3 reasons the Clippers completely fell apart in Game 6

As preposterous as the statistics are for the Rockets in their 19-point comeback on Thursday, the numbers for the Clippers are equally bad. They were outscored 40-15 in the fourth quarter while shooting 4-of-22 from the field and being out-rebounded by 16.

Houston deserves massive praise for their 119-107 win in Game 6, considering most teams would have quit much earlier. After all, it looked like the Clippers had the game locked away, a repeat of the Game 3 and 4 blowouts at the Staples Center. But down 13 headed into the fourth quarter, the Rockets finally started playing like a team that wasn’t ready for the summer yet.

But that alone wasn’t enough. They needed the Clippers to collapse, too, and they did.

After a Chris Paul driving layup with 6:47 left in the frame, the Clippers wouldn’t hit another field goal until a meaningless buzzer beater as time expired. The vaunted Lob City offense stagnated like Los Angeles traffic on a Friday afternoon and the defense couldn’t stop Corey Brewer and Josh Smith, who combined for 29 points. It was a meltdown of nuclear proportions for the Clippers.

Here are three contributing reasons as to why it happened.

It’s a natural instinct for teams up big to slow it down, take deep breathes and let the shot clock tick, tick, tick away. Los Angeles never led by 20, but with the way the game was trending, it felt like it was over in the third quarter. When Griffin tossed in a no-look, behind his back layup on the break, it summed up how the entire night had gone.

But the Clippers had built their lead on quick transition plays like Griffin’s shot. They scored 24 fast break points through three quarters but they didn’t have a single one in the fourth. Until the final minute of the game, Los Angeles only attempted one shot in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock, completely failing to maintain the quick tempo that had put the lead away.

In fact, one of the few exceptions was Paul’s layup with under seven minutes to play, the team’s last until seconds were left. Briefly slowed by a full court pressure, Paul crossed half court and immediately attacked off of a double screen, knifing into the lane for wide open layup to put the Clippers up 102-94.

After that, everything slowed back down and the Rockets rattled off 18 unanswered points.

The overlooked part of Josh Smith and Corey Brewer saving the day is that they were equally good on the defensive end. Brewer is sometimes too risky a defender, constantly putting him out of position while gambling for steals, while Smith is prone to mental lapses. But both are very capable of being excellent on that end when dialed in. On Thursday, they helped skewer the Clippers on both ends of the floor.

The other contributor was Jason Terry, someone who has never, ever been a good defender, but slowed the Clippers’ offense down by pressuring Paul for the length of the floor. That’s partly why the Clippers offense started its possessions so late each time. Terry’s ball denial and pressure was never going to actually bother Paul, but he successfully baited him into slowing the tempo. It was enough for Los Angeles to become flustered and for the Rockets to sneak in for the miraculous win.

Even on their worst day, an NBA offense will generate some open looks. As much as the Clippers struggled in the fourth, they also had plenty of shots coming in the natural flow of their offense that just couldn’t find their way home. Blake Griffin was the main culprit. He shot 12-of-15 through three quarters, but missed his last five shots, including a couple of missed layups. DeAndre Jordan even missed a dunk.

All of these shots missed.

Basketball is an exceedingly complex game, yet it’s governed by the simpleness of making or missing shots. On Thursday, the Clippers suddenly failed to perform in that simple area for the final 12 minutes and it could cost them a trip to the Conference Finals.