Heat VS Hornets (Game 7)

Heat Win Series 4-3

The Heat are moving on. What just happened in this game that left the Hornets going home with their heads down? Let's break it down.

There are 2 people that the Hornets did a really bad job defending. Gerald Green was great in the game. When you let Green score off the bench, it's going to hurt you. The Heat's starting 5 is so talented that if you let their bench come in and do damage, they are going to beat you. Next, Goran Dragic. The guy had 25 points on the night. He was amazing with his decisions. He saw that the defense was laying off of him and he took it to the rim. His decision making and his play in the pick and roll lead this Heat team to the win. Goran Dragic played great offensively. He also defended Kemba Walker very well. Kemba ended the night with 9 points and he shot just 18.8% from the field.

I thought that the Hornets shouldn't have had Frank Kaminski out there. He was brutal. He shot 20% from the field. What made me mad was that the guy shot 15 attempts from the field. He made 3. Dragic shot 17 attempts. When you aren't hitting shots, you can't keep shooting. The team should've taken him out of the game but never did.

The Heat had GREAT interior defense. They limited the Hornets to just 22 points in the paint. Meanwhile, the Heat had 58 points in the paint. This is where the Hornets got killed. The paint is the easiest place to shoot. They let the Heat get 58 points in from close range.

Anyways, the Hornet's season is over. The Heat on the other hand, have to get back to work soon. They have a big series to play against the Raptors who have struggled of late. They need to take advantage of this team while they are down.

Clippers VS Trailblazers (Game 6)

Trailblazers Win Series 4-2

Despite the outcome of the game, the Clippers played great. They had a 2 point lead going into the 4th. The Clippers played great.

So what got them to where they were at. Well, to begin with, Austin Rivers and Jamal Crawford had a combined total of 52 points. J.J. Redick had 15 and so did DeAndre. Jeff Green also pitched in with 11. The Clippers had multiple people scoring at a great rate. Next, they didn't lose in rebounding. Both teams were tied in rebounds with 46. This got them to the 4th quarter.

In the 4th quarter, Jamal Crawford was gassed, he played all 12 minutes of it and only shot 1-9 in the quarter. Doc Rivers would have been smart to take the guy out because he was hurting their offense. Meanwhile, the Blazers were bailed out with plenty of fouls. The Clippers had 9 fouls in the quarter alone. The Blazers had plenty good open shots to. The Clippers just could not hold out through the last quarter.

I am very excited how a Curry-less Warriors will do against the Blazers and how Shaun Livingston will guard Damian Lillard. However, I can't help but wonder what they Clippers next move is. What is going to happen to this team. They still haven't had the success of making the conference finals with this core. What do they do now?

Heat VS Hornets (Game 6)

Series Tied 3-3

Dwayne Wade came in clutch for the Miami Heat. He wasn't the only reason why they won though. The Hornets put up a fight but didn't have much going for them.

The Hornets seemed like they were behind this whole game. They always seemed like they just couldn't catch up to the Heat in the second half. Part of this was that the Heat had 19 second chance points. When you allow a team to get multiple shots on one possession, it will be hard to take the lead. The Hornets only had 31 rebounds in the game.

I thought that they Hornets did a great job on defense. The Heat only took 24 uncontested shots! They had to take 59 contested shots! The Hornets defense was amazing. There was just one problem, the Heat were hitting shots. Dwayne Wade's last shot pretty much summed up the night. The Hornets played great defense, but the Heat somehow where able to make those shots.

I just want to points something out. Marvin Williams played horrible last night. He was 0-7 from the field and didn't register a single point. Now, you could say that Marvin Williams doesn't have to play good for the Hornets to win, but I would have to disagree. This post-season, Marvin Williams has averaged 9.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, and 1.3 APG while shooting 50% from the field and shooting 55.6% from 3-point land in the wins. In the losses, he has averaged 0.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 0.7 APG while shooting 04.2% from the field and 0% from 3-point land. That isn't a typo. His numbers are horrible in the losses and very decent in the wins. It's clear that he needs to make shots and rebound for the Hornets to win. He is a big key in the Hornets winning. This isn't a coincidence. He needs to produce.

This was a great game to watch. A lot is at stake for this next game. Whoever wins game 7 has a possibility of playing the Pacers in the second round which means they could make the conference finals easier. This is a big game 7 and if the Hornets are to take this, they could really use production from Marvin Williams. Marv, they need you right now.

