Trying to find the words for the instant classic played between the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs is going to be difficult. It was an incredible game that's going to be talked about for days, and probably longer. But in the end, the Spurs, as they have done so many times, came away with the victory through determination, execution, timely shot making, and sheer grace of the basketball gods.
Here's an attempt to make sense of it.
1. POUNDING THE ROCK AND THE PEBBLES, TOO: San Antonio did so much wrong in this game, but the formula, as always, was sound. They just find ways to eek out points on possessions that are going nowhere. With 3:49 to go in the fourth, Jamal Crawford made a steal and raced up court for a layup. Tony Duncan ran back to cover him. Tony Parker shouted to Duncan he had middle. This allowed Duncan to commit fully to pushing Crawford to the baseline, a much tougher shot over Duncan. Crawford got past Duncan, but the speed and angle caused a miss. Duncan grabbed the rebound and pushed the ball to Leonard.
Crawford had spilled into the stanchion and was effectively out of the play. J.J. Redick had raced up with Crawford to try and spot up for a three (despite there being zero chance Crawford gave him the ball). Redick, having played over 40 minutes, was exhausted, and couldn't get back. As Leonard raced up the court, DeAndre Jordan patrolled the paint as the last line of defense. Chris Paul picked up Leonard in transition. Marco Belinelli, Crawford's man, was wide open, so Blake Griffin stepped to prevent the quick three.
This left Griffin's man, Boris Diaw open in the corner. Kawhi Leonard didn't go hero ball. He didn't try and force the issue. He made the right play. Watch.
On the final possession, up two, Danny Green missed a free throw. Kawhi Leonard and Green converged on the rebound, kept it alive and secured it to prevent even the remote possibility of something crazy happening with the Clippers.
This is how the Spurs win. In the margins. By getting loose balls, which Doc Rivers said after the game the Spurs got "all of," by getting offensive rebounds, by hacking DeAndre Jordan, by never making crushing mistakes, by always exploiting the situation, the score, the matchups. San Antonio squeezes your soul out, one possession at a time and at the end, you find you have no more less. You make one mistake, going for a transition layup instead of running the offense, and they turn it into a corner three.
Death. Taxes. Spurs.
2. THE AGONY: A lot of things ruined the Clippers. They shot 25-of-41 on free throws. They shot 1-of-14 from 3-point range, an absolute anomaly for such a great shooting team. They also had a huge number of crazy things happen.
1. Blake Griffin missing late layups that looked 95 percent in, then slipped out.
2. Chris Paul getting T'd up for throwing the ball to the official. No, seriously.
3. J.J. Redick missing free throws, which he never does.
4. DeAndre Jordan tipping in a Blake Griffin game winning shot that very much appears to be headed in. Watch.
This is the difference in victory and defeat. The Spurs may lose, but -- outside of the game which shall not be mentioned form 2013 -- the Spurs never lose because of mistakes. They lose because of missed shots or a failure to execute, but they never make crushing mental mistakes. The Clippers made a few. Just a few. Just a scant few.
And now their season may be over. Because...
3. NOT TO GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES, BUT THIS THING'S PROBABLY OVER: This is why they play the game, and all that, but the Clippers now have to get up and go to San Antonio after a crushing home loss. The last time that happened was... Game 3 in which the Spurs demolished them in San Antonio.
The Spurs are 13-4 in the Popovich-Duncan era in home games with an opportunity to eliminate the opponent. Fourteen. And three. The Clippers are emotionally and physically exhausted. They gave San Antonio everything they had and it wasn't enough. These are the kinds of games the Spurs just don't lose.
The Clippers have played great for most of this series. They've had a great season. They just wound up in the wrong matchup, vs. the wrong team, and got the wrong bounces. That's how it goes.
Death. Taxes. Spurs.
