We hadn't seen a team come back from being down 3-1 in a playoff series since 2006 when the Phoenix Suns stormed back from their series deficit to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in three straight games to close out. Even though the Los Angeles Clippers were the lower seed, it seemed unlikely after Game 4 that the Houston Rockets could come back and win three straight games. But the cliché of taking it one game at a time came through for Kevin McHale's team and they found a different way to win in each one.
Game 5 saw them rally at home and blow the Clippers away in the process. Game 6 saw an incredible collapse by Los Angeles and a roaring comeback by the Rockets to steal one on the road. Then in Game 7, the Rockets just outplayed the Clippers throughout the majority of the game and never really let the Clippers take control of the game. Their 113-100 victory makes them just the ninth team in 30 attempts to come back from a 3-1 deficit in a series to move on to the next round.
Here's what we learned from Rockets-Clippers Game 7:
1. A total team effort brought the Rockets into the Western Conference finals.
The Rockets needed a ton of focus and execution in order to make the improbable comeback from a 3-1 deficit and that couldn't have been more evident in Game 7. Aside from a poor showing with a couple minutes left in the game, the Rockets controlled Game 7 and seemed to dominate the skills, execution, and effort on the court. James Harden didn't shoot well from the field but he got to the free throw line 18 times and nearly had a triple-double (31 points, eight assists, seven rebounds). Dwight Howard was a huge presence inside with 16 points and 15 rebounds. But they weren't the only ones carrying the load.
Trevor Ariza hit six 3-pointers in the game to finish with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Josh Smith had 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 2-of-4 from deep. Pablo Prigioni came off the bench out of nowhere to put in four points, four assists, and three steals en route to a plus-20 on the night that was accurately representative of his game impact. Corey Brewer had 11 points and hit some big shots to keep the Clippers at bay.
The Rockets deserve every bit of this comeback victory and berth into the conference finals because they flat-out dominated the Clippers for the majority of these final three games of the second round.
2. How did the Clippers collapse so badly the last three games?
This will be a question the Clippers ask themselves much of this offseason. And they'll have to answer the same questions about not being able to get past the second round all season long and even into next postseason. That's what you earn for yourself when you're up 3-1 in a series and end up blowing the series with a complete and utter collapse. Chris Paul played really well in those final games but didn't do enough. The thin bench of the Clippers didn't have anything close to the firepower needed to stop the key Rockets' runs. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan had great series until the final couple of games.
In Game 7, they just didn't come close to doing enough. They have 18 turnovers and gave up 27 points off of those turnovers. They shot just 7-of-28 from 3-point range. They shot just 40.9 percent from the field through the first three quarter. In the final three games of this series, they made 24.7 percent of their 3's and allowed the Rockets to shoot 47.2 percent from the field. Neither of those marks are good enough to move on to the next round.
3. Pablo Prigioni was the difference in a playoff game and yes, I'm serious
Former Knicks' point guard Pablo Prigioni was a huge boost off the bench in Game 7 for the Rockets. He hounded the Clippers' point guards, forced turnovers on basic inbound plays in the backcourt, created 3-point shots and good shots off those plays, and kept disrupting the Clippers' backcourt enough to keep them out of rhythm in this game. At one point in the broadcast, Jeff Van Gundy was shouting for the game ball to go to Prigioni.
Maybe the most impressive bit of his game was the 3-pointer he made over an unsuspecting DeAndre Jordan. How unlikely was that hit for Prigioni? He was shooting just 29.4 percent on 3-pointers in 11 games of the playoffs so far. He had made just 27.5 percent of his 3's in the regular season after being acquired by the Rockets. And by the way, today is Prigioni's 38th birthday. Not a bad present.
Game 1 of the Western Conference finals is Tuesday in Oakland.
SERIES SCHEDULE, RESULTS
Game 1 -- Mon May 4
L.A. Clippers 117, Houston 101
Game 2 -- Wed May 6
Houston 115, L.A. Clippers 109
Game 3 -- Fri May 8
L.A. Clippers 124, Houston 99
Game 4 -- Sun May 10
L.A. Clippers 128, Houston 95
Game 5 -- Tue May 12
Houston 124, L.A. Clippers 103
Game 6 -- Thu May 14
Houston 119, L.A. Clippers 107
Game 7 -- Sun May 17
Houston 113, L.A. Clippers 100 -- Houston wins series 4-3