Raptors VS Pacers (Game 6)

Series Tied 3-3

We're going to game 7 baby! This has been an up and down series for both teams, but it looks like the Pacers are ready to pull ahead.

The Pacers were up and running. Their offense was amazing. It all started from Paul George. He ended the night with 21 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Once the defense started to surround him, he could kick it out to the open player. This lead to all 5 of the Pacers starters reaching double figures in scoring.

The Pacers offense was in transition a lot. The team had 21 fastbreak points, and it really started at the defensive end for them. They forced 16 turnovers from the Raptors, which really just started the break for the Pacers. Guys were making the right play defensively. This lead to the Raptors shooting just 36.7% from the field. The Pacers just thrived off of this.

For the Raptors, Jonas Valanciunas and Corey Joseph were the only guy producing at and efficient rate for the Raptors. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan really played poorly. Both of them shot under 30% from the field and neither of them had over 10 points. The Raptors had 83 points. They need these guys to produce. They just can't win without at least one player having a good night. Imagine the Thunder having Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook shoot less than 30% and have 10 points or less. They wouldn't be that good of a team at all! Lowry and DeRozan need to play like stars.

The Pacers are on a roll now, and the Raptors need their guy to produce for them to have a chance. Lowry and DeRozan have had 6 games to find their rhythm, and it needs to show in game 7!

Hawks VS Celtics (Game 6)

Hawks Win Series 4-2

The Hawks closed out the series last night. They played great and look like they are looking forward to their match up vs the Cavs. Let's just take a look at what the Hawks did this game that they must carry over to next series.

This Hawks team played great defense. They had amazing defensive rotations and were very, very sound defensively. They had the Celtics shooting just 36.2% from the field. They were contesting tons of shots, not allowing any easy points from the Celtics. This defense was so great. I can see them really pressuring LeBron next series when he tries to drive and they might let him take outside shots as well. The Hawks seem like they can handle the Cavs defensively, but what about offensively?

The Hawks were great offensively. 6 players had at least 10 points. Horford was back on track as he had 15 points. Millsap had 17. The team shot 51.4% from 3. They were getting off great shots as well. They shot very well in the paint, in fact, they had 48 points in the paint. They are going to need to cut down the turnovers because they had 18 of them on the night. If the Hawks are going to win next round, Horford and Millsap are going to have to take over in the post. Millsap needs to just destroy Love. I think that the Cavs would be smart to start Mozgov on Horford for a better defensive matchup. If the Hawks can make shots like they did last night, they will be in the position to win against them.

I really enjoyed watching this series. It was nice that they had a couple of games that were close and 1 even went into overtime. The Hawks now most prepare for their next series, because they have a tough road ahead of them. If anyone can do it, it's the Hawks!

Warriors VS Rockets (Game 5)

Warriors Win Series 4-1

The Warriors closed out the series last night, and they blew out the Houston Rockets. Jason Terry guaranteed a Rockets win in game 5. The funny thing is, Jason Terry obviously put too much pressure on himself because he was 0-7 from the field.

The Warriors were great offensively. They shot 54.9% from the field. They could not be stopped. The team had 30 assists in the game. Klay Thompson had 27 points on the night as he took advantage of James Harden's poor defensive effort. Klay took 9 uncontested field goals and made 8 of them. That is just a very poor effort from the Rockets.

The Warriors weren't just good offensively though. They held the Rockets to 32.6% from the field. They contested most of the Rockets attempts. The Rockets took 55 contested shots and only made 18 of them. That is great defense! I also notice that they crashed on Dwight Howard whenever he got the ball. He never could get up a clean shot as he shot 3-13 from the field.

As you can see, the Warriors dominated on offense and played great defense. If they keep this up going into next series, they could win the whole series without Curry. And Kevin Durant would agree with me that anyone who can't see that is an idiot.

Clippers VS Trailblazers (Game 5)

Trailblazers Lead Series 3-2

The Clippers have lost and are now in a downward spiral. They were doing such a great job. The game was tied in the 3rd quarter, but what happened?

The Clippers played well through the first 3 quarters. They were very aggressive. You could tell that they expected to win the game too. 52 of their points came from the paint. Jeff Green was very active on offense as he had 17 points. J.J. Redick had 19 points as well. These are two guys that need to produce if the team is to win.

