What you need to know about one of the most shocking comebacks/unbelievable collapses in NBA playoff history...
1. WHAT JUST HAPPENED: The Rockets put on a 40-15 fourth quarter and crushed a 19-point deficit into bits and pieces while demolishing the Clippers' offense. Josh Smith -- JOSH SMITH, THE GUY DETROIT PAID TO JUST NOT BE THERE -- hit 3 of 4 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, Corey Brewer went ballistic relentlessly attacking, and the Clippers were held without a field goal for the final 6:44 until a meaningless end-of-game Chris Paul 3-pointer.
It is a remarkable comeback for a team down 3-1 to even force a Game 6, to force a Game 7 is sheer madness, and that's before the way Houston did it. It's a testament to their will and determination not to simply surrender when down by double-digits late. Did I mention that James Harden, who was battling the flu and shot 5 for 20 with some horrible defense, was benched in the fourth and did not return? Harden cheered his teammates on, but the Rockets' lineup of Smith, Brewer, Jason Terry, Trevor Ariza, and Dwight Howard is who got the job done. Just an unbelievable comeback. Which means on the flip side ...
2.WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? The Clippers climbed inside of themselves and just hid from this game. Doc Rivers said afterwards "No one wanted to shoot." And that's true. From Chris Paul, who was one quarter away from vanquishing the narratives about his playoff foibles once and for all, to Blake Griffin who was faced with stiff double-teams, to J.J. Redick, to Jamal Crawford who missed all of his four shots, most of them terrible, in the fourth. The decision not to bring Matt Barnes back cost the Clippers, dearly.
Now, after coming back from being down 3-2 to San Antonio in an elimination game on the road to win in seven games, the Clippers, short-handed in terms of depth and worn out from long minutes and mental exhaustion, have to go on the road and win their second Game 7 in 14 games. All because they couldn't hold a 19-point lead at home.
It doesn't get any more Clippers than that.
3. I SAW RED: Here's the Clippers' fourth-quarter shot chart, and this includes Chris Paul's nightmarish meaningless three at the end.
And from our GameTracker:
That's not great. What a collapse.
