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NBA Playoffs -- Clippers knock out Spurs, 111-109, in Game 7 thriller
By Adeline Deladisma
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 04 May 2015
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Clippers put away the San Antonio Spurs Saturday night at home in the Staples Center in the final game of a best-of-seven series that could have been a Conference Final in its own right.
The sellout crowd of 19,586 was decked out in red and the intensity was up. This was the NBA's contribution to the big sports Saturday and it was a thrilling appetizer to the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout that began shortly after the final buzzer about 300 miles away in Las Vegas.
It was everything that a Game Seven should be and it was charged with significance for both teams. For the Clippers, the inability to make it out of the first round of the Playoffs would continue to call into question the mettle of this All-Star led team. For the Spurs, some wondered if such an early exit would signify the end of the Poppovich-Duncan era. For each teams perhaps most simply and importantly, the win would mean being a step closer to the ultimate goal of the NBA title.
The teams were closely matched in a game that featured 31 lead changes and 16 ties. Each quarter finished with the lead never greater than 3 points. They shot similar percentages (Los Angeles 52.6% and San Antonio 48.3%) and each protected the ball well with minimal turnovers (Los Angeles 12, San Antonio 10).
In the end, it was the heroics of Clipper guard Chris Paul that pulled Los Angeles through. Paul, who injured his left hamstring in the first quarter, would return to the game in the second though he was visibly bothered by the strain. Paul provided the lift the home team needed to finally put away the Spurs, sealing the win with a last second basket that left the Spurs with only one second to tie the game. CP3 finished with 27 points and 6 assists and though he did not produce blockbuster numbers, he was on point when it mattered.
Both teams produced a balanced effort from their starting line ups. Blake Griffin notched a triple-double for Los Angeles (24 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists). Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 27 points and 11 rebounds.
For the Clippers, they face the James Harden-led Rockets in the next round. The best of seven series begins on Monday at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Adeline Deladisma.
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