NBA Playoffs 2015: Previewing Top Storylines for Game 7 of Clippers vs. Rockets
A series most NBA onlookers wrote off days ago delivers the second round's lone Game 7 on Sunday afternoon.
The Los Angeles Clippers jumped to a convincing 3-1 lead over the Houston Rockets, splitting the first two games on the road without Chris Paul. With the star floor general back in commission, they dominated Games 3 and 4 with margins of 25 and 33 points, respectively.
Sure, they coughed up Game 5, but the Clippers then garnered a 19-point lead with 15 minutes to spare in the ensuing elimination game. The dominant display led the entire east coast to comfortably go to sleep, only to wake up the next morning to find Houston rallied back.
Shaving six points off the lead before the third quarter concluded, the Rockets outscored the Clippers 40-15 in the final period, reversing a series-ending blowout into a 12-point victory.
"We were trying to run the clock out, and we stopped playing," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said after the loss, per the Associated Press' Beth Harris, via ABCNews.com. "We gave this one away."
Just like that, the most lopsided matchup heads into an unpredictable Game 7, with the Golden State Warriors waiting for their Western Conference Finals date.
Clippers vs. Rockets: Game 7
When: Sunday, May 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Watch: ABC
Top Storylines
Lack of Depth Catching Up to Clippers
Los Angeles' subpar bench is no secret. According to HoopsStats.com (h/t Bleacher Report's Dan Favale), the Clippers' second unit ranked No. 29 in offensive and defensive efficiency during the season. Aside from Jamal Crawford, they can't trust anyone to consistently offer valuable minutes.
After scoring 25 points in a storybook Game 3, Austin Rivers has predictably fallen back down to earth. In the past two losses, the guard has gone 5-of-19 with 13 combined points through 35 minutes.
His emergence allowed Paul to play limited minutes upon returning from a hamstring ailment. On Thursday, however, the 30-year-old logged 41 minutes, and he'll have to push his limits to do the same with everything on the line.
Meanwhile, the Rockets saved their season with James Harden watching. Terrence Jones tallied 16 points from the bench, but Corey Brewer proved indispensable with 19 points and 10 rebounds. ESPN Stats & Info showcased Houston's contrasting scoring margin with the midseason acquisition on the court and its MVP candidate seated:
Given Los Angeles' lack of depth, it at least needs some offense from Crawford, who missed nine of his 13 shot attempts on Thursday.
Threes and Free Throws
Contrary to Phil Jackson's belief, teams keen on three-point shooting are doing just fine this postseason. The five teams remaining make up the season's top-five finishers in deep conversions per game:
| 1 | Houston Rockets | 11.4 |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors | 10.8 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Clippers | 10.1 |
| 4 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 10.1 |
| 5 | Atlanta Hawks | 10.0 |
This series, both teams have made 10.2 three-pointers per game on 30.2 attempts. Yet in Game 6, Houston drained 13 to Los Angeles' seven. The deep prowess came from an unlikely source, as Josh Smith nailed four buckets behind the arc during the fourth-quarter comeback.
Shooting threes with reckless abandon is not the only blueprint to NBA success, but the Memphis Grizzlies or Chicago Bulls—and of course Jackson's New York Knicks—aren't transforming a 19-point deficit into a 12-point victory.
The Clippers aren't as heavily associated with the league's new affinity for threes, but Crawford and J.J. Redick can swing Sunday's game by catching fire. Redick is 12-of-20 from deep during the Clippers' wins and 10-of-35 in the defeats.
Along with deep shooting, free throws will also help determine their final clash. While Houston has earned more trips to the foul line (39 per game) than Los Angeles (35.2), the Clippers have netted 24.2 free points per game to the Rockets' 24.
The team who makes more free throws has won every game this series, and each squad has generated over 60 attempts in an isolated bout. When fans think Game 7, they don't picture free-throw shooting and a myriad of intentional fouling. Yet the charity stripe will continue to play a pivotal role in this series.
Erasing Chris Paul's Redemption?
Two short weeks ago, Paul made the shot of his life to end one of the most epic first-round matchups in NBA history. After prematurely ending the San Antonio Spurs' title defense, the star point guard took one step closer to squashing the narrative of him shrinking in the playoffs.
Yet the script is driven by him never making a Conference Finals appearance. If his Clippers—who won a road game with him sidelined—squander a 3-1 edge and massive Game 6 lead to lose the series, what happens to all that recently earned good will?
In a landscape driven by overvaluing recent results and harping on the negative, it becomes a footnote preambling a debacle. Even though Paul has averaged 20.8 points and 9.5 assists over 64 career postseason games, facts can't interfere with a gripping tale.
A Sunday victory, on the other hand, gives Paul and Co. two colossal Game 7 victories over top competition. Then "choking" turns to saving the day when it matters most.
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