As always, when the Lakers get a chance to finish off someone, the job gets done.
You have to hand it to the Los Angeles Lakers. When they have a chance to close the door and finish an opponent off, they usually get it done. The Lakers defeated the New Orleans Hornets to advance to the Western Conference semifinals with a 98-80 win on the road.
It was the 11th time in 12 opportunities during the playoffs that the Lakers have defeated an opponent in their first chance to do so. So for all the questions about what's wrong with the Los Angeles, they just keep winning. Up next for the "Lake Show", the Dallas Mavericks who sent the Portland Trailblazers on vacation last night with an impressive win on the road also.
How good was Kevin Durant in the close out Game 5 against the Denver Nuggets? He had a career high tying 41 points making big shots when it counted and, like some other guy named Kobe, who is a renowned closer, he used an array of shots from all locations on the court to get it done. Durant also made a big defensive play in blocking a potential game tying three point shot from JR Smith late in the game.
In the event you are wondering why he seemingly had a backcourt violation overturned late in the game, the NBA rule interpretation is different from the college and high school game where if you establish your pivot foot in the front court you can't step on the line. That would be a violation but the NBA has a different take. You can check it out here. In the pro game you need to establish both feet in the front court and since Durant didn't, he was allowed to go into the back court. Personally, I don't like it. It's the same when you choose to advance the ball with a time out, I don't think you should be able to throw it into the back court. Ok, I'm down off my soap box.
So there is only one series left in the first round and it's a good one. For only the fourth time in NBA history, a No. 8 seed, the Memphis Grizzlies, will try to take down a No. 1 seed, the San Antonio Spurs. It has only been done once since the NBA moved to a best-of-seven format in the oepning round. That happened when Golden State eliminated Dallas in 2007. The Spurs, by the way, have not beaten the Grizzlies in Memphis this season and have won only three road games away from home in the playoffs since 2008, and with the way Memphis is playing, that makes it a very tall order for San Antonio.
That being said, if it goes to a Game 7, things turn dramatically in favour of the Spurs. The road team wins Game 7about 20 percent of the time, and in the first round, the road team has only won Game 7 twice over the last 10 seasons.
Enough with the numbers though. Let's see if the Grizzlies can win a playoff series for the first time in franchise history. Yes the Thunder are waiting but both the Spurs and the Grizzlies had winning records in the regular season against OKC. San Antonio was 3-0 while Memphis went 3-1 against the Thunder.
As we continue to watch what is happening with negotiations of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in the NBA, it was interesting to talk to Charles Grantham last night on Sportsnet Radio The FAN 590. Grantham is the former Executive Director of the NBA Players Association and he shed some light on the entire situation including what the recent court ruling pertaining to the NFL's lockout might mean for the NBA. You can listen to that interview here.