Going into the 4th quarter is when the Clippers lost it. Jamal Crawford really hurt them. He played 10 minutes in the quarter and shot just 0-4 from the field in those 10 minutes. They weren't the best quality shots either and none of them were in the paint. Other than that the Clippers offense was fine.

Their defense was a different story. Damian Lillard had 16 points in the 4th quater! They were horrible defending him when a big came up to give him a pick. They kind of laid off him letting him get off the shots. When guarding Dame, you can't let him get an open shot at a 3. He will knock him down. Force him inside the arc where he can't hurt you as much.

Damian Lillard - Shot Chart 4th quarter - www.nba.com/stats

The Trailblazers had a great overall game. They once again beat the Clippers in rebounds. Mason Plumlee was a big reason why. C.J. McCollum played great as he ended the game with 27 points. Harkless had a double-double as he had 19 points and 10 rebounds. These guys really contributed to the game which took pressure off Damian Lillard as he only had to come out and close the game. The play from the Trailblazers was amazing and if they keep it up, they are going to be looking at closing this series next game.

Heat VS Hornets (Game 5)

Hornets Lead Series 3-2

Courtney Lee cam up clutch in American Airlines Center last night. The Miami crowd was in disbelief as the guy who had shot just 1-8 before the shot, won the game. Miami had another chance. Wade took the basketball inside where he was blocked by Kemba Walker. These were the highlights, however, there was much more to the game than just these plays.

Many of the Hornets players were struggling. Kemba Walker, Courtney Lee, and Frank Kaminski all struggled shooting the ball. However, Marvin Williams was a big reason why this team had the lead. He had 17 points and 8 rebounds. He is a great player for this Hornets team to have on the floor. And when he is shooting well, he is even better.

While Miami shot better from the floor, they struggled from 3. The Heat went 5-18 on 3-pointers while the Hornets went 12-24. This really put the Hornets in the position to win. The Heat just never seemed in the position to hit 3s either, they were just out of rhythm.

The Hornets have a great bench. Jeremy Lin plays such a big role for the time. The Hornets had 29 total bench points while the Heat only had 13 bench points. The Heat just need more production from their bench. I think they need to play Gerald Green a little bit more and just tell him to come out and score. The Heat had 88 points last night. They need more. And when you aren't hitting shots, you need someone to come in and starting hitting them, not Justice Winslow who is coming out and shooting 1-6. Gerald Green can score.

Anyways, the Hornets have now won 3 games in a row. They can close it out in Charlotte. The Hornets are a great home team so the Heat have to play at their best next game. They need to start hitting shots. Their defense has been great, but they need to hit more shots. That's all.

Hawks VS Celtics (Game 5)

Hawks Lead Series 3-2

When Isaiah Thomas scores only 7 points for the Celtics, you have to find other options. The Hawks played great defense as they surrounded Isaiah Thomas. They wouldn't let the guard get a shot off. Since nobody else was willing to make plays, the Hawks just continued to swarm Thomas. While Thomas suffered from an ankle injury, he said that he will play in game 6.

As for the Hawks offense. It was great. 5 players had at least 10 points. 12 players had at least 2 points. They shared the ball so well as they ended with 30 assists on the night. They also won the rebounding and defensively, they forced 20 turnovers on the Celtics. They had 19 fastbreak points as well. The Celtics defense was scrambled, which was odd because the Celtics are a great defensive team. They destroyed the Celtics

The Hawks just need to keep up this intensity going into Boston. If they can keep it up, they should be looking at a win. On the other hand, the Celtics are looking at elimination next game. But I have confidence that Brad Stevens will find a way to stop the Hawks and get points up on the board. He always seems to be able to do it.

Raptors VS Pacers (Game 5)

Raptors Lead Series 3-2

The Raptors won a big game last night. For the Pacers to beat the Raptors in the series, they now have to win the next two games. The Raptors are finally in control of the series. Here's why.

DeMar DeRozan finally looks like DeMar DeRozan. He had 34 points as he shot 45.5% from the field and more importantly, he shot 12-13 from the free throw line. He took plenty of this mid-range shots and got to the rim with ease. He was a huge reason this Raptors team won. However, this game was really close, a lot closer than the Raptors would have liked. Kyle Lowry still needs to step it up. He shot 3-11 from the field and 1-5 from three. George Hill outscored him. They need him to step it up.

