Spurs, Nets Advance With Dramatic Game 7 Victories

On Sunday the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Dallas Mavericks and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Toronto Raptors in their respective Game 7 showdowns. Each win was dramatic, but in entirely different ways.

For the Spurs, it was the decisive blowout victory they needed after getting bested by the Mavs in three of the last four games. Playing at home, San Antonio dominated throughout, at times boasting a lead in excess of 30 points.

In fact, the home team was so dominant for most of the first half, it looked like Dallas was going to roll over and make it easy for them, down 64-35 with just over two minutes to go in the second. Then the Mavs battled back and cut the Spurs lead to cut the lead to 22.

Not an ideal situation, but certainly more manageable and something to build on in the second half.

It was exactly what Dallas needed to build on, which is exactly what they did in the third—for about two minutes. The Mavs cut the deficit to 12 points before the Spurs seized back control, once and for all. Nothing was in doubt for San Antonio the rest of the way; they won easily 119-96.

It was a different kind of drama for the Nets and Raptors. It was a hard-fought game from beginning to end, but just when Brooklyn looked to be pulling away early in the fourth quarter, Toronto steadily chipped away at their lead.

With 25 seconds remaining, it was a three-point game. The teams exchanged six timeouts and trips to the line, but it looked like the Raptors were going to need a three to win it until Shaun Livingston committed a crucial turnover with the Nets up just one.

Toronto’s Kyle Lowry could’ve won the game as time expired, but Brooklyn’s Paul Pierce proved aged ain’t nothing but a number when he stepped in and blocked the shot after Lowry skillfully split two Nets defenders. The Nets defeated the Raptors 104-103.