NBA playoffs 2014: Nets survive, Spurs cruise to Game 7 win

Good morning. Let’s second round.

THE END OF IT ALL: The newest WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT feature includes my essay on the end of the first round, plus Paul Flannery on the Nets, Conrad Kaczmarek on the Raptors, Dane Carbaugh on the Mavericks and more.

Unfortunately for the Mavs, the Spurs’ hot start didn’t stop after the first quarter. San Antonio continued to light it up from all over the court and eventually built its biggest lead of the series at 51-27 with eight minutes left in the second quarter. In typical Spurs fashion, they got contributions from everybody. It wasn’t just one player having a monster game, but rather constant ball movement to get easy layups and wide-open jumpers.

This game was competitive for roughly three minutes and then everything after that was a complete beatdown. The Spurs got whatever they wanted on offense and the Mavs couldn’t get any momentum whatsoever. By the end of the first half, the Spurs led 68-46. San Antonio also shot 68.4 percent from the field in the first two quarters.

Drake is always the courtside star at Raptors games, but few noticed Bun B by his side during Toronto’s Game 7 defeat. Drake’s expressions told the story of the Raps’ comeback falling just short. Bun B’s did ... not.

Drake is beside himself. Bun B made a whole remix for the Rockets and they already flamed out, so whatever.

A strong Brooklyn run late in the second quarter gave the Nets a 61-53 lead going into the locker room. As a team, the Nets hit on 6 of their 11 three-point attempts in the first half. For the game, Brooklyn shot 8-of-23 from deep. The Raptors defense wasn’t particularly good throughout the first two quarters, but you have to give Brooklyn credit for knocking down shots.

A few minutes into the second half, Toronto’s Johnson picked up his fourth and fifth personal fouls. Considering the fact that he was the only member of the Raptors who was playing well in this game at the time, his foul trouble was a huge blow to Toronto’s chances. It became clear that if the Raptors intended on winning this game and advancing to the next round of the playoffs, they would need DeRozan and Lowry to step up. They just couldn’t get it going and were never able to combine solid offensive possessions with stops on the defensive end. Lowry finished with 28 points and three assists while DeRozan dropped 18 points in the loss.

Drake is at the Raptors game, as he often is. Mike Tirico is calling the game, as he often does. Mike Tirico is rapping about Drake, as-- wait what:

LAST NAME GRAHAM/FIRST NAME AUBREY/DRAKE IS THE NAME THAT THE KIDS CALL ME.