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San Antonio Spurs – The Predictable Ending
Aside from one minor glitch and bump on the road, the San Antonio Spurs got no problems from the Portland Trail Blazers in a very easy and short conference semifinals series, winning 104-82 in game 5 to take the series 4-1 and put themselves in the conference finals for a third consecutive season.
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Miami Heat – Taking Care of the Arrogant & Old
Title defenses are never easy, and the Miami Heat sure had a difficult time closing out their series against the Brooklyn Nets. A strong first half from Dwyane, overall another good one from LeBron James and a great finish from Ray Allen and Chris Bosh were needed for a 96-94 win and taking the series 4-1, earning a spot in the conference finals for a fourth consecutive time.
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Indiana Pacers – Worse Than They Think They Are
The boos from the home crowd. The incredible statistic of being outrebounded at an alarming rate. The zero effort. There was nothing good going for the Indiana Pacers as they lost in game 5 of the Eastern conference semifinals to the Washington Wizards, showing some alarming signs about a team that believes they’re good enough to bounce back from anything although in reality they fall short of that belief.
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NBA Playoffs – Game 5 Predictions (Nets vs Heat, Blazers vs Spurs)
Heading into game 5 of both series, we already know what teams are superior in quality. The question is can there something to negate that advantage? The Brooklyn Nets aren’t very high on confidence as they travel to play the Miami Heat, hoping to avoid elimination, while the San Antonio Spurs might be facing a little bit stronger competition from the Portland Trail Blazers than what we’ve seen so far.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Referees Sometimes Help Out
Some people don’t like to talk about officials, saying mistakes are part of the game. But the Oklahoma City Thunder, despite a huge night from Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant finally showing up in the final minute, don’t win game 5 against the Los Angeles Clippers if it isn’t for some awful officiating all through the game and especially in the final moments, allowing them to walk away with an undeserved 105-104 win.
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Washington Wizards – Desperation Brings Out the Best
On the verge of elimination from the playoffs, the Washington Wizards brought out their best basketball to humiliate the Indiana Pacers on their own home court, making it a 2-3 series thanks to a 102-79 win that wasn’t even that close, beginning with the dominance of Marcin Gortat and backed up by John Wall Finally showing up when he’s needed the most.
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Thunder Over Clippers – Referees & Chris Paul Decide the Game
As impressive as it was to watch the Oklahoma City Thunder comeback from a definite loss in the final minutes of game 5, that ending was an equal embarrassment to the NBA’s referees and to the pressure handling skills of Chris Paul, completely falling apart when it mattered the most. The Thunder won 105-104 thanks to Russell Westbrook hitting 3 free throws he shouldn’t have gotten, taking a 3-2 lead in the series.
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Wizards Over Pacers – That Was Embarrassing
Back and forth we go in the weird playoffs the Indiana Pacers are having. Losing at home by 23 points (102-79) to the Washington Wizards seems to be something of a low point. Marcin Gortat destroyed anyone, including Roy Hibbert, standing in his path, helping his team staying alive with a game 5 win to make it a 2-3 series, taking it back to D.C.
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Clippers vs Thunder – The Hate is Strong With This One
Some playoff series aren’t just about the basketball. It’s about a rivalry that has been brewing for years, which is why there’s no surprise to see fights and low blows in the playoff series between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, usually involving someone trying to hit Blake Griffin who has been fighting all year long against provocations, not always working out the best for him.
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NBA Playoffs – Game 5 Predictions (Clippers vs Thunder, Wizards vs Pacers)
In one series, game 5 might mean the end of the road for one team: The Indiana Pacers host the Washington Wizards while holding a 3-1 lead in the conference semifinals over the visitors. The other series has been too close to call, as the Los Angeles Clippers travel to play the Oklahoma City Thunder with the series tied at 2-2.