On an emotionally charged night at Staples Centre, the Los Angeles Clipper who appeared most affected by the horrific comments of his team’s soon-to-be-former owner played the game of his life.
DeAndre Jordan finished Game 5 of the Clippers’ first-round series with the Golden State Warriors with a game-high 25 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks, including 15 points and 11 boards in the first half alone.
The Donald Sterling situation seemed to weigh particularly heavy on Jordan’s mind, evidenced in part by the impactful photo he posted to Instagram shortly after the allegations broke, and it showed in his Game 4 performance, scoring zero points and coming up with just six rebounds.
He wasn’t going to let that happen in Game 5, particularly after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver dropped the hammer on Sterling.
Last night, the usually fun-loving Jordan showed a side the league hasn’t really seen before: focused, angry and utterly unstoppable.
Nothing could slow him down. Not Draymond Green, not David Lee, not the cheesy “hack-a-Jordan” strategy Mark Jackson employed with about five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, and certainly not Donald Sterling.
Here are a few more observations from Tuesday’s NBA playoff games:
Chris Paul and the Clippers’ third quarter
While Jordan was, undoubtedly, the star of Game 5, the narrative would’ve changed slightly had the Clippers lost. Thank goodness for Chris Paul.
With 8:33 to go in the third quarter, Blake Griffin picked up his fourth foul on a questionable loose-ball call, forcing the Clippers star to sit and giving the Warriors an opportunity to pull ahead and seize momentum.
The problem with that, however, was that Paul wouldn’t let them. The all-star guard scored 10 of his 20 points in the final frame, including a pair of dagger triples—the first in response to a five-point spurt from Steph Curry and the second at the end of the quarter, following a layup by Green.
Paul takes a lot of flak for not being aggressive enough, but when his team needed him to step up, he was more than happy to oblige.
How far can Washington go?
On Tuesday, the Washington Wizards completed a stunning series win over the Chicago Bulls, advancing to the second round for the first time since 2005.
The Wizards thoroughly outplayed Chicago for all five games and, if not for Mike Dunleavy going crazy in Game 4, would’ve cleanly swept the Bulls aside.
The question going forward is just how far can they go?
With the Indiana Pacers looking dead in the water, Washington’s most likely second-round matchup is the Atlanta Hawks, a team the Wiz beat three out of four times during the regular season.
Unlike the Pacers, the Wizards will be able to defend the Hawks’ unconventional three-point barrage because they have more athletic personnel and don’t rely on a pack-the-paint defensive scheme.
Even if Indiana manages to survive, the Wizards should still be favoured. Washington was able to both effectively speed up the Bulls and fight in the trenches with them when required, two points that will be key should they draw the Pacers.
There’s also the issue of Indiana’s mind state following their regular-season swoon and first-round nightmare.
As strange as it may be to say, expect to see the Wizards in the Eastern Conference final.
Grizzlies remain unflappable
Though I’ve written on it before, the poise of the Memphis Grizzlies remains a marvel and is worth examining again.
Memphis and the Oklahoma City Thunder have gone to overtime in four straight contests. The Grizz have emerged victorious three times, and Tuesday’s win may have been their most impressive yet.
Memphis saw a 20-point lead evaporate to just eight in a little less than four minutes of third quarter action, thanks to an 18-4 Thunder run to close out the frame. Despite that huge momentum swing, the Grizzlies didn’t panic and kept playing their game.
Russell Westbrook made an incredible steal and slam to send the game to overtime, and yet Memphis still stayed steady.
This Grizzlies team is so unflappable it makes one think that even if Ibaka’s tip-in had counted, they would have just calmly gone about their business to win Game 6 and force a Game 7. Now, however, they only have to worry about tomorrow night on their home floor, and with the championship-level poise they exude, expect to see them finish the job.
No more leash for Scott Brooks
If the Grizzlies do pull off the win, another thing you can expect to see is a change in OKC.
And though a roster move might be more impactful, the more likely shakeup will be on the Thunder sideline.
Head coach Scott Brooks has been frequently questioned for continuously playing Kendrick Perkins and failing to reel-in Westbrook a little. But, on Tuesday night, a new problem was highlighted: his poor timeout management.
Brooks burned the Thunder’s final timeout at the 3:39 mark of the fourth quarter. That was way too early, and it really came back to bite the Thunder with 33 seconds left when Kevin Durant missed a three-pointer and Reggie Jackson tracked down an offensive rebound in traffic.
That would’ve been the perfect time to call for a timeout and set up a good final possession (in place of the desperate triple that Caron Butler jacked up instead).
It’s just one small example but it speaks to some of the larger problems that have followed the Thunder since their trip to the Finals in 2012.
If OKC is bounced in the first round, Brooks may not find himself on the bench next season.