Pacers 106, Knicks 99

Best Performance: Lance Stephenson

Yup. Lance Stephenson swung an elimination game. That happened. The Knicks had a 92-90 lead with 5:40 to go in the game. The next four minutes went like this: Stephenson lay-up, Melo charge, Stephenson missed 3, Stephenson steal, Stephenson and-1, Melo miss, Stephenson free throws, Melo turnover, David West bucket, Melo bucket, Stephenson lay-up. A two-point game turned into a 7-point lead thanks to Stephenson’s 9 point barrage. He’d go 9-13 for the game, finishing with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists. Even though he didn’t hit a shot outside the paint, Stephenson was absolutely outstanding finishing a variety of lay-ups and making life tough on the Knicks guards, especially J.R. Smith, who finished 4-15 from the field with Stephenson guarding him for a majority of that time. Stephenson had an absolutely terrific game, and was a terrific weapon for the Pacers.

Worst Performance: Raymond Felton

Felton was pretty good in the Boston series, but struggled against Indiana. That was none more evident than last night, when Felton went 0-7 from the field for two points. He missed in the lane, from mid-range, and from deep two land, and was completely ineffective on defense, Allowing George Hill to attack the lane on him with ease, which seems relevant because, you know, Hill was in his first game back after a concussion sent him away for Game 5. Felton did nothing really positive for the Knicks, who didn’t really have offensive rhythm late outside of “Get the ball to Melo, see what happens.”

Most Surprising Factor: Roy Hibbert Block Party

We all know Hibbert is a shot-blocking machine. He is prone to blocking many shots. However, it was awesome to watch Hibbert come alive last night, blocking 5 shots, including this one on a Carmelo Anthony dunk attempt that was pretty outstanding. Hibbert had a quiet offensive effort, going for 21 unremarkable points, but he was alive on the defensive end, killing the Knicks and allowing an absurd 20 points in the paint.

Thing I Liked Most About This Series: It’s over

I thought this series was going to be pretty fun. I was wrong. The wildly inconsistent Pacers and wildly inconsistent Knicks played an interesting Game 1, and last night’s game was pretty good, but the middle four games featured a blowout in game 2, and neither team cracking 95 points in the other three. No one was really consistent in this series, except J.R. Smith, who was consistently awful. This was a fairly crappy series, and I’m looking forward to the Eastern Conference Finals simply to put this series behind us.

Thing I Liked Least About this Series: J.R. Smith

Let’s roll back J.R.’s numbers for the series, shall we?

Game 1: 4-15, 17 points

Game 2: 3-15, 1-7 from three, 8 points, 6 rebounds 

Game 3: 4-12, 9 points, 1 rebound

Game 4: 7-22 for 19 points, 2 rebounds

Game 5: 4-11, 13 points

Game 6: 4-15, 2-9 from deep, 15 points

Overall, J.R. shot 33% from the field and 27% from three in the playoffs, averaged 4 points per game less than he did in the regular season, and was even our only playoff suspension so far this year. Wonderful showing, J.R. I really enjoyed him in the regular season, but this…..this was just sad.

Spurs 94, Warriors 82

Best Performance: Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi was the strongest player for the Spurs last night, taking advantage of a banged up Warriors D to post 16/10 and 2 steals. Leonard was fairly consistent throughout the game, from his long two early in the first quarter to the corner three dagger late in the fourth. Leonard pushed Harrison Barnes and Carl Landry around down low, and in a game where Tony Parker struggled greatly, Leonard was able to step up and fill the offensive production.

Worst Performance: Tony Parker

Yeah, the Spurs won, but I expected a little more quality production from Parker in an elimination game. Parker did hit two threes and dish out 8 assists, but he went 3-16 from the field, going 0-11 from the field from the 8-minute mark of the first quarter to the 3:35 mark of the fourth quarter. Parker also struggled to guard Stephen Curry and Jarrett Jack, It wasn’t a good game for him, but really, Parker’s had an outstanding playoffs, so I’ll give him one mulligan for last night.

Most Surprising Factor: Harrison Barnes

I figure here is a good place to discuss Barnes, who went down in the second quarter after banging his head on the court. Barnes took almost 5 minutes to walk off the court, and when he did, he left a small pool of blood on the court and looked like he didn’t know where he was walking back to the locker room. He ended up getting 6 stitches above his eye, and much to the surprise of many, cleared the concussion test and came back in the second half. He was pretty ineffective, going 0-3 from the field and being taken out for the fourth quarter when he was suffering from a headache. While Barnes probably shouldn’t have played, all reports are that he passed the concussion tests, so you can’t really fault how the situation was handled. Barnes also tweeted after the game that he does feel better. It was a surprise to see him in the game after that, but I’m not going to say that the situation wasn’t handled correctly.

Thing I Liked Most About This Series: David Lee

I am a David Lee fan. I really am. I think he had an outstanding year for Golden State. It was capped off by his performance in this series. Mainly, that he had a performance in this series after tearing his hip flexor in the Denver series. Lee didn’t play much, averaging about 8 minutes per game, but he did well when he was in, providing some offensive firepower in spurts for the Warriors that the Spurs struggled to deal with. I was really impressed with Lee’s determination to make whatever impact he could, and I hope that he was healthy enough to keep playing and won’t suffer any adverse effects. As Bill Simmons always talks about, there are certain guys that you want in your NBA “foxhole,” guys who are outstanding competitors. I would want Lee ion my NBA foxhole. Even if he would suck at defending it.

Thing I Liked Least About This Series: Nothing

This series was wonderful. It was a treat to watch an older competitor battle a fiery up-and-comer, and the games were all outstanding. Lots of great moments here; from Klay Thompson’s inferno in Game 2, to Lee coming back in Game 3, to the OT games. Memphis/OKC was a great series, but this one was my favorite of the playoffs so far. Best of luck to the Spurs in the West Finals, and here’s hoping that this is the first of many Warriors playoff runs.

Knicks 85, Pacers 75

Best Performance: Paul George

It’s difficult to pick a player that was good in last night’s trainwreck of a contest. This game was really bad via most possible metrics, with the Pacers shooting 36% and the Knicks shooting 41% from the floor, and there were 48 combined fouls. Even George, who finished as the Pacers leading scorer last night, struggled for much of the game. George shot 1-6 in the first half, but had a strong second half as his teammates collapsed around him, keeping it close even as the Pacers continually failed to play defense and score. Overall, George finished 7-18 for 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, which was a good enough performance to keep Indiana in the game.

Worst Performance: Iman Shumpert

Shump was very active early in this game, but slowly dropped off late. That might be because he really struggled from the floor yesterday, shooting 2-10 from the field for 5 points and 6 rebounds. He didn’t hit a shot after the first quarter, and didn’t even attempt a shot in the fourth quarter. His defense on Paul George also got sloppy as the game went along, as Shump finished with 5 fouls. Shumpert’s struggles didn’t end up being too big of a concern, but he’s got to be a little stronger if the Knicks are going to force a game 7.

Most Surprising Factor: Chris Copeland

Copeland came off the bench for the Knicks and took over late, finishing 4-6 for 13 points 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. His theft of D.J. Augustin and subsequent three in transition at the beginning of the fourth quarter was a thing of beauty, Copeland also got up on the podium after the game and revealed that he had a pink princess backpack with him. That alone is enough for me to mention him.

Things of Note for Game 6

Sorry New York, but Game 6 after Indiana played their worst game of the playoffs in the Pacers house? I don’t have huge faith in New York to force Game 7. Pacers will come out angry. The Knicks only hope is that Melo gets going offensively (And more than 12-28 shooting going), and Raymond Felton realizes that D.J. FREAKING AUGUSTIN is who he’s being guarded by, and goes off. Not likely, however.

Grizzlies 88, Thunder 84

Best Performance: Zach Randolph

Randolph owned the Thunder front line throughout this series.In game 1, he had 18/10. Game 2? 15/8/3. He struggled in game 3, but in game 4 bounced back with 23/12/3 and killed the Thunder with key free throws down the stretch. Finally, last night was his virtuoso performance. Z-Bo attacked relentlessly throughout the game, finishing 8-17 from the floor and getting to the line 16 times. In all, he finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds, and forced Serge Ibaka to foul out as his finishing move on the Serge Ibaka meltdown. Defensively, his perimeter D was sound, as Randolph forced Ibaka to go 1-7 from outside the paint and Nick Collison to go 1-4 for the game. Randolph terrorized the Thunder in this series, and his big game was why the Grizzlies are advancing.

