76ers Collapse In The 4th! Can Paul George Carry The Clippers? 6.16.21
It’s another day of NBA basketball and we have two games on the schedule tonight.
(5) Atlanta Hawks vs (1) Philadelphia 76ers
Atlanta Hawks (3-2)
What just happened? The Hawks were down by 26 at one point and they were down 18 entering the 4th. But their bench got them in the game and they dominated the final minutes of this game to shockingly win game 5, their 2nd road win of the series. Now they lead 3-2 in the series as they are one game away from upsetting the #1 seed. Again, what just happened?
The Hawks in the first half was what Game 4 was, unable to breathe. They were in a box, Trae Young didn’t do anything scoring wise if it wasn’t at the free throw line (8/10 in first half) but he was still very good. That 4th quarter was keyed off by Lou Williams.
Lemon Pepper had 13 points in the first half of the 3rd. He was hitting shots in isolation and really attacked Seth Curry whenever he could. Gallinari hit a couple shots including that big one late, also over Seth Curry.
Trae hit a couple of big shots, that floater and step back mid-ranger mainly. He also hit free throws but the bench started this and the starters ended it. They shut down Simmons and Harris for the whole game, playing hack-a-Simmons, then they just keyed in on Embiid and Curry, the only two guys doing anything.
The Hawks now have all the momentum in the world heading into Game 6 as it’s looking like they might pull off the upset (I’m hoping I didn’t jinx anything).
Philadelphia 76ers (2-3)
(Sigh). How? How? This game was in the bag, nicely over with, 3-2 series lead for Philly. Instead, the 76ers decide to just shut down. No ball movement or urgency to try and finish the game off. Ben Simmons is unplayable late in games, he missed 10 free throws in this game. Embiid didn’t score for the final 7 minutes of the game and Atlanta ended the game on a 14-0 run. Only Curry and Embiid scored in the 2nd half, only those two. They scored all 44 2nd half points for Philly.
How much more embarrassing can you get? You don’t even get a breakdown from me, because this is pathetic. Up by 26 at one point, 18 entering the 4th, teams close these games out. But yet again, the 76ers fumble the bag. Realistically this series should be over, Philly winning 4-1. Instead we’re going into Game 6 and the 76ers are on the verge of another collapse. Thrust the Process indeed, Joel.
Tobias Harris was awful in the bubble and just when you thought he was worth the 5 years, $180 million you gave him, he shoots 2/11 from the floor and had 4 points. He just has these awful games and to be paying him this much money while Jimmy Butler got the Heat to the finals last year does hurt, it hurts a lot to be honest.
Please for the love of god don’t get me started on Ben Simmons. This guy was and still is a jumpshot away from being Giannis 2.0, and he was like “nah, I’m good.” He messes up the floor spacing and his playmaking is very, very overrated. His defense is good, not as good as some people make it out to be, but he’s still very good. But he can’t play late in games with his lack of shooting and offensive output.
You’re paying him (Simmons) $30 million plus for the next 5 seasons, friendly reminder that you could have gotten James Harden if only you’d had let go of Tyrese Maxey. Just saying. I just think that Simmons can’t be on this team for them to win. I think that if you engineered a team around Simmons it might just work but Simmons is like the anti-NBA, he goes against everything the NBA is now. Which is disappointing because he’s literally a mid-range jumpshot away from being good.
But anyway, the 76ers are kind of in a bad place. They can’t have Embiid shut down for long periods of time like he has done in Games 4 and 5. They need a lot more from Simmons and Harris and hopefully similar shooting from Curry (36 points and 7 3’s will go unnoticed, but I see you Seth). They just have to win, obviously. No room for error, keep your foot on the gas, and don’t blow leads. Hopefully that’s as straightforward as it sounds.
(4) LA Clippers vs (1) Utah Jazz
LA Clippers (3-2)
So the year I pick the Clippers to win it all, Paul George becomes a meme. But when I couldn’t care less, he plays well. The irony. Anyway, Kawhi is probably done for the season with a knee injury so the pressure was on Paul George and he delivered with a big-time game. The Clippers dominated the 2nd half as the Jazz were missing all their shots and the Clippers stayed the course to win the pivotal Game 5, going up 3-2 in the series without Kawhi.
