May 14, 2014

2014 NBA Playoffs, Day 25

A beatdown in the east and another narrow victory out west.

Goodness, can someone hold a lead?  Oh, wait.  I think someone finally did!

First, Washington vs. Indiana.

There's not a whole lot to say about this one.

John Wall and Marcin Gortat went crazy; Gortat in particular was masterful, as he missed two shots the entire game, putting up 31 points and 16 rebounds.

The Pacers had a chance to close out the series, yet they looked woefully unprepared, especially in the third quarter when Washington really put it to them.  They lost by 23, but that's only because the fourth quarter didn't matter to Washington.  Had Washington really wanted to extend their lead, who knows how high it might have gotten.

When the series started I thought the Wizards would win in 5.  Then when the Pacers went up 3-1 I thought they would win in 5.

Now?  I have no clue.

Indiana leads 3-2.  Game 6 is Thursday.

Last, Los Angeles vs. Oklahoma City.

The Clippers were up by 13 with roughly four minutes left in the game.

Boy, did things unravel from there.

Kevin Durant finally started to hit some shots.  Chris Paul had several bad plays, including an inexplicable foul on Westbrook as Westbrook threw up a prayer behind the three-point line.

And of course, the refs got involved.

The play that most people will point to was a turnover that led to a fast-break by Reggie Jackson.  Despite having a three-on-one, he took the ball inside himself and was promptly fouled by Matt Barnes.

Except...there was no foul called, and the ball sailed out of bounds.

The refs went to look at it in replay and determined that the ball belonged to OKC.  Cue up Westbrook's prayer, which resulted in three free throws and a 105-104 lead for the Thunder.

Then Chris Paul took the ball into the lane with seconds remaining...and inexplicably lost the ball while being guarded by Serge Ibaka on the switch. I think Reggie Jackson might have slapped at the ball, dislodging it just enough for Ibaka to pick it up, but that's not a good look.

Predictably, Clippers coach Doc Rivers was upset about the way the game ended.  He made the point that the team basically gave up the game and it shouldn't be about the out of bounds call, but he also stated that the call was crap.

Honestly, I agree with him.  I've been rooting for the Thunder to win, but I would much rather see them win straight up than how it went down last night.

Oklahoma City leads 3-2.  Game 6 is Thursday.

Later today, Game 5 in Miami and San Antonio.  With a win, Miami and San Antonio move on to the next round.

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