Worst Performance: Kendrick Perkins

Admiral Stone Hands rode the struggle bus in this series as well. Tasked with dealing with Marc Gasol, Perkins was terrible at pretty much everything in this series. Last night, he finished 1-4 from the field, posting 2 points,3 rebounds, 3 turnovers, and 3 fouls in 17 minutes of play. Scott Brooks finally got fed up with him and took him out for a huge stretch of the game, as Derek Fisher played 31 minutes and Serge Ibaka went 37. Perkins finished with more fouls in this series than he did points, assists, and blocks combined. I think Perkins will, and should, get amnestied this summer. We’ll see if OKC goes for it.

Most Surprising Factor: Tony Allen

This is mostly for Allen’s offensive skills. Allen finished 4-6 last night for 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals, and had a very productive game on both sides of the ball. A TA lay-up was even the dagger for the Grizzlies, which is how you know it’s been a great night. Allen was outstanding on both ends, and it showed, as he was +12 in a 4-point game.

Thing I Liked Most About this Series: The Grizzlies in the Conference Finals

The Grizzlies are in a conference finals. The Memphis Grizzlies. The team that started out 18 years ago with the immortal Bryant Reeves as their best player. The team who won 8 games in the lockout season in 99. The team who traded a 1st-round pick for Otis Thorpe that ended up being the 2nd pick in the most top-heavy draft ever. The team who unceremoniously moved to Memphis in 2001. The team who is an island of misfit toys; Zach Randolph, the moody, supposedly washed up former star from Portland and New York. Tony Allen, one of the most inconsistent Celtics ever. Marc Gasol, the chubby brother who was an afterthought in the Pau Gasol trade. Mike Conley, who legitimately caused rage from Memphis fans after being paid $45 million over 4 years in 2010 (Now an outstanding extension in hindsight). Tayshaun Prince, the player who many thought was a terrible return for trading Rudy Gay. Ditto for Quincy Pondexter in the GREIVIS VASQUEZ! trade. It’s a rapscallion bunch of misfits. It’s the best Grizzlies team ever. And they’re going to the Western Conference Finals.

Thing I Liked Least About This Series: “Durant isn’t clutch/Doesn’t have what it takes” arguments

Yeah, Durant missed a game-tying jumper late in game 5, and clanked two freebies in Game 3. But the first argument doesn’t make sense because, DURANT HIT THE GAME-WINNER IN GAME 1. That dagger pull-up jumper that Durant canned to win that game has been unfairly forgotten by critics. So has the fact that Durant’s hit endless game-winners since he was a rookie. He’s clutch. The second argument is also unfair. To expect Durant to have pulled this Thunder team to a Finals without Russell Westbrook, with Kevin Martin as the second best scorer, with Kendrick Perkins playing significant minutes, and with DEREK FISHER as the third offensive option is not just unfair, it’s outright dumb. Everyone keeps pointing to LeBron on the ‘07 Cavs, saying that is Durant’s standard; While no one remembers that the East was AWFUL that year. LeBron’s competition that year? The Gilbert Arenas AND Caron Butler-less Wizards, a Nets team that was imploding with Vince Carter and Jason Kidd, and a washed-up Pistons team. Durant had to go through a Top-10 player in the league in James Harden and the best defensive team in the league, who banged on him mercilessly, all while trying to re-vamp an offense that was suddenly missing its second-best player, a top-10 NBA player, and entrusting the offensive keys to a second-year player who played 14 minutes per game in the regular season and DEREK FISHER. And you know what Durant’s averages were for the playoffs? 31 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists per game. 31/9/6! He had a PER of 26.4! His true shooting % was 57%!!! And you’re going to blame DURANT for the Thunder not making the Finals??? I’m totally willing to give Durant a mulligan for this series. And the Thunder as a whole. They’ll be back next year, with Russell Westbrook healthy and an improved, hopefully Derek Fisher and Kendrick Perkins-less rotation. And they will be angry. Oh, so very angry.

Heat 94, Bulls 91

Best Performance: Dwyane Wade

Wade definitely deserves this for the way he played in the second half. For much of this game, Wade looked hobbled and struggled to make an impact, mostly due to the fact that he really can’t jump at all right now. However, he rebounded nicely in the fourth quarter, going 3-3 in the Heat’s late rush to take the lead for good. Overall, he finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists, smothered Rip Hamilton down the stretch, and kept the Heat going for the win.

