In Sketches, we'll be taking you on a quick trip through the NBA blogosphere to get our finger on the pulse of all of the key happenings and storylines in the L each day.
HEAT INDEX: Chris Bosh and Elton Brand are cut from the same fabric. As big men who can step out and hit a midrange jump shot in their sleep, it was inevitable that we'd be treated to a back-and-forth shooting display like we saw in the opening minutes of the third quarter. Brand hit a jumper, then Bosh responded with one of his own 15-footer. Then Brand hit another jumper on Bosh, and Bosh would offer his rebuttal on the other end of the court. Fittingly, Brand and Bosh each finished with 22 points in the final game of the series.
LIBERTY BALLERS: There's still a ton of work to be done. Finding a capable big man or two is a necessity, and more shooters could always be had. But a foundation has been laid. I can envision a starting backcourt of Holiday-Turner contending for a title one day. I'm confident in Coach Collins leadership and promise to bring basketball relevance back to Philly. I'm more comfortable with Rod Thorn in charge of basketball operations than I ever was with Ed Stefanski. Unlike year's past I feel like there's something to build on. With a few legitimate young pieces in place, the monster contracts of Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala becoming more tradable, and a semi-competent front office – from Thorn, to DiLeo, to Collins – at the helm the Sixers are believe or not, headed in the right direction.
48 MINUTES OF HELL: Eventually, most everyone will frame this in terms of what happens on Friday, or any games that may come after that. But for me, the moment is a story unto itself. Although playoff euphoria is often bogged down by the relentless teleology of titles, sometimes moments transcend that, and don’t rely on future success to validate their notoriety. For me, this is one of those moments. It extended not just a game, or a season, but my love affair with a team. And nothing that happens now will make me ungrateful for having been given that.
3 SHADES OF BLUE: Biggest problem with the Griz' offense this game is easily seen in those eleven missed shots by Conley-I'm not going to go look it up, but I'm just going to hazard a wild guess that many of them were late-shot-clock halfhearted pick-and-pop jobs, which means that the Spurs' interior D gets major credit for preventing the Grizzlies' entry passes. As the season progressed, the Griz got better at not forcing the initial entry pass and swinging the ball to the other side of the court, setting a screen under the basket, and getting the post player open on the other side. The Spurs did a better-than-decent job of delaying, redirecting, or preventing the second-option post pass (although ZBo did pile up some points). Which goes back to Conley and the jumpshots. He's gotten better at them for SURE-but they didn't fall enough tonight.
DAILY THUNDER: It certainly had that feel of one of those nights where you watched an NBA superstar take another step. Being great in the regular season is a start. And Durant has been exactly that winning back-to-back scoring titles. But legends are born in the postseason. Legends are born in the biggest games. Legends are born in moments like that. As Durant put it, he just seized it.
DENVER STIFFS: The inability to hold a 9 point lead with three minutes to go is going to haunt the Nuggets all off season. I'm not going to sugar coat that. It's on the entire team that they let that happen. The Nuggets had this game in the palm of their hands and let it slip away. Allowing James Harden a wide open spot up three to tie was perplexing. There are so many things to point at that it would take all night. One thing is for sure, the Nuggets inability to close out two of the games in this series is why they are going home as we speak. In fact, it happened all series. The Nuggets couldn't separate themselves enough to make a difference and the Thunder kept reeling the Nuggets back in. That's on the Nuggets and quite frankly it's a bit shameful. No excuses.
SB NATION: In other words, only once in the last 10 times has a team won in a blowout in Game 5 and also won Game 6. In fact, of those nine times it didn't happen, only two were wins by single digits. The Magic could win Game 6, of course, but they would have to fight an uphill battle against history. Let's not assume that a terrible Game 5 performance by the team leading will carry over to Game 6.
AT THE HIVE: Tonight, the Hornets' season could very well come to an end. The Lakers could continue to exploit their considerable mismatches and the Hornet offense could never get off the ground. If that happens no one should be too disappointed with how this season has turned out. Overcoming everyone's expectations and putting up a fight against the imposing Lakers would be a fitting end to a season filled with more ups and downs than any in recent memory. I do not have to go through the roller coaster ride of events that has taken place this year. You all know the story by now. That said, I am not expecting this team to go quietly into the offseason. Last night I watched two incredible basketball games, one in which a veteran team impossibly snatched a victory from almost certain defeat, and another in which a young superstar put on a impeccable performance as he earned his franchise their first playoff series victory. This year's playoffs have been anything but predictable and have been thrilling in many of the series that we were supposed to have "figured out." The stories, both real and fabricated, have been compelling. The performances have been epic. I will cheer my loudest tomorrow night, because no one knows in what way the story will play out. No expert or pundit can tell you if Chris Paul has another historic performance up his sleeve to force a Game 7 that would have been unthinkable at the onset of this series.
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