The first half was where the Jazz hit 17 3’s, which is ridiculous. But credit to the Clippers, they stayed in the game and their offense was great thanks to Paul George. George was aggressive, 9/14 shooting from the field for 22 in the first half. Morris and Jackson were also in double-digits.
The Clippers dominated the paint and they also had 17 points off turnovers, which was big. The Clippers were consistently getting good looks and if the Jazz didn’t hit 17 3’s in a half again (very unlikely), LA could win.
That’s what happened. The Jazz went 0/10 from 3 in the 3rd and they shot 27% overall in the 3rd. Marcus Morris was 5/6 in the 3rd for _ points and the Clippers outscored the Jazz by 14 in the 3rd to take a 9 point lead entering the 4th.
In the 4th the Clippers took a 10-point lead and nearly blew it, but they held on for the win. Paul George got a very big and-one late that really sealed the deal as the Clippers come on the road and steal Game 5. Really good game on both ends, defense was great in that 2nd half and on Mitchell for this game and they just weathered the Jazz’s first half explosion to get this win.
Paul George was 12/22 from the field and 10/11 from the line for 37 points. This is why they traded everything that they did for him, 37 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 assists in the biggest game of the year. He was very, very aggressive and if he does that again in Game 6, tough to see LA losing.
Marcus Morris had 25 and Reggie Jackson had 21 as they both continue their hot shooting as of late. Terrence Mann had 13 and the bench held their own.
The Clippers held the Jazz to 3/24 shooting from 3 in the 2nd (13%). They held Mitchell to 6/19 shooting and overall their defense was pretty good. The Clippers have been executing really well with rotations and matchups in these last 3 games as they have been very, very good. Obviously closeout games are very hard and likely not having Kawhi is such a big loss especially in this games. But if PG, Morris, and Jackson play like this and the Clippers play somewhat solid defense, an upset isn’t out of question. Lets see if the Clippers can punch their first WCF ticket ever, just to lose to the Suns (sorry but that is in fact happening, Chris Paul’s Covid be damned).
Utah Jazz (2-3)
{Choking Sounds} You’re the best team in the league, a team who desperately needed a win and Kawhi wasn’t on the floor. This game should have been yours before it started, regardless of if Mike Conley was playing or not. But no, you decide to hit 17 3’s in the first half and then hit just 3 in the 2nd half. The Jazz only led in the first half because of their elite shooting and when that went away, they were screwed. The defense was awful even with no Kawhi as they now fall behind 3-2 in the series after leading 2-0.
This is why I don’t believe in the Jazz. Their shooting got them 17 3’s in the first half, 17/30 3-PT shooting in the first half (57%). Incredible. But they had a lot of turnovers and they only hit 6 two pointers. Guess where 17 3’s got them? A 5-point lead. That’s it. All that shooting, for a 5-point lead against a team without their best player.
Then the Jazz shot 0/10 from 3 in the 3rd and 3/24 in the 2nd half (13%). They hit 20 3’s and 16 2’s for the whole game. Rudy Gobert only really did anything offensively in the 3rd, Mitchell was awful again as that ankle is really bothering him. Bogdanovic had 18 in the first quarter and that was it. Clarkson was ok, nothing special.
Defensively sometimes it felt like Gobert wasn’t even there, the Clippers got a lot of makes at the rim even with him on the floor. Paul George, Morris, and Jackson dominated. The Jazz only had 15 assists as the Clippers defense continues to force them to play one-on-one.
I never really believed in the Jazz because they rely on shooting way too much. Teams like the dynasty Warriors and CP-3/Harden Rockets relied on the 3-ball, but they still had stars to carry them if needed. But Donovan Mitchell is injured and even if healthy, I don’t know if he can handle that kind of burden. Maybe he can, hard to know.
But the Jazz are so reliant on the 3-PT shot, without it they are simply lost. Now they’re down 3-2, Mike Conley hasn’t played at all in this series and things are not looking good.
What Are Your Thoughts From The Two Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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