Great night of basketball overall. The games were a bit lopsided at times but there was plenty of drama in the end. My Mavs weren’t able to pull out a win on the road, but there’s still at least one more game to push the series to the limit. San Antonio did a good job of protecting their home court, closing out the Mavericks in the 4th and taking the series lead as it heads back to Dallas. Watching this game, it just seems like the Mavericks aren’t able to slow down more than two or three players on the Spurs in any given game. As the series has gone on, Dallas continues to have stretches where it can’t buy a basket (even with Cuban’s wallet) and coincidentally, can’t get a stop when they need it most. Last night Thiago Splitter (17 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast) was the nightmare for Dallas fans, controlling the paint and getting clutch basket after clutch basket. Splitter’s defense on Dirk Nowitzki has also been impressive and even though Dirk finally had a good game last night (26pts, 15 reb), he still hasn’t been able to find his rhythm. Credit goes to the Spurs, who are basically daring anyone else to beat them. The problem for Dallas is, that aside from Monta Ellis and Vince Carter, no one else has been stepping their game up on a consistent basis. It’s a problem that the Mavs are going to have to adjust to quickly because now it’s do or die. Will the Spurs be able to finish the series in 6? Or does Dallas pull out a win and force the almighty game 7?
Heading north to Canada, where the Raptors were trying to do the same as San Antonio and defend their home court advantage. Toronto was able to pull out the victory and the take the series lead, but not until they fought off a furious 4th quarter rally by the Nets. Raptors fans didn’t win as comfortably as they’d hoped to but hey, as long as they can be lint-free, right? But some free lint-rollers wasn’t enough to give Drake the man of the match because Kyle Lowry was making it rain last night. When you’re hot like Lowry was last night (6 of 9 from beyond the arc), everything is going to fall. Lowy was impressive and up until the 4th quarter, it looked like the game was going to be won by Toronto in a rout. Then came a 44-point 4th quarter by Brooklyn. Had it not been for an errant pass by the Nets that led to a costly turnover, we might be talking about how the Nets are going back home with the series lead. Instead it’s the Raptors who now have the series lead and the chance to close out the series in 6 games. Before the series began, I predicted that the Raptors had the best opportunity to end the series earlier than expected and I think they get it done on Friday night. I’m not going to make any guarantees against the Nets but I think it’s Toronto’s time to shine.
We finish things off back in Texas as the Rockets were trying to stay alive and avoid an earlier-than-expected playoff elimination. Houston played their best game of the series and had a comfortable win over Portland to force at least one game in the series. Dwight Howard was the difference last night. Yes, his box score was impressive (22 pts, 14 reb) but his defense, specifically on LaMarcus Aldridge, was what impressed me the most. When the Blazers really needed a basket, they went to Aldridge, but Howard was right there with him and played him well. It’s always kind of odd to see two players have the same numbers and be involved in so many plays against each other. #12 on the Blazers looked other-worldly at the start of the series but last night he only managed 8 points to go along with 8 rebounds. If the Blazers hope to close this series out at home on Friday, Aldridge needs to carry the team on his back. On the contrary, the Rockets need similar, effective games from their guards (Lin and Harden) in order to push this series to the maximum. Can Houston handle that ridiculous Portland crowd with their back against the wall? Or will the Blazers win and await the winner of Spurs-Mavs?
We could see lots of teams “gon’ fishing” or we could see series extended to the a 7th game. The Hawks, Grizzlies and Clippers all have chances to move forward in the bracket. Can the home court advantage favor the Hawks and Grizzlies? Both have chances to finish their opponents in front their home fans. The Clippers are the team that wants to get it done on the road. But will the Warriors fight and for another final game? The Thunder and Pacers trying to do the same but their tasks are a bit harder, trying to win a do-or-die game on the road. As surprising as it might seem, i’d have to go with Atlanta with the best chance to close their series out tonight.
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