NBA Playoff Schedule 2015: TV, Live Stream Guide for Thursday's Game 6 Matchups
The two Game 6s on Thursday's schedule come from completely different series. Most viewed the Milwaukee Bucks as dead on arrival. Maybe they'd steal a game at home, but there was no way the playoff neophytes could really test the veteran Bulls—especially after Chicago went ahead 3-0.
Yet here we are following two close Milwaukee victories heading into a game that suddenly feels up for grabs. The dirty little secret—even when Chicago was winning the first few contests—was that these two teams aren't that far apart. The Bucks are one overtime away from being ahead 3-2.
The Spurs and Clippers, meanwhile, have provided exactly what we expected: one of the greatest first-round series in recent memory. Wipe out San Antonio's Game 3 bloodbath, and we've gotten a series that looks far more like it should be played in late May. The Clippers have swung big with their trio of stars, Gregg Popovich has pulled every rabbit out of his hat, and Kawhi Leonard has continued his superstar ascent.
It's been everything we could have wanted and more. Chicago-Milwaukee has been far more than we ever could have expected.
Let's get ready for both contests with a quick preview of the action.
Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks
Unsurprisingly, this has been the series where offensive efficiency goes to die. Milwaukee and Chicago are the worst and third-worst offensive teams in the playoffs, respectively. Perhaps the most amazing thing about this entire series is that the Bucks have won two professional basketball games while scoring at a worse rate than the Raptors.
I'm unsure if anyone remembers the Washington-Toronto fiasco, but let me remind you: It's nearly impossible to do anything worse than the way the Raptors played basketball in that series.
Khris Middleton has been the Bucks' breakout offensive star, and he's shooting 38.2 percent. Tom Thibodeau's done exactly what everyone expected at the beginning of this series, diving under pick-and-rolls and banking on Milwaukee's bricky shooters to build a foundation. Michael Carter-Williams, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the like have largely obliged though Carter-Williams caught fire in Game 5.
The answer for Milwaukee has instead come on the defensive end, where its hyperactive scheme and length have given Chicago fits. The Bucks have forced the Bulls to feed their second or third options on nearly every possession, pressuring the ball-handler and trusting their teammates to make the right help-recover reads. The Bulls have assisted on a higher percentage of their field goals than any other playoff team—and it's not even close—for that precise reason, as Thibodeau told reporters:
"They're very athletic. They're quick. You can't hold on to it. You just have to make the right read. If it's a long closeout and they're flying at you, go by. If they're closing short, shoot. Just know when to shoot and when to pass. We want penetration. Those are things we want to do.
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On paper, that sounds like a good thing. You want your stars making the extra pass. In action, the Bulls can go from downright Spursian to downright Sixerian from possession to possession. Chicago is averaging nearly four turnovers more per 100 possessions than any of its playoff brethren.
Derrick Rose has been a two-way disaster over the last two games, posting more turnovers (14) than made shots (10) while columnists look to erase their "Derrick Rose Back" articles across the nation. Jimmy Butler had one of his worst games of the season in Game 5. Nikola Mirotic is hurt and has never looked like more of a rookie than when he's been on the floor in this series.
All credit here goes to Jason Kidd, who's gone from laughingstock to one of the NBA's 10 best coaches in less than 24 months. There is no way this team stumbles into being the first in league history to come back down from 3-0; it's just too flawed. But the future is bright in Milwaukee.
Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs
The fourth quarter of Tuesday night's game was both an indictment on the Clippers and proof they might be snakebitten.
Actually, I take that back. There's no indictment. Doc Rivers is a bad general manager. He's been convicted. Blake Griffin played some of the most spectacular basketball of his life for three quarters and was completely spent down the stretch because of Rivers' inability to find an adequate replacement.
Spencer Hawes, upon whom Rivers spent the Clippers' cap flexibility last summer, has played a grand total of 11 minutes the entire series. Eight players got minutes for the Clippers in Game 5, and one of them is Austin Rivers. Another is Glen Davis, who has been perfectly OK if you forgot about your whole "mid-level exception sitting on the bench" thing.
If the Clippers lose this series—and they probably will—Doc the Coach needs to have a long talk with Doc the GM because the latter, more than any other questionable call, will be the reason the Clippers are going home.
That said, good lordt can this team catch a break? Like...ever? I don't make enough to afford a $25,000 fine, so I'll avoid outright criticizing the officials, but it has to be tough to lose a game like that when nearly every 50-50 call went in the opposite direction. Chris Paul's technical and the Matt Barnes goaltend are enough by themselves to swing the result.
Having J.J. Redick, who drew a questionable sixth foul, on the floor instead of Rivers would have been huge. Doc may not draw up a final shot for Redick, but the threat of him looming on the perimeter is about 425,151 times scarier than Rivers. I mean, it was almost this exact point in the season last year where the Clippers' season swung on a controversial Game 5.
Now the Clippers have to go to San Antonio and win just for the right to play a Game 7 at home. The look on Tim Duncan's face Tuesday night wasn't someone celebrating winning a basketball game. It was the look of someone—someone with sooooo much experience with these things—who knew his team had just won a deadlocked series.
The Spurs are finishing this at home and sending the Clippers into a summer full of unknowns.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.
Stats via NBA.com unless otherwise cited.
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