If the series between the Spurs and Clippers wasn’t already clearly the best of the first round, it is after the teams played a classic Game 5. The Spurs came out with a hard-fought 111-107 victory to take a 3-2 lead in the series.
Spurs vs. Clippers results, NBA playoffs 2015: 3 things we learned in a classic Game 5
The series now heads back to San Antonio for Game 6.
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Tim Duncan led the way for Spurs, with 21 points and 11 rebounds. The Clippers were led by Blake Griffin, who had 30 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Griffin nearly had 32 points -- and could have given the Clippers a late lead in the final seconds -- but DeAndre Jordan was called for offensive goaltending.
The game went back and forth all night. The Clippers jumped out first, behind the passing of Chris Paul and offensive play of Griffin. The Spurs looked overmatched and slow, Tony Parker especially.
A 15-0 run though, at the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second, quickly brought San Antonio back. The spurt was led by Patty Mills, who provided a huge lift for the Spurs off the bench. He hit four three-pointers and finished with 13 points, 10 of them coming in the first half.
From there on out, the teams exchanged blows. There was some intentional fouling of Jordan, who eventually had to be removed from the game. There were some brilliant plays from Kawhi Leonard. The Spurs rediscovered their three-point shooting, as they connected on 11 of their 23 attempts. The Clippers, meanwhile, couldn't hit anything from behind the arc. They finished the game 1-of-14 from deep.
The game was tied at 82 heading into the fourth and the score stayed close for the rest of the game. Mini runs were met with mini runs. But a small burst late in the game gave the Spurs a little cushion. Then this happened.
But Danny Green missed on an open three-point look and gave the Clippers one final shot, trailing 108-107 with 6.9 seconds to go. Griffin got an open look, but as the ball was up on the rim Jordan was whistled for offensive interference and the Spurs sealed the game at the free throw line.
The series now moves back to San Antonio, where the two teams will face-off Thursday night. If the Clippers win, Game 7 will take place Saturday night in Los Angeles. With the way this series has been going, a Game 7 seems like what we all deserve.
Three other things we learned
Neither of these teams deserve to go home after just one round
It's really ridiculous that they're facing each other in the first round. The Clippers have two of the top 10 players in the NBA and one of the league's best defensive centers. The Spurs are a machine who, with Kawhi Leonard, now also have one of the NBA's best on their team. That Duncan guy is pretty good too. Both of these teams are capable of beating the Warriors in a seven game series. It's a shame only one will get a shot.
Tim Duncan isn’t human
This dude is 39 and still dominating playoff games against younger and more explosive opponents. There’s really not much more that can be said about him at this point. He’s scoring in the post, stuffing Griffin, twice, in the game’s final minute. He also shut Griffin down in the fourth quarter after he had dominated the Spurs in the first half. It’s easy to talk about Duncan as being a player past his prime. That might be true, but he’s still one of the best players in the league.
Tony Parker is not himself
He picked it up a bit late in the game (probably because Jamal Crawford was guarding him), but for most of the evening the Spurs were at their best when Parker wasn't on the floor. Their 15-0 run in the first half came when he was on the bench and Mills was on the court. Parker finished the game with 13 points and three assists and once again had trouble containing Paul. He just hasn't looked like the Tony Parker we're used to seeing. He's not as quick or decisive. He's not finding the paint as easily. He was even limping at certain points and missed a key free throw at the end of the game.
At 32, and with the amount of miles he has on his legs, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Parker were to wear down. The thing is, the Spurs need him healthy and operating at 100 percent if they’re go to make it out of the West. With the way Parker is playing right now, they have to be worried.
SB Nation presents: As the playoffs intensify, so do the fights
See More:
