Clippers-Spurs Preview
Drawing parallels to last season's playoffs seems only natural.
The Los Angeles Clippers jumped out to a double-digit lead in Game 5 of their second-round series with Oklahoma City, then lost it down the stretch before a questionable call late in the contest led to a hard-to-swallow defeat.
They were eliminated two nights later.
Los Angeles heads to San Antonio for Game 6 on Thursday night facing a similar situation. The Clippers' 14-point lead in the first quarter of Game 5 evaporated, DeAndre Jordan was called for offensive goaltending with 4.3 seconds remaining and the Spurs took a 3-2 series lead with a 111-107 win.
"That was a tough one last year. I'm assuming every experience you go through has to make you better, stronger, more mentally tough," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "So I'm hoping."
Los Angeles trailed by a point when Jordan's tip-in of Blake Griffin's floater was waved off, and a replay review confirmed the call. It marked another tense moment in a series that has seen momentum shift constantly.
Each club has stolen at least one game on the other's home floor and has won by at least 15 points only to lose the next. San Antonio won Game 2 in overtime by the same score that decided Game 5.
The Spurs overcame their share of momentum swings on their way to a fifth NBA title last season, going seven games with eighth-seeded Dallas in the first round and beating the Thunder in overtime of Game 6 toadvance to the finals.
Tim Duncan decided to come back for another run and has delivered a pair of solid performances after celebrating his 39th birthday Saturday. He finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds in Game 4 before scoring 21 and adding 11 boards Tuesday, shooting 8 of 13 from the field in each contest.
Duncan said he's simply enjoying whatever role he's meant to play on a given night and has produced four double-doubles in the series. He's expecting the Clippers to come out firing Thursday, just as they did while jumping out to a 16-point lead in Game 6 against the Thunder last year before losing by six.
"They know they can win on the road," Duncan said. "They're going to try to knock us on our heels andattack. We know the aggression they're going to come with."
A Clippers loss would mean another early playoff exit for a club that has built championship aspirations since acquiring Chris Paul in 2011-12. Los Angeles fell in six games to the Spurs in the conference semifinals in Paul's first season in Los Angeles and lost to Memphis in the first round in 2013.
The Clippers have never advanced to the conference finals since the franchise's inception as the Buffalo Braves in 1970.
"It's tough, but the series isn't over, and we can't think like that," said Griffin, who finished with 30 points and 14 rebounds in Game 5. "It's going to be a hostile environment in San Antonio."
After the Clippers' bench chipped in 33 points in Game 4, the reserves again struggled while being outscored 48-17 on Tuesday, marking the fourth time San Antonio has had at least a 15-point edge in bench points.
Only Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers and Glen Davis saw time off the bench for Los Angeles on Tuesday, while the Spurs had five reserves see at least 11 minutes.
Rivers said he doesn't plan to make any changes and will continue to ride his starters for big minutes.
"It's tough, but we can't get (Game 5) back," Paul said. "We've got to go to San Antonio and play with a sense of urgency."