[Playoffs!] A New Age! || GAME 1 OF THE FINALS | Hiatus

[Oskar]

Didn't expect you to go up like that against the Spurs, but good for you. Sweep?

[Martti.]

Rookie vs Legend - Nerlens Noel strips Tim Duncan.

Spurs hold off Rockets despite Harden's big game.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: Tony Parker wouldn't let the Spurs go down 0-3 and racked up 28 points and 7 assists, including 13 big points in the fourth quarter and a perfect 6-6 from the foul line in the final minute when the Rockets made a late push.

LVP: Chandler Parsons, what's happened? Another poor showing with 8 points. He usually still crashed the glass really well, but only had 1 rebound tonight.

X-Factor: Danny Green took over Stephen Jackson role from game #2 and made his first 4 threes, all in the third quarter when the Spurs out-scored the Rockets by 7, which would ultimately make the difference in the game.

That was... a tale of two halves: Gerald Green was hot off the start, leading all scorers at the half with 20 points on 9-11 shooting. In the second half, he went 1-8 for just 2 points.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

(#3) HOU (2-1) | 31 | 32 | 25 | 31 || 119 ||
(#6) SAS (1-2) | 29 | 31 | 32 | 32 || 124 ||

Player of the Game : Tony Parker

| 28 PTS | 4 REBS | 7 ASTS | 2 STLS | 0 BLKS | 8-23 FG | 0-2 3 PT FG | 12-13 FT



James Harden : 39 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks, 14-26 FG, 5-11 3PT, 6-6 FT
Gerald Green : 22 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 10-19 FG, 0-4 3PT
Jeremy Lin : 21 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 7-13 FG, 5-5 FT
Josh Smith : 15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 5-10 FG, 5-7 FT
Larry Sanders : 10 points, 13 rebounds
Chandler Parsons : 8 points, 2 assists
Nerlens Noel : 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2-3 FG
Patrick Beverley : 0 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals



Manu Ginobili : 27 points, 4 assists, 10-16 FG, 5-8 3PT, 2-2 FT
Kawhi Leonard : 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 5-6 FG, 3-4 3PT, 6-6 FT
Danny Green : 12 points, 4-5 3PT
Tim Duncan : 11 points, 5 rebounds
Tiago Splitter : 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 4-4 FG, 2-2 FT
Omer Asik : 7 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2-3 FG, 3-4 FT

[Valor]

ASIK AND DESTROY!!!!!

[Martti.]

Other results :



(#1) Denver 2 - 1 (#8) Dallas

Game #3 - Nuggets win 109-92
MVP - Vince Carter - 18 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks, 2 steals, 2-7 FG, 12-12 FT



(#4) LA Clippers 2 - 1 (#5) Minnesota

Game #3 - Timberwolves win 100-98
MVP - Nikola Pekovic - 17 points, 14 rebounds, 8-13 FG



(#2) Oklahoma City 1 - 2 (#7) Golden State

Game #3 - Warriors win 135-116
MVP - Stephen Curry - 31 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 11-18 FG, 6-9 3PT
(Kevin Durant - 59 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 20-33 FG, 7-12 3PT, 12-16 FT)



(#1) Miami 1 - 2 (#8) Detroit

Game #3 - Pistons win 102-94
MVP - Brandon Jennings - 35 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 13-22 FG, 7-12 3PT



(#4) New York 1 - 2 (#5) Cleveland

Game #3 - Cavaliers win 113-97
MVP - Kyrie Irving -28 points, 4 rebounds, 14 assists, 2 steals, 7-13 FG, 2-2 3PT, 12-14 FT



(#3) Brooklyn 2 - 1 (#6) Charlotte

Game #3 - Bobcats win 97-86
MVP - Kemba Walker - 24 points, 6 assists, 8-14 FG, 4-9 3PT



(#2) Chicago 1 - 2 (#7) Indiana

Game #2 - Pacers win 104-103
MVP - Paul George - 18 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 8-14 FG

[Martti.]

Tony Parker orchestrated a very efficient offense for the Spurs.

Rockets trail all game as Spurs tie series behind Parker, Manu.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: Tony Parker has really upped his game since the series moved to San Antonio. Behind him, the Spurs racked up 37 points in the first quarter and the Spurs never trailed the rest of the way. Parker had 25 points, 13 assists and 6 rebounds on 10-18 shooting.