I was very impressed with how great Bismack Biyombo was in this game. He had 10 points and 16 rebounds in the game and was a +10 on the floor. He helped this Raptors team stay in this game when the Pacers had a 17 point lead over the Raptors. Norman Powell was also great in the game and a big benefactor.

Paul George played great. He was amazing. He shot 57.9% from the field, had 39 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds. He really had his team winning. While he probably should've taken the last shot, he made the right play. If there was about 1 more second on the clock, the Pacers would've won that game. But they lost since the shot didn't get off in time. However, this game shouldn't have come down to that last shot. Somehow, in 7 minutes and 29 seconds that Ty Lawson played in the game, the Pacers lost 18 points from their lead just with Lawson being in there. Him and C.J. Miles were horrible off the bench. Rodney Stuckey shot 1-10 from the field, but he actually played solid defense and he ended with a +1 for the team. I don't even know how the Pacers can even play Miles and Lawson next game.

I do want to mention that the Raptors had 12 assists in the game. It was horrible. Their ball movement was so stagnant and I'm really shocked they won the game. I think that if the Pacers didn't have horrible bench production, they would have won. The Pacers bench ruined the 4th quarter. Completely ruined it. The Pacers only had 9 points in the 4th. Only 9! It was horrible. The Raptors are very lucky that Paul George didn't play the whole quarter. 

Clippers VS Trailblazers (Game 4)

Series Tied 2-2

Chris Paul went down. So did Blake Griffin. Could it cost them. It sure could. Let's take a look at how it could affect them.

First off, I want to say that Doc Rivers made a big mistake not putting Luc Richard Mbah a Moute in the game during the 2nd half. Aminu took advantage of this as he had 30 points and 10 rebounds in the game. The effort wasn't there defensively from Jeff Green. I also think people forget just how great of a defensive player Chris Paul is. Austin Rivers just doesn't have as great of a defensive game as Chis Paul has. Without him, I think that Lillard is just going to explode in scoring these last games of the series, something the Clippers have been doing a great job of limiting this series.

J.J. Redick needs to produce with these 2 out. So does Jeff Green. You might remember back when Jeff Green was on the Celtics, KG told him he could be a star in this league. That never really happened, but now, Jeff Green kind of has his chance. They are going to rely on him to score. He needs to produce. J.J. Redick had 8 points in the game. He needs to be coming off tons of off-ball screens because that is where he excels. He must be much more aggressive coming off those screens. These two guys need to score.

C.J. McCollum was amazing in this game. While he didn't break 20 points in this game, he was amazing in this game defensively. He played solid defense. I was amazed with his impact defensively. You probably weren't watching, but off the ball, he defended so well getting around screen and just getting in his man's face.

Again, Mason Plumlee was amazing. He has been the surprise of the series. He had just 2 points, but he pitched in 14 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 blocks with those 2 points. He has done so much for this Blazers team. He really helped this Trailblazers team get 58 rebounds in the game while the Clippers had 42!

The Clippers aren't looking good. They need offense, and they need it bad. Someone is going to have to step up, and fast.

Thunder VS Mavericks (Game 5)

Thunder Win Series 4-1

The Maverick played great, they really did. But this OKC team was just way too much for them to handle. I have to admit that this has been my favorite series to watch so far. It's been a chippy, scrappy game, and I have loved the effort from the Mavs.

The Mavs had one big thing working against them. They were worn out, and you could tell. The effort was there defensively. The Mavs contested most of the shots that the Thunder put up. However, if you take a look at the 4th quarter. The Thunder were destroying them offensively and the Mavs were shooting very poorly. In the last 5 minutes of the game. The Mavs shot just 2-11 from the field where the Thunder shot 3-8 and were sent to the FT line multiple times just because of the bad defensive positioning of the Mavs.

The fact is, the Mavs fought, and they fought hard. 6 of their players had at least 10 points. Barea had 8 points and Devin Harris had 9 as well. The team had 24 assists. They moved the ball really well. If they could have made shots in the late 4th, I have to think they would have won. The Mavs just couldn't hit shots.

As for OKC, they need to go back to the defense they had in game 1. The Thunder's defensive rotations were way too late on every possession it seemed. Their defense was just bad. They need to go back to their great defense from game 1 and I think it starts with Westbrook just putting in more effort. They need to step it up if they are going to even have a chance against the Spurs, because the Spurs will always find the open man and rip apart weak defenses.

Heat VS Hornets (Game 4)

Series Tied 2-2

This was the Kemba Walker game we were waiting for. On the Heat side, nobody really took over. This wasn't the Heat's best night but they did move the ball well.

What really kept the Heat in this game was their rebounding. The team wanted to rebound. It wasn't just Hassan Whiteside either. 4 of the 5 Heat starters had 7 rebounds. The Heat had 46 boards while the Hornets had 36. What was really confusing to me is that the Hornets had more second chance points than the Heat. The Heats only had 5 second chance points while the Hornets had 10.

Two things really killed the Heat. First, they had no fast break points in the game. Second, they only had 30 points in the paint. I think that against the Hornets, you need easy points. A great way to do this is to run the court and get to the paint. Taking 26 shots around the basket doesn't give you enough easy points. You need to be taking more shots around there.

It was really the opposite for the Hornets though. They were getting good shots from the paint. Hassan Whiteside always looked late on rotations to me. He did a bad job on the inside. The Heat also fouled quite a lot due to just bad defensive positioning. The Hornets went 25-30 from the free throw line as they took advantage of this. The Heat need to be much more disciplined defensively.

The fact that the Heat shot bad didn't help them. They really need to take it inside the paint more was part of it. The Heat aren't the best outside shooters so they need to get inside more. Hassan Whiteside needs to get in more pick and roll situations with Goran Dragic. It think that the Heat need to get back to their ball movement, defense, and pick and roll more if they are going to win this series, because they haven't looked that great.

Cavaliers VS Pistons (Game 4)

Cavs Win Series 4-0

The Cavaliers won the series, but before I get started, I would like to point out that Kyrie Irving traveled in the video above. And It wasn't a half-court, his foot was over the line. I mean, geez guys, it's not a big deal!... I'm kidding!

Okay, so to start off, the Pistons need to find a better backup center for Andre Drummond, because Aron Baynes just gets destroyed out there. He isn't a good rebounder and not the best defensive player. They could really use a backup like Bismack Biyombo.

The next thing I'm going to mention is that both teams had a combined total of 14 turnovers. Only 14. The Cavs only had 5 turnovers in the game. If they keep that up going into the next rounds of the playoffs, they are going to be hard to beat. So great job to the Cavs for taking great care of the ball.

While the Pistons guarded LeBron pretty well, LeBron completely destroyed Marcus Morris in the paint. I wasn't too thrilled about Morris''s defense. While Morris shot 75% from the field, he was a -13 when he was on the floor, this was because he did a horrible job guarding LeBron. Stanly Johnson on the other hand did a great job on letting LeBron put up longer range shots and forcing him out of the paint.

I also think that the Cavs kind of strayed away from ball movement in this game. They only had 16 assists and I think that they should move the ball around more. This was mainly the reason why this was such a close game, the Cavs played a lot of iso ball, a little too much.

Anyways, while Reggie Jackson didn't really get a good look at a game winner, this was still a fun series to watch. But the Cavs need to get ready to move on. They need to be ready for whoever is next, because if they play like this, they could easily be beaten.

Hawks VS Celtics (Game 4)

Series Tied 2-2

This was a crazy game. There were a lot of plays that you could say decided the game. Let's take a look at them.

This game was an amazing win for the Celtics. Amir Johnson was amazing defensively. He really kept Al Horford quiet. Horford only had 5 points on the night. Starting Amir at the 5 has lead to 2 Celtic wins and 0 losses this postseason. The whole team really did a great job defending. The Hawks shot just 37% from the field and 27.9% from long range. The Celtics really let the Hawks take tons of mid-range shots. The Hawks didn't make many of them either.

The Celtics offense was great. Most of the shots they took were either open 3's or open looks in the paint. Jonas Jerebko really took some pressure off Thomas as he had 16 points shooting very well from 3. Marcus Smart also played well. He had 20 points while also dishing out 6 assists off the bench. The Celtics moved the ball so well it helped get their players wide open looks.

If the Celtics played so well, then why was this such a close game? Well, Paul Millsap really carried the team. He had 45 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks, and 2 steals. The Atlanta Hawks relied on him to make plays. However, towards the end of the game in OT, Paul Millsap wasn't looking to score. Since he wasn't aggressive, this ultimately lead to the Hawks downfall.


The Hawks made some weird plays down the stretch. Something that I noticed was that Korver closed out hard on Jae Crowder at the 3-point line, a guy that shot 2-9 from 3 in the game and really bad from 3 in the series. Crowder blew by Korver, kicked it to Turner, who threw it out to Jonas Jerebko who was wide open from 3. He decided to shoot the ball and he ended up making it. So why did they close out so hard on Jae Crowder but left the guy who was shooting 50% from 3 in the game wide open. Jerebko is one of the Celtics best 3-point shooter and Jae Crowder is struggling. This was towards the end of the 4th quarter too.

I was also confused on how Jeff Teague went into isolation and with 3 seconds left had another player kind of interfere with the play so Jeff Teague had to put a 3-pointer, but didn't even put it up. But I can't really blame this loss on Teague because he is the reason the game went into OT.

While there were some slip ups, this was an amazing game to watch and I really hope the rest of the series is just like this.

Warriors VS Rockets (Game 4)

Warriors Lead Series 3-1

Curry played the first half of the game. He then slipped on a wet spot that wasn't wiped up on the court. Curry would not return to the second half of the game. It was today that it was found out after an MRI scan that Curry is out for 2 weeks with an MCL sprain. The game was tied at halftime. That was when this Warriors team broke away from the Rockets. This was without Curry. Let's take a look at what they did.

In the second half of the game, the Warriors shot the ball extremely well. They were 12-20 from three in the second half as well as shooting 57.1% from the field. They weren't just hitting shots though. They were getting great looks. They moved the ball so well. The Warriors had 21 assists in the second half alone! They had 38 assists in the game! Shaun Livingston lead this with 9 assists in the second half. They weren't satisfied until they got an open shot. The Warriors had 51 uncontested shots on the night! They looked great without Curry.

A part of this did have to do with the defense of the Rockets. Their defensive rotation were horrible. Completely horrible. Nobody seemed to communicate and players were losing their man. It was just bad. The Rockets can't win against the Warriors with the defense they had.

The Rockets also turned the ball over 18 times. The Warriors took advantage of this. The Warriors had 20 fast break points and 23 points off turnovers. The Rockets turn the ball over a lot, but you can't against the Warriors because they are the best in converting off turnovers.

The Warriors also played great defense. The Rockets shot 5-27 on three point attempts and didn't get many open looks. The Warriors were going for steals as they had 10 steals and 12 deflections. The Rockets had a hard time getting into an offense. While the Warriors had 16 turnovers, the Rockets only had 9 fastbreak points.

If the Rockets are to come back in the series, they need the same bench production they had in this game. Beasley was an instant scorer. He had 17 points on the night. Jason Terry also added 9 and Brewer had 10 points.

Anyways, the Warriors played great without Curry, but they really need to continue the play through the rest of the series and through the next series.

Spurs VS Grizzlies (Game 4)

Spurs Win Series 4-0

The Spurs won. Nothing special. The Grizzlies season is over. Now there is something special. I have the upmost respect for coach Dave Joerger. If you look at his press conference, he was proud of his guys. He was so proud of the fact that his guys fought through adversity, and they made the playoffs.

The Spurs had to take a lot of contested shots. They also happened to make 52.1% of their contested shots. The poor Grizzlies were flying all over the court to keep up with the Spurs passes. But each and every Grizzlies player ran as hard as they could. By the end of the game, they were tired out, but finished out the last final minutes as hard as they could. The Grizzlies fought out each possession which says a lot about their character.

This was probably a great thing for players like Matt Barnes. All of these guys on the Grizzlies roster had the chance to see what they could do on the court and they got a chance to prove themselves. Teams are going to look at Matt Barnes now as a very good defensive player that has offensive capabilities. Matt Barnes got to develop his offense, something he wouldn't have been able to do on any other team. The same goes for every player on this Grizzlies team.

The Spurs were the better team. They were fundamentally sound and there was no way they were going to let the Grizzlies win. But the heart was there, and that was all Dave Joerger could ask of from his guys.   

Clippers VS Trailblazers (Game 3)

Clippers Lead Series 2-1

Portland went home. This was a game that they needed to win, and they delivered. Everything I said needed to happen in my Game 2 breakdown, they did. Let's take a look at this game.

First off, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum both decided to finally have a productive game on offense. Lillard had 32 points while McCollum had 27. I was very happy with McCollum's defensive effort too. He was a big benefactor to have on the defensive end. Both of these guys really helped their team win and they both had a superior offensive game unlike in games 1 and 2.

