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!