LVP: James Harden. After 39 points in game #3, Harden was cold. He finished with 19, but only had 7 points in the first half on 2-7 shooting and most of his points came in the end, when the Rockets already trailed by double-digits.

X-Factor: Danny Green filled the stat sheet in just 14 minutes. He had 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks on perfect, 4-4 shooting.

That was... an unexpected switch: Despite averaging 7.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in the first three games of the series, Omer Asik found himself on the bench at tip-off. Tiago Splitter returned to the starting line-up after Asik took that role in the last 20 games of the season. Perhaps the move was another genius move by coach Popovich, as the Spurs scored 37 points in the first quarter on 69% shooting. They also scored 34 points in the third.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

(#3) HOU (2-2) | 26 | 28 | 30 | 26 || 110 ||
(#6) SAS (2-2) | 37 | 28 | 34 | 22 || 121 ||

Player of the Game : Tony Parker

| 25 PTS | 6 REBS | 13 ASTS | 0 STLS | 2 BLKS | 10-18 FG | 0-1 3 PT FG | 5-6 FT



Gerald Green : 32 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 11-24 FG, 3-7 3PT, 7-9 FT
Josh Smith : 21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 8-11 FG, 5-7 FT
James Harden : 19 points, 5 assists, 7-14 FG, 2-4 3PT, 3-4 FT
Chandler Parsons : 12 points, 4 rebounds, 5-16 FG
Jeremy Lin : 11 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 4-7 FG
Patrick Beverley : 7 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists
Larry Sanders : 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2-2 FG
Nerlens Noel : 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2-2 FG



Manu Ginobili : 28 points, 3 assists, 9-16 FG, 4-8 3PT, 6-6 FT
Kawhi Leonard : 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 6-9 FG, 3-5 3PT
Tiago Splitter : 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4-6 FG, 5-7 FT
Danny Green : 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-4 FG, 2-2 3PT
Stephen Jackson : 9 points, 3-6 3PT
Tim Duncan : 8 points, 7 rebounds
Omer Asik : 8 points, 4-4 FG

[Martti.]

Other results :



(#1) Denver 2 - 2 (#8) Dallas

Game #4 - Mavericks win 109-92
MVP - Dwight Howard - 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 10-14 FG



(#4) LA Clippers 3 - 1 (#5) Minnesota

Game #4 - Clippers win 108-104
MVP - Jamal Crawford - 26 points, 4 assists



(#2) Oklahoma City 1 - 3 (#7) Golden State

Game #4 - Warriors win 124-100
MVP - Stephen Curry - 26 points, 9 assists, 9-17 FG, 7-10 3PT



(#1) Miami 2 - 2 (#8) Detroit

Game #4 - Heat win 113-91
MVP - LeBron James - 31 points, 9 rebounds, 12-21 FG, 6-9 3PT



(#4) New York 2 - 2 (#5) Cleveland

Game #4 - Knicks win 115-112
MVP - JR Smith - 33 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 11-13 FG, 4-5 3PT, 7-10 FT



(#3) Brooklyn 3 - 1 (#6) Charlotte

Game #4 - Nets win 95-72
MVP - Deron Williams - 22 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds



(#2) Chicago 1 - 3 (#7) Indiana

Game #4 - Pacers win 133-121
MVP - Lance Stephenson - 17 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks, 4-7 FG, 2-2 3PT, 7-10 FT

[Lamrock]

Play D, son!

[Martti.]

I try to, but I'm playing on a really high pace with a lot of possessions.

[Martti.]

Only Kevin Durant has averaged more points in this year's Playoffs then Gerald Green.

Green and Harden combine for 60 and Rockets take game #5 in blow-out fashion.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: Gerald Green has turned into a scoring machine in the Playoffs. After 35 points in game #5, he is now averaging 29.6 points against the Spurs while coming off the bench. He is shooting 52% from the field, 41% from the three and 87% from the foul line. He made 5 of 8 from deep tonight and +14 while he was on the court.

LVP: The Spurs Gameplan. Tim Duncan got just 4 shots up in 29 minutes and scored 4 points. The Spurs weren't aggressive and the starting back court of Manu and Parker settled for floaters and mid-range jumpers.

X-Factor: Chandler Parsons made at least half of his shots for the first time in this game, going 5-10 from the field. He's reached double-figures in the last two game, a promising sign for the forward who averaged 14.5 points this season.

