NBA playoffs: Rockets look to advance, Spurs hit road in Game 5
The Southwest Division was terrific throughout the NBA’s regular season in 2014-15. The league watched as all five teams from the group made the postseason, with the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans all finishing in the top eight of the Western Conference.
However, the playoffs are posing a problem for those five. New Orleans was predictably ousted by the Golden State Warriors, swept out unceremoniously. The Pelicans were fairly competitive but couldn’t close the deal, blowing a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 3. The only Southwest teams with total control of its series are the Rockets and Grizzlies, each holding 3-1 leads with Game 5 in their respective buildings.
On Tuesday, Houston will try to polish off Dallas while the other Southwest team, the Spurs, hope to take a 3-2 series lead at the Staples Center against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Rockets have a chance to get some additional rest for James Harden, Dwight Howard and the rest of the crew by knocking out Rick Carlisle’s team. Houston would be at an advantage over whoever they play next, drawing either the Clippers or Spurs. That series will be going a minimum of six games and perhaps even seven, as the two star-studded franchises clash.
Houston has enjoyed free reign on the offensive end against Dallas, getting to the rim at will. The Rockets have scored at least 109 points in each matchup, although the defense has been atrocious in recent efforts. In Dallas, the Mavericks scored 128 points in defeat before rallying with 121 on Sunday to force a flight back to Houston.
Meanwhile, San Antonio had a golden opportunity to all but dispatch Los Angeles at the AT&T Center over the weekend. Leading the series 2-1, the Spurs had Game 4 in their building but could not capitalize, losing 114-105 with Chris Paul notching a game-high 34 points.
San Antonio has to clean up ts defensive effort, something which allowed the Clippers to shoot an incredible 53.6 percent from the field in Game 4. Conversely, the Spurs could not hit anything from beyond the 3-point arc, connecting on just 6-of-24 attempts. Gregg Popovich’s team also got devastating no-shows from both Tiago Splitter and Danny Green, combining for zero points on 0-for-11 shooting throughout 46 minutes.
For the Rockets part, they are expected to move into the West semifinals with a win, being favored by seven points over the visiting Mavericks. San Antonio is getting respect but not the line, as it is a two-point underdog in the City of Angels for Game 5.
The NBA playoffs provide a lot of bad matchups most years in the first round. The same can’t be said of 2015, with both of these series providing high drama. Will both still be active come Wednesday, and which team will have the upper hand headed back to San Antonio? Sure will be fun finding out.
