Clippers vs. Rockets: Game 7 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NBA Playoffs

There are collapses, there are downright disasters and then there is whatever just happened to the Los Angeles Clippers.

James Harden, Dwight Howard and Josh Smith each scored in double figures, taking advantage of a sloppy Clippers effort to earn a 113-100 win in Game 7 of their Western Conference Semifinals series. Houston advances to its first conference finals since the 1996-97 NBA season and will play a top-seeded Golden State Warriors team making their first appearance since 1976.

The Rockets are the ninth team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series and the first since the Phoenix Suns accomplished the feat against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2006. Doc Rivers, who shepherded the Orlando Magic's collapse against the Detroit Pistons in 2003, became the first coach in NBA history to blow two 3-1 series leads.

"We got destroyed," Rivers said after the game, per Ben Golliver of SI.com.

While the Rockets deserve credit where it's due, anyone who watched this series intently will look back and wonder how in the world this outcome happened. The Clippers, owners of the NBA's second-best regular-season point differential and coming off a seven-game series victory over the defending-champion San Antonio Spurs, looked dominant in building a 3-1 lead. They won Games 3 and 4 by a combined 58 points, destroying Houston to such a degree that it was fair to think Harden and Co. might just roll over in Game 5.

Instead, the Rockets flipped the series on its head.

Houston gave L.A. a taste of its own medicine with a 21-point win in Game 5, built momentum with the best comeback of the 2015 playoffs in Game 6 and turned things up to full throttle Sunday. The Rockets never trailed, never looked rattled amid Los Angeles' multiple comeback attempts and put a nail in the Clippers' coffin with a definitive second half.

Los Angeles, which looked destined for its first conference finals 72 hours ago, was a combination of gassed and lackadaisical from the opening tip. The Clippers turned balls over in the backcourt, ignored defensive rotations and couldn't get their offense going at all.  

Looking at the box score, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin put in clutch performances. Paul had 26 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, while Griffin had 27 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to complete perhaps the best statistical run of any player in these playoffs. DeAndre Jordan was good for a typical 16 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks.

The game itself painted a far different picture, however. Paul, arguably the best passing point guard of this generation, nearly went the entire first half without an assist. Griffin was a constant mess on the defensive end and was responsible for a couple of bad turnovers. 

Sloppiness, perhaps more than anything, defined this Clippers effort. They turned the ball over 18 times, with Paul and Griffin combining for half. J.J. Redick had one of his worst games in a Clippers uniform, missing seven of his nine three-point attempts and posting a team-high six turnovers. Jamal Crawford's 17 points came on 6-of-18 shooting, in line with the 34 percent clip he managed across the series. 

The Rockets stars, perhaps the most polarizing in basketball, each shined brightly in different ways. Harden struggled with turnovers but battled his way to 31 points, forcing foul after foul to hit the free-throw line 18 times. Howard, whose brilliance has gone under-appreciated all postseason, had 16 points and 15 rebounds. It was his sixth double-double in seven games, as he averaged 17.6 points, 13.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks for the series.

Smith's turnaround, however, is what arguably changed the series' outcome.

Succumbing to the worst of his habits for the first five games, Smith came alive when the Rockets needed him most. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter of Houston's comeback in Game 6 and came through with 15 more in 22 minutes on Sunday. Oft-maligned for his shot selection, Smith nailed six threes over the final two games.

"We don't give up," Smith said, per Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. "All year long, we fought through a lot of adversity. It's just a testament of what we did throughout the season. God has been great to this team and we just feel like we are blessed and we can do something special."

Trevor Ariza, criticized for his shaky play after signing a big contract last summer, added 22 points and seven rebounds. He knocked down 17 three-pointers over the final four games, including six in Game 7 alone.

His and Smith's ascent is a perfect representation of Houston's ability to pluck contributors off the scrap heap. Ariza signed with the Rockets after they refused to pay a premium for Chandler Parsons in free agency this past offseason. Smith will be receiving $26 million worth of checks from the Pistons over the next half-decade to not play for them. Corey Brewer, who scored 15 points in the fourth quarter of Game 6, was available for depth flotsam. Pablo Prigioni and Jason Terry appeared on their last legs in previous stops.

All of those players came together for one of the best comebacks in NBA history.

The Clippers, on the other hand, are haunted by their failure in finding similar players. Spencer Hawes, who ate up their entire mid-level exception last summer, played two minutes Sunday. Austin Rivers and Glen Davis contributed two points apiece. Four of their five starters played at least 39 minutes. Since his arrival, Doc Rivers has come up short time and again at identifying talent to fill the Clippers' margins.

In the coming days, the focus will understandably be on Griffin and Paul. On whether it's smart to bring back Jordan. On whether this trio has the intestinal fortitude to compete in May and June.    

But make no mistake: The biggest reason the Rockets are advancing and the Clippers are going home is not the names in the bright lights. It's the ones hanging on the margins.

 

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter