Houston we have a...chance?
- May 18, 2015
- 2 min read
After falling 3-1 to the LA Clippers in the Western Conference semi-finals, the Houston Rockets have somehow tied the series up at 3 games a piece. This came after blowing out the Clippers in game 5 in Houston and then overcoming a 19 point deficit in LA to rally and beat them in game 6.
The comeback was nothing short of amazing, capped off by the fact that neither James Harden or Dwight Howard made a field goal in the entire 4th Q. In addition to his, Harden barely played in the 4th, only coming in late to help out with free throws as LA tried to play catchup ball with the Rockets.
Looking forward now, it is near impossible to predict what exactly is going to happen in game 7. Is Houston going to come out and make their shots? There's no denying that they live and die by the 3 ball and if the shots aren't falling then there really isn't much else for them to do. They believe in the "key-and-three" philosophy, so James Harden can attack the rim all he wants but he does not have A) a big man who can post up and hit shots or B) another player who can create his own shot in general, regardless of where it might be on the court. The Rockets need their shots to fall to have any chance in this last game otherwise it's going to end up being a blowout just like game 1 in the series.
All this being said, they have ALL the momentum right now. You can imagine how the Clippers feel having TWO chances to close out the Rockets and blowing it twice. Game 5 they lost by 21 and game 6 they blew a 19 point lead; to say that their confidence is deflated would be a huge understatement. When you get outscored 40-15 in the final Q it is hard to find the energy and motivation to turn around and play another game. BUT
We are talking about two very special players and a future HOF coach.
Case in point
Chris Paul has never been to the Conference Finals in his long and storied career while Blake is looking to win a title as early as possible in his career. Heck ask Norris Cole what two championships in two seasons does for your confidence. The overall series deserves to go to the Clippers, they have been the better team through and through plus it will make for a more competitive Western Conference Finals matchup against the Warriors. Do I need to remind everyone about what happened last year? CP3 and Blake are a deadly combination and that's putting it nicely. Being the players that they are with the mentality that they bring to the table, it would not be surprising if LA blew out Houston in game 7. After being completely punked in game 5 and 6, they're coming out to send a message to both Houston and the Warriors. Chris Paul is not a nice man.
The last 12 minutes that these two played, resulted in this:
But a lot can change in 48 minutes of basketball.
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