That was... an shooting exhibition: The Rockets shot 59% (44-74) from the field and 52% (11-21) from distance. They got wide open threes off penetration from Harden, Lin and Beverley and if not, they would just drop it off for a dunk. The Rockets had 14 dunks and 28 fast break points.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

(#3) HOU (3-2) | 27 | 29 | 31 | 30 || 117 ||
(#6) SAS (2-3) | 26 | 23 | 20 | 25 || 94 ||

Player of the Game : Gerald Green

| 35 PTS | 3 REBS | 1 ASTS | 1 STLS | 3 BLKS | 12-22 FG | 5-8 3 PT FG | 6-6 FT



James Harden : 25 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 9-13 FG, 2-2 3PT, 5-5 FT
Josh Smith : 14 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 6-10 FG, 2-2 FT
Jeremy Lin : 14 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 5-8 FG
Chandler Parsons : 11 points, 5-10 FG
Nerlens Noel : 4 points, 9 rebounds, 2-2 FG



Tony Parker : 18 points, 5 assists, 7-19 FG
Manu Ginobili : 17 points, 5 assists, 7-14 FG, 2-6 3PT
Stephen Jackson : 13 points, 4-7 3PT
Kawhi Leonard : 9 points, 3 rebounds, 4-6 FG
Marco Belinelli : 8 points, 3-5 FG
Omer Asik : 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3-3 FG
Tiago Splitter : 5 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2-6 FG
Danny Green : 5 points, 5 rebounds, 1-4 FG
Tim Duncan : 4 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2-4 FG

[Martti.]

Other results :



(#1) Denver 2 - 3 (#8) Dallas

Game #5 - Mavericks win 86-82
MVP - Devin Harris - 16 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 5-10 FG



(#4) LA Clippers 4 - 1 (#5) Minnesota

Game #5 - Clippers win 102-100
MVP - Jamal Crawford - 22 points, 5 assists, 8-15 FG, 5-7 3PT



(#2) Oklahoma City 2 - 3 (#7) Golden State

Game #5 - Thunder win 130-120
MVP - Kevin Durant - 28 points, 16 rebounds, 12 assists, 6-18 FG, 0-7 3PT, 16-17 FT



(#1) Miami 3 - 2 (#8) Detroit

Game #5 - Heat win 116-82
MVP - Dwyane Wade - 30 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 12-20 FG, 6-6 FT



(#4) New York 3 - 2 (#5) Cleveland

Game #5 - Knicks win 103-97
MVP - Carmelo Anthony - 32 points, 9 rebounds, 11-22 FG, 2-7 3PT, 8-12 FT



(#3) Brooklyn 3 - 2 (#6) Charlotte

Game #5 - Bobcats win 109-102 (OT)
MVP - Kemba Walker - 29 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 7-16 FG, 12-12 FT



(#2) Chicago 1 - 4 (#7) Indiana

Game #5 - Pacers win 115-88
MVP - Paul George - 24 points, 9 rebounds, 8-11 FG, 5-6 3PT, 3-6 FT

[Martti.]

Kawhi Leonard had 4 steals in the game, he finished this one with a big slam.

Leonard shuts down Harden, Green as Spurs force game #7.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: Parker and Ginobili run this team, but it was Kawhi Leonard in the pivotal game #6 who was the MVP. He almost single-handedly shot down James Harden and Gerald Green. Harden went 6-18 and Green was 5-18 from the field. Leonard was +28 in his 34 minutes, playing outstanding defense the whole game.

LVP: After averaging 29.6 points in the first 5 games, Gerald Green was held to 13 points on 5-18 shooting, 1-8 from distance. Perhaps his inexperience and him being untested in the Playoffs caught up to him in this close-out game.

X-Factor: Josh Smith tried to get the Rockets back in it late, scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough as he didn't get enough help around him. Smith was 11-11 from the field and led the Rockets with 26 points.

