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans have played the most entertaining basketball. Problem is, we only got four games of Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis before the historically excellent Dubs swept the No. 8 seed out of the field.
Again, thank goodness we have a second spectacle unfolding before us.
For those who have been willing to stay up into the wee hours of the morning (or closing hours of the night, depending on your geographical location), the Clippers and Spurs have played thrilling basketball, interrupted only by the sessions in which Gregg Popovich consistently sends DeAndre Jordan to the free-throw line.
Based on the strength of these teams, this should be an affair taking place in the Western Conference Finals, not the opening round of the postseason.
It's truly a travesty that we're going to lose one of these heavyweights so soon into the proceedings, especially when so many lesser squads will stay alive, as Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey noted after most of the East Coast was tucked away underneath its covers:
But at least we get to enjoy what's unfolding before us. After all, it's a beautiful contrast, showcasing two remarkably distinct ways of putting together a true contender. And make no mistake about it—even the team that loses this death match will deserve to be called a contender.
The Spurs are the reigning champions, a team defined by fundamental excellence and depth. The Clippers are their mirror image, but only if you're in a funhouse at your local three-ring circus, looking into a warped reflective surface that completely distorts any and all wavelengths.
Superstars reign supreme in the Staples Center, and Doc Rivers doesn't have too many options to call upon when his starters need a breather. With Spencer Hawes glued to the bench, we've seen far too much of Austin Rivers, Jamal Crawford (don't let his reputation or occasional make convince you he's still been a quality player) and Glen Davis.
If we're lucky enough to witness Game 7, it will in no way resemble the Mayweather-Pacquiao clash on the same day—just one time zone to the east. There won't be one fighter hanging back and playing with a defensive intent. The opening rounds won't feature the two competitors testing the waters and probing for a weakness.
It will be an all-out brawl, just as we've seen throughout this series. These fighters know exactly how the other one operates now, and there's still not much separation. Had Blake Griffin not fumbled away the ball at the end of Game 2, this scorecard could be flipped around, and the same is true of quite a few other plays.
Game 1, a 107-92 Clippers victory, featured standout performances from LAC's two best players. Chris Paul exploded for 32 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Griffin added 26 points, 12 boards and six dimes of his own, along with three steals and three blocks.
But as the elder Rivers said after the game to The Associated Press (via ESPN.com): "They're still the defending champs, and they're going to be the defending champs every night. We have a lot of confidence in our team, but you just have to stay humble and respect who you're playing."
The Spurs proved why they deserved respect in Game 2.
Even though they blew a 10-point lead and had every right to feel disheartened, they thrived during the overtime period en route to a 111-107 victory, one that quickly evened up the series. Tim Duncan in particular was fantastic, dropping 28 points and 11 boards just a few days before his 39th birthday.
Amazingly enough, that's only one of the veteran big man's three 20-10 games. And as ESPN Stats & Info reports, he's now the oldest player in NBA history to achieve that feat in a single series:
Games 3 and 4? The former was a Spurs blowout, while the latter saw the Clippers display some resiliency of their own to level up the series in San Antonio.
And now, we're directly on the heels of a highly entertaining, blood-pumping Game 5, one that came down to Jordan touching the ball juuuuust too early and seeing his putback attempt negated by offensive interference:
But if there's one contest that should serve as a microcosm for this memorable series that came too early in the proceedings, it was this one.
The Clippers only had three bench players spend a notable amount of time on the court during the Tuesday night affair, and the heavy lifting was left to the typical contributors.
Griffin dazzled with his aggressiveness and well-rounded play, recording 30 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and a block. Paul tried to put the team on his back, cliche as that may be, and left indelible highlights like this where-did-he-go move against Danny Green in transition:
But the Spurs were just a machine. The ball movement was precise (as always), and Popovich got plenty of strong contributions from what seemed like an endless number of players.
At times, it felt like the Battle of Thermopylae was unfolding, just nearly 2,495 years later and on hardwood rather than a narrow coastal pass. Paul and Griffin were trying to serve as 300 hoplites staving off a never-ending swarm of Spurs soldiers, but when Tony Parker, Duncan, Green and the other enemy starters tired, they were simply replaced by Marco Belinelli, Boris Diaw, Patty Mills and Manu Ginobili.
Hell, Matt Bonner even made a three during the second quarter when his sole purpose on the court was to hack Jordan, preventing a more vital player from wasting a foul.
Now, the Clippers have to reform their phalanx, strengthen up some of the non-star shields and go back to the AT&T Center, attempting to win on the road for the second time this series. This time, it's do-or-die.
And it could quite possibly take the best performance yet from the Big Three of Paul, Griffin and Jordan to force a Game 7—and a memorable one, at that. It's not as if the Spurs are just going to roll over when they have a chance to step on an opponent's throat, just as they've done so many times in the past.
And the odds are in the Spurs' favor of putting away the series, as SportsCenter's Twitter feed noted:
If there's a first-round matchup that's going to defy those odds, this one's a good bet.
On a night where the biggest boxing match in years will lead to millions upon millions of dollars changing hands in Vegas, it's only fitting that the best series of a largely lackluster first round could take center stage—to basketball fans, at least. We have to get past Game 6 first, and the two teams certainly won't overlook that clash, but it still feels as if this one has to go the distance.
But unlike Pacquiao and Mayweather, there's more to come after one of these teams is eliminated. There will be nothing but recaps after one of those fighters defeats the other in the MGM Grand ring, whether by a knockout punch or a decision after the final round.
This, however, is only the first battle of the Western Conference playoffs.
Just imagine what happens when the winner of this series gets to advance deeper, possibly on to another heavyweight clash—this time, with the Rockets and possibly, eventually the Warriors. If this battle is already so remarkably entertaining, it's perfectly reasonable to expect your head to explode with excitement over that prospective showdown.