Mason Plumlee was a big part of Portland's win. While he only had 6 points, he had 21 rebounds and 9 assists to go with that. He out rebounded DeAndre Jordan, which is pretty impressive. As a result of this, Portland won the rebounding battle as they had 56 rebounds while the Clippers only had 44 rebounds. This is something that the Clippers have to do better. If they are going to win next game, they have to keep the Blazers off the offensive boards. The Blazers had 18 second chance points.

The Clippers took some really tough shots in the game. They tried to get into the paint but a lot of their shots were at tough angles when they tried to get in close. A part of that was Mason Plumlee's great interior defense, but they need to do a better job of penetrating.

I also think that they need to get Redick involved more in the mid-range game. Redick didn't take many mid-range shots and they weren't in his hot spots. They need to get him coming off screens from the top of the key. While Redick is a good 3-point shooter, he is a great mid-range shooter. They need to get him going with his mid-range shot.

I think that Portland can very well win this series if they keep up what they are doing. As for the Clippers, this wasn't that great of a game for them and they kind of strayed away from what they do. They need to get back to that.

Thunder VS Mavericks (Game 4)

Thunder Lead Series 3-1

This was a very testy game. You can tell that the Mavericks will to compete is really getting under the Thunder's skin. This caused for multiple technicals on the Thunder and Durant to be ejected with a flagrant 2. This could mean Durant might have to sit out of game 5. That would be the Mavericks best chance to steal another game.

The Mavericks played like they were the better team. They fought and every time the Thunder would make a push, the Mavs would come right back. The Mavs shot 51.8% on the game. They got some great looks at the basket with their pick and roll and kickout looks. Raymond Felton was at the heart of this. He did a great job finding open players as he had 11 assists but also did a great job finding openings and scoring at the right time as he also had 19 points on the night. Dirk was a big part of that pick and roll. He had 27 points on the night.

The Mavs did a great job guarding Westbrook and Durant, but they were so focused on them that the other guys carried the team. Ibaka had 16 points, Steven Adams had 14, Dion Waiters had 12, and Kanter had 28. Kanter was also 12-13 from the floor. All of these guys shot very efficiently while Westbrook and Durant had their shooting woes. The Mavs have a hard task of guarding the Thunder, but Kanter can't be shooting 12-13. They also can't let the Thunder get 60 points in the paint. You could tell the Mavs were trying, they just weren't always fundamentally sound on defense though.

A big part of there loss was J.J. Barea's inability to hit shots. He was such a big part of their offense in game 3, but in game 4 he shot 0-7 from the floor with 6 assists. He seemed very passive when he was in the paint almost always looking to pass off. If Barea played better, I have to think that this would have been a much different game.

Justin Anderson was the guy that really caught my eye. He had 10 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. You could tell he wanted the ball and he wanted to win. He did a great job and put in the effort.

If Kevin Durant is out the next game, and the Mavericks show the same heart and effort, they have a good chance at winning that game. They have a few things that they could fix up. Game 5 will be a great competitive one as the whole series has been.

Raptors VS Pacers (Game 4)

Series Tied 2-2

The Pacers dominated this game. Offensively they couldn't be beat. As for the Raptors, they were the exact opposite.

The Raptors stars have again struggled. Lowry shot 4-12 in the game and DeRozan shot just 4-15 in the game. Both players have shot under 33% in this series! They have not played good at all which has caused the team to suffer. As a team, the Raptors shot just 36.5% from the field. This needs to change.

For the Pacers, they were great. Paul George did not have to carry this team. George Hill and Ian Mahinmi both had 22 points. Mahinmi played so great. He also had 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Myles Turner didn't shoot well as he only shot 15.4% from the field, but he grabbed rebounds, played great defense, and hustled for every loose ball.

The Pacers moved the ball very well. Everyone was very unselfish. The team had 24 assists on the night. The Raptors had just 12 assists. The turnovers also effected the game. The Raptors had 17 turnovers and the Pacers had 25 points off those turnovers. The Raptors turned the ball over and then didn't get back to play good defense.

The Raptors need their stars to perform. They can't win with them shooting under 30%. Valanciunas can't carry the team. If the Raptors don't have a change from their star players, they aren't going to be looking that great in this series. The organization can't afford to lose this series.