This game means something for the playoff legacies of Chris Paul and James Harden. It could be the final straw that breaks apart the current Clippers core. Maybe Kevin McHale's job was just saved. All of that is immensely important in the grand scheme of the NBA, but first, let's try to understand what the Rockets did on Thursday.
NBA playoffs scores 2015: The greatest legacy of the Rockets’ comeback
Houston’s 31-point turnaround could have massive implications in the NBA, but none more than the historic comeback itself.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Down 19 in the third quarter, 13 headed into the fourth, 12 with eight minutes to play, the Rockets won. Not only did they win, but they won with James Harden in warmups, with Josh Smith and Corey Brewer leading the charge. They did it on the road against a team that had embarrassed them three times already in their three wins. They did something that was damn near impossible -- just look at this probabilities chart!
Getting 29 points in the fourth quarter from James Harden alone seemed more probably than Smith and Brewer combining for that total. Harden has done everything for Houston this season; that’s what his MVP campaign hinged on. Every big shot, key run or important spark the Rockets needed came from Harden. Never once could the Rockets imagine a scenario where he voluntarily sat out of a fourth quarter as his team roared back for a 25-point swing in the quarter.
Yet there he was in one of McHale’s gutsiest moves of the season. Harden eventually returned in the final minute for his free throw shooting, but didn’t add to his point total. He didn’t need to. For Harden, who had spent the entire season carrying the injury-riddled Rockets on his back, what a feeling it must have been to have the roles reversed.
Then there's the manner in which the Clippers had won and even dominated up to that point in Game 6. In Los Angeles' first win, Blake Griffin threw up a monster triple double in Chris Paul's absence to steal one in Houston. In their second and third -- Games 3 and 4 of the series -- they won by a combined 58 points. Houston stole back Game 5 but the return to Staples Center, the site of two recent drubbings that were probably still stinging, had to strike some fear into the Rockets' hearts. What they could do twice they could do a third time.
It very nearly worked out that way. Griffin and Paul had combined for 50 points on 20-of-27 shooting through three frames before scoring nine points on 2-of-12 shooting in the fourth. The sorcery that took hold of the Clippers for the fourth quarter was brutal and violent. Their spot-up shooters stopped hitting and their attitudes became shellshocked down the stretch of the fourth.
The Rockets’ comeback made little sense and went so far against established norms, but basketball is beautifully agonizing like that sometimes. Of all the overarching impact this game might have, the biggest might be the comeback itself, something that will be talked about for years to come
3 other things we learned
The Cavaliers need a healthy Kyrie Irving. Three straight wins sent Cleveland past Chicago, but now a dance against either the Hawks or Wizards looms early next week. Irving left Game 6 with an aggravated leg after a seemingly innocuous injury in the second quarter, which goes to show just how much his various ailments are bothering him right now. Cleveland needs him to be healthy, because even if they can sneak into the Finals with a injured Irving, they have no chance to be competitive without him helping LeBron James.
Goodbye and happy fishing to the Bulls. A bizarre Bulls season, as bipolar as Chicago's weather, has finally concluded. They were preseason title contenders to some, but as the season went along, it became more obvious that this team didn't quite have that cohesion nor could reach that high of a level. You'd see it pop up occasionally, validating the reasons some people chose them before the year started, but it wasn't sustainable for the entire year.
Tough time to be a Clipper. The usual one day of rest happens to be two, with Los Angeles and Houston getting Friday and Saturday off before heading to the final showdown of Game 7 on Sunday. The extra 24 hours probably isn’t ideal for the Clippers, who now have to dwell on the fourth quarter collapse even longer, trying to figure out what could have gone differently. All the momentum will be against them heading into that game, so if the team’s previous playoff experience is going to matter, now would be the time.
Play of the Night
In retrospect, Clippers probably should have run this play for Griffin a few more times in the fourth quarter.
2 fun things
Chris Paul hits and-one layup, high fives his team’s owner.
LeBron celebrates by dancing with teammates. He also winked at Scottie Pippen at the game.
Final scores
Cavaliers 94, Bulls 73 (Fear the Sword recap | Blog a Bull recap | SB Nation recap)
Rockets 119, Clippers 107 (The Dream Shake recap | Clips Nation recap | SB Nation recap)
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