NBA playoff schedule: Spurs knot series up at 2, Pacers lay an egg, Miami completes sweep

The Pacers’ collapse is nearly complete after going down 30 at home in a critical Game 5, while the Spurs and Mavericks fought in another instant classic in Dallas.

San Antonio looked to be in control from the start, amassing a 14-point lead going into the half and dominating the Mavericks on both ends of the floor. But Dallas came roaring out of the gates in the third quarter, scoring 29 points while narrowing the gap to just eight.

DeJuan Blair out here just kicking dudes in the face.

The two got tangled up going for a loose ball and fell to the ground. As Blair moved his legs out from under the San Antonio big man, he moved his feet toward his head. It was a gentle kick, but a kick to the face all as well.

YOOOOOOOOO. This dog’s got the around-the-neck move:

This dog’s got the tumbler-treadmill move:

Game 6 will be held at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 1 in Atlanta. The Hawks lead the series, 3-2.

I wonder how Larry Bird feels about all this.

But Miami came back in the second half, dominating on defense and locking down on the Charlotte shooters. The Bobcats scored just 17 points in the third period to the Heat’s own 32, which set the table for the reigning champs to complete the sweep.

Larry Bird is all out of carrots and all out of sticks. And the Pacers could be on their way out altogether. With Indiana down to the Hawks by 30 points in the third quarter on Monday, Bird wasn’t pleased. Poor Larry.

The Pacers got absolutely throttled in the first half against the Hawks. Mike Scott dropped five threes on them. Utter absurdity. Pacers fans aren’t really feeling it, and the NBA TV mics caught the desperate cries of one man as the miserable half came to a close:

It’s a bit garbled, but it’s clearly directed at Paul George, who should “start playing basketball and stop traveling” (good coaching!) and is “ready to go home in the first round against Atlanta” and “supposed to be an All-Star.” Harsh, but ... well, understandable at the moment.

In the second quarter of Monday night’s game against the Heat, Walker went up for a three-pointer against Norris Cole. Hoping to get the Heat defender to jump in the air, Walker found himself hanging and did the only logical thing he could think to do -- he threw it off the backboard to himself for an easy layup.

Charlotte might get swept, but we’ll always have Kemba.

Game time: 7 p.m. ET

Location: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina

Game time: 8 p.m. ET

Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game time: 9:30 p.m. ET

Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas