2021 NBA Playoffs – Five Great Trips as Clippers Game 7 vs. Mavericks

Fourth-seeded LA Clippers overcame a seven-point deficit in the third quarter of Game 6, beating fifth-ranked Dallas Mavericks 104-97. This marked the sixth time in six games that the road team has won in the series.

Five times All-Star Kavi Leonard Unstoppable, he boosted his playoff career with 45 points from 25 shots in 42 minutes. And cervical strain Luca Doncic In games 3 and 4 he did not seem to last as the team finished with a maximum of 29 points.

The five things we collected from Game 6 forced two of the best words in the game here: Game 7 (3:30 pm and Sunday on ABC).

Is coming now Even more Pressure

When Kavi Leonard accepted the task of defending Luca Tansik at the starting point, it felt like a Game 7.

“This is a game 7 for us before Game 7,” Paul George Said.

No doubt there was pressure on the clippers. Faced with elimination, LA managed to steal a third straight game in Dallas. But now that the Clippers are playing the actual Game 7 – on their home site – they have yet to win this season. No matter what pressure the Clippers feel on Friday night, it will still be a big Sunday.

Last year, the Clippers already entered the quicksand in Game 7 – losing 3-1 to Denver Nuggets in the second round. This time it feels like the 12th round of a heavyweight fight and for now, the clippers have the momentum.

To avoid a second straight disastrous playoff exit, Leonard should give LA another final MVP-like performance.

“It’s going to be a great game.” Reggie Jackson Said. “Best words in the game: ‘Game 7.’ I haven’t played one in a while. “

Jackson cannot be blamed for forgetting Game 7 last year. On Sunday, clippers can take another step to bury their past playoff ghosts.

– Om Youngmisuk

7-foot-3 floor-spacer?

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle praised Christophe Porchisis After Friday night’s failure to close the clippers.

“I like the way he plays,” Carlisle said.

You can expect more from a talented 7-foot-3 player on a maximum contract than seven points in seven shots in a game 6. But the numbers of Porchisis are certainly not surprising at this point. This is the third time in a row that he has scored in single digits. He actually got one more shot than he did in Game 5.

With an average of 12.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in the series, Carlisle makes it clear that attacking against Porcis-Clippers provides more value as a floor-spacer than the focal point.

“It’s obviously not easy, but I accept it,” Porchisis said. “That’s what the team tells me to do. I’m ready to do what we need to do going forward. Once I accept that, it’s not a psychological fight with me anymore. I just do what the team tells me to do and try to do what I can.”

You can look at his height and argue that Porchisis should get a consistent post-ups against the clipper’s mini-ball rows. Know that Carlisle does not accept it and has no intention of taking the ball out of the hands of Luca Doncic.

“It signifies what is best for our team,” Carlisle said, adding that he has had several conversations with Porcysis about the matter. “He’s the best, accepting what our strategy as a team is, locking it up and being professional about it. It’s always coming down to quoting ‘getting him.’ Does this manifest itself in the best things for the team with their line-up?

In other words, don’t hold your breath for Porcysis to have a better performance in Game 7.

– Tim McMahon

Kavi Leonard did what superstars do

The attack from was guided by prevention Tim Hardway Jr.., Dallas took 17-5 in the third quarter and advanced from seven points to seven. At 67-60, LA needs a lifeline.

With the lead slipping, Leonard advanced dramatically, with the Clippers scoring 11 straight and 17 points off 25 points in the quarter, advancing them to fourth. In that final frame? Leonard poured in a further 12 points, including two big 3s to put the Mavericks ahead in the final minutes.

Leonard finished 45th in 18 shooting with 45 points, becoming the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 45 points and 70% or more in the face of elimination, according to Elias Sports Bureau research (Jamal Murray, LeBron James, Wild Chamberlain).

It doesn’t matter who threw Dallas Leonard. The Clippers star went from 8 to 10 Dorian Finney-Smith And -7 out of 5 in tonic.

Leonard was also a threat to security. Of the five possessions as Danzig’s primary defender, Leonard Maws kept the star for 0-of-4 shooting. Overall, the Mavericks twice shot only 13 of 4 against the Finals MVP.

– Andrew Lopez

Maintaining proper road record

As the clich goes, this is not a series until the home team wins a game. Clippers win Friday The road team won all six games of the series, the first time it has happened while playing in local markets, according to ESPN statistics and information research. (There has been a market series between the New Jersey Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round since 1984 without even a home win, but it is the best of the five matches.)

No, clippers should not petition the NBA to allow them to play Game 7 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Remember, the fact that the home teams are 21-21 overall in the playoffs means that the home teams in all other series have won 58.3% of the time.

Play

Kavi Leonard Celebrates Nails and Steve Palmer for the 3-pointer.

Considering the overall trend for weak home-court advantage, and especially the limited crowd this year in Los Angeles – Clippers announced a 7,428 attendance at Game 5, compared to the 18,324-capacity crowd in Dallas on Friday – we’re probably going to see a series like this at some point. After all, we saw the “road team” win all seven games in the Boston Celtics-Toronto Raptors series last year, when the teams played on the NBA’s knob neutral courts.

It will be interesting to see if the clippers in Game 7 enjoy any of the benefits of the home court. Historically, the advantage of a home court in a deciding game was 1.3 points per game more than all other playoff games. Let’s see if this is without the skill crowd at the Staples Center or if the road teams can be right.

– Kevin Belton

The process of clippers leads to the support of clippers

In the summer of 2019, the assembly process of the clippers is very straightforward: get George, so they can get Leonard, and then the supporting cast will take care of themselves. That sequence was on display in Game 6, with Leonard gathering support from many angles.

George is Leonard’s roster bear, a star two-way player capable of carrying loads any night. But as Leonard accepted the full burden in Game 6, George settled into a full-fledged role by choosing his seats and setting up others to defend the entire court. The user was his close friend Jackson, who helped George recruit after purchasing the Detroit pistons last season.

In Game 6 Road Games, Jackson has a history of being the biggest comeback for his superstar team. He did it through the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2014, scoring 32 points in a must-win game against Chryslice to save the season Kevin Torrent And Russell Westbrook. One of Jackson’s main qualities is his confidence that he will always be the best player on the court at any given time. Clippers have been eager for that kind of shooting and playmaking since point guard status this past season – and Jackson responded to the call.

However, this can never be the case. The Clippers are going to lean towards Leonard and George in Game 7 – and beyond that, if they are very lucky – but Jackson and the supporting cast will have to play their part. Championship teams aren’t just built on star power – there are always Reggie Jackson type games somewhere across a run. If this series is any indication, the clippers will need another one.

– Royce Young