Worst Performance: Joakim Noah

Noah really struggled last night, coming up with some good defensive plays here and there but not contributing at all on offense, going just 1-5 for 3 points with 1 offensive rebound and 2 assists. He did have 9 rebounds for the game, but the Bulls could have used Noah to offset how much the Heat were getting to the rim. Instead, Noah finished with as many turnovers as points, and couldn’t get the job done.

Most Surprising Factor: Rip Hamilton

Richard Hamilton played significant minutes last night, going 6-12 for 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks. It was nice to see Hamilton play a major role again, but I found if odd that Tom Thibodeau played him so much. Marco Belinelli only played 14 minutes in this game, part of the crew that got torched early by the Heat. He played the first six minutes of the game, and wouldn’t come back until the third quarter. Meanwhile Hamilton played 35 minutes, looked gassed by the end of the game, and while he was a bit of an improvement over Belinelli, it was perplexing that Hamilton played so many minutes.

Thing I liked most about this series: Norris Cole

I’ve discussed him at length already, but I really enjoyed watching Norris Cole in this series. I hope his outbursts mean that he’s taken a step forward.

Thing I Liked Least About This Series: The Bulls Offense

I mean clearly, it was horrendous. The Bulls turnover numbers for this series? 15, 17, 11, 17, 14. They shot 36% in Game 2 and 26% in Game 4. I mean, they scored 65 points in Game 4. I can’t do anything but commend the Bulls for just how terrible they were on that end in this series. The Bucks weren’t great on offense against the Heat, but the Bulls looked like a 1950’s team offensively. I’m really glad I don’t have to watch this team again.

Cute dog alert: That’s Buckets, a very cute puppy who belongs to Memphis Grizzlies swingman Quincy Pondexter, and who recently tagged to a Grizzlies practice that was documented by Sports Illustrated as part of NBA-feature-writing beast Lee Jenkins’ not-yet-online regional … Continue reading →

Spurs 109, Warriors 91

Best Performance: Tony Parker

Parker had a great performance once again, going 9-16 for 25 points and 10 assists. Parker somehow was the Spurs top offensive option without taking a three, as he consistently got to the line and the rim throughout the game. He also kept Stephen Curry from having a serious impact, and was one of the best defensive players out there. When the All-Defensive teams came out on Monday, I thought it was unfair that Parker got flak for getting votes. Last night was a perfect example of why he was there, as he frustrated Curry to a 4-14 shooting night when the Warriors really needed him. Parker used to suck on defense. He is a good defender now.

Worst Performance: Klay Thompson

Outside of his Game 2 explosion, Thompson hasn’t been great in this series. Last night, he went 2-8 for 4 points and 2 rebounds in 36 minutes of play. I do not understand how Thompson could have been that large of a non-factor. He went 1-5 in the first half, and completely disappeared defensively as Parker, Danny Green, and Cory Joseph all had big offensive efforts. That can’t happen again if the Warriors don’t want to go home tomorrow.

Most Surprising Factor: Spurs Ball movement

Tony Parker had 10 assists. Manu had 5. Tim Duncan, Danny Green, and Boris Diaw had 3 apiece. The Spurs had 30 assists on the game last night compared to 10 turnovers, and this helped the Spurs be very fluid in their offense for much of the game. San Antonio had an outstanding effort offensively, and the ball movement was why.

Things to Watch for Game 6

Well, we’re going back to San Antonio. Since the Warriors tend to keep doing this, I expect Steph Curry and Klay Thompson to go off again, keeping the Warriors from stalling offensively. The Spurs will need to perform better in front of that Oracle crowd, which they’ve struggled to do so far in this series, and will need a good defensive effort. This is going to be extremely fun.

Pacers 93, Knicks 82

Best Performance: George Hill

Who’d have thought that George Hill was going to be here? After Hill spent Game 3 bricking several open threes, Hill came alive last night, tearing up Raymond Felton for 26 points on 9-14 shooting, as well as 3 rebounds and 4 assists. He came alive in the third quarter, as he helped the Pacers extend a big lead and also prevent the Knicks from taking back the lead late. In particular, his deep three over Tyson Chandler was outstanding. Even as he struggled to impact the game in the fourth quarter, his performance in the first three quarters was enough to make a big difference for Indiana.

Worst Performance: J.R. Smith

Smith’s meltdown in the playoff has been quite upsetting, as Smith has been one of my favorite players all season. Last night, he was bad once again, shooting 7-22 from the field for 19 points, and going 3-10 from three. He went 5-10 in the fourth quarter, which was decent, but the fact that he went 2-12 throughout the rest of the game is what did the Knicks in. J.R. somehow finished +5 for the game, but his poor shooting was still a big reason for the Knicks loss.

Most Surprising Factor: Tyson Chandler

Chandler gets this because we need to take a second and recognize that this is somehow Chandler’s best game of the playoffs. He put up 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks. It’s his first double-double since FEBRUARY 27TH. That was the Steph Curry 54-point game, when Chandler slapped up 16/28. It really was just weird to watch Chandler have a pulse again.

Things of Note for Game 5

I don’t think there’s any way the Knicks win, even with this game at home. The past 3 games have been the Knicks at their worst. I don’t know how they dig out of this hole.

Warriors 97, Spurs 87

Best Performance: Stephen Curry

Even if Curry went cold in the fourth quarter and overtime, shooting just 2-7  in the final periods, he was still the best player on the court yesterday. Curry drilled two early threes to get the Warriors started, then went 3-4 in the third quarter, as he finished 7-16 for 22 points, and added 6 rebounds and 4 assists. He was also part of a fun +/- stat: In a game that went to overtime, Steph Curry was +23, and Danny Green was -25. That’s insane. Curry was definitely the key piece in the Warriors win yesterday.

Worst Performance:Carl Landry

Landry went 2-9 for 6 points yesterday, struggling to connect on shots and being taken out of the game defensively for most of the first three quarters, thanks mostly to 3 quick fouls in the first quarter. He did hit one of the sweetest pick-and-pop shots I have ever seen in the overtime period, but that doesn’t excuse his terrible third quarter, where he shot 1-5 from the field.

Most Surprising Factor: Warriors Rebounding

The Warriors were dominant all game on the glass, ripping down 65 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass. Andrew Bogut was the leader in the clubhouse, as he abused Tiago Splitter for 18 rebounds. Festus Ezeli gathered in 4 offensive boards, and 7 Warriors had at least 5 boards. Heck, even a hobbled David Lee grabbed 5 in his 8 minutes of play. Granted, there were a lot to go around thanks to both teams shooting under 40% from the floor, but the Warriors still grabbed a ton of key boards when it mattered.

Things of Note for Game 5

This bad boy is going 7 games and it’s going to be awesome. The Spurs should be very scared that the Warriors shot 38% from the field, had their top 3 bigs in serious foul trouble for the entire game, and still won by 10. However, neither team will shoot this poorly again, and San Antonio won’t get destroyed on the glass like this again. Should be a fun one in San Antonio.

Pacers 82, Knicks 71

Best Performance: Roy Hibbert

This was a terrible game yesterday. Make no mistake about it. However, Hibbert had an outstanding game. Hibbert went 9-18 for 24 points and 12 rebounds, torching Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin late in the game. Hibbert was dominant throughout the game, helping Indiana stretch their lead in the third quarter, and making it so that the Knicks couldn’t attack the paint when they wanted too. Hibbert was a game-changer for the Pacers and was a big part of the reason that New York couldn’t do anything effective yesterday.

Worst Performance: Ray Felton

Felton went 1-8 from the floor, finishing with 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. He missed his first 5 shots, had three turnovers, and struggled mightily when tasked with guarding George Hill, who was wide open all game. He missed most of those wide open shots, but still, they were there. Felton, who’s admittedly been very good in the playoffs, just had a bad performance.

Most Surprising Factor: Amar’e Stoudemire

Amar’e came back yesterday, suiting up for the first time in months after knee surgery. He played 9 minutes, but had 7 points to show for those 9 minutes. He was a minus defensively, which is of course nothing new, but still, it was great to see him back in any capacity.

Things to Watch for Game 4

It’ll be fun to see how the Knicks incorporate Amar’e, especially now that J.R. Smith and reportedly Kenyon Martin both have the flu. The Pacers have been grinding the Knicks into the ground over the course of this series, and New York needs a string of good offensive production to have a chance. Of course, this is the wildly inconsistent Pacers we’re talking about, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Knicks won game 4 by 20, but right now things look bleak for New York.