That was... an unusual first half: After averaging as near as makes no difference, 60 points in the first half so far in the series, the Rockets managed to crack just 40 at the half thanks to a buzzer-beater by Patrick Beverley. They were on pace to even not reach 90 points, but thanks to some hot shooting in the final period, they came just within a point of cracking triple-digits.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

(#3) HOU (3-3) | 22 | 20 | 23 | 34 || 99 ||
(#6) SAS (2-3) | 25 | 25 | 30 | 30 || 110 ||

Player of the Game : Tony Parker

| 21 PTS | 4 REBS | 11 ASTS | 1 STLS | 0 BLKS | 7-19 FG | 0-1 3 PT FG | 7-7 FT



Josh Smith : 26 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 11-11 FG, 4-7 FT
James Harden : 18 points, 4 assists, 6-18 FG, 3-8 3PT
Patrick Beverley : 14 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 4-6 3PT
Gerald Green : 13 points, 5-18 FG, 1-8 3PT
Chandler Parsons : 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 5-12 FG
Jeremy Lin : 9 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 3-9 FG
Larry Sanders : 7 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 3-4 FG



Manu Ginobili : 28 points, 5 assists, 8-14 FG, 2-6 3PT, 10-10 FT
Kawhi Leonard : 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 5-8 FG,3-5 3PT
CJ Miles : 12 points, 5-8 FG, 2-4 ePT, 7 minutes
Stephen Jackson : 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks, 4-8 FG
Danny Green : 8 points, 3-5 FG, 2-3 3PT
Tim Duncan : 6 points, 12 rebounds

[Lamrock]

Cutting it really close now. Good luck in game 7!

[Martti.]

Played game #7, won, scored 70 points with Harden, the best performance I've ever had in 2K on hall of fame. 21-33 FG, 10-16 3PT, 18-19 FT. But 2K decided to crash as I was going through the box score at the end of the game before exiting into the association menu. Can't tell any other stats as the game crashed. Gonna re-play the game, the box score would probably look a lot less interesting and I might be eliminated, but hopefully this time the game won't crash.

[Valor]

Played game #7, won, scored 70 points with Harden, the best performance I've ever had in 2K on hall of fame. 21-33 FG, 10-16 3PT, 18-19 FT. But 2K decided to crash as I was going through the box score at the end of the game before exiting into the association menu. Can't tell any other stats as the game crashed. Gonna re-play the game, the box score would probably look a lot less interesting and I might be eliminated, but hopefully this time the game won't crash.

2K decided it was too ridiculous for Harden to get so many points Bad luck though,hopefully no more crashes

[Martti.]

Valor, yeah it def felt that way. Re-played it and it didn't crash, so yeah, no more 70-point games from Harden and I should be good 25 points in the first half, 35 in the third quarter (51 as a team lol), 10 in the final period.

[Martti.]

Smith finding Noel late, a play which sent the rookie to the line and in the end, was the difference in the game.

Smith racks up triple-double as Rockets advance in game #7 thriller.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: Josh Smith racked up his first career Playoff triple-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the time when it was most needed, game #7 and team leader James Harden struggling. Smith has had a pretty good series, quietly averaging 18 ppg, 9.3 rpg and 2.7 apg in the shadow of the highlights from Gerald Green and James Harden. Smith was on fire in game #6 with 26 points on 11-11 shooting and with Harden shooting poorly again (16 pts), Smith elevated his game yet again against one of the best to ever play the game - Tim Duncan.

LVP: Spurs bench shooters. The Spurs have gotten timely contributions from their reserves. Be it CJ Miles, Marco Belinelli, Danny Green or Stephen Jackson, all of them at one point or another have hit big shots in the series. Tonight? just 11 points combined between the 4 on 5-15 shooting.

The Rockets did win, but Jeremy Lin struggled heavily with 9 points on 3-13 shooting. He made his final 3 shots after missing his first 10.

X-Factor: The Rockets were up by one point with 25 seconds to play. The tried to run out as much clock as possible and Josh Smith wanted to take the big shot, but was doubled and found Nerlens Noel, who was fouled with 11 seconds left. The rookie, who has hit just 45% of his free throws this post-season, calmly sank both and gave the Rockets a three point lead. He also defended Manu Ginobili on a switch the next possession after a switch and affected his potential game-tying 3-pointer. The rookie had 12 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Those were... first round upsets : The Spurs and Rockets were evenly matched (same reg. season record, SAS 106.1 ppg and 102.7 oppg; HOU 105.9 ppg and 102.3 oppg, season series 2-2), so the Rockets winning in 7 perhaps wasn't that surprising, they did have home court advantage. The bigger story was the collapse of two of the biggest title contenders - both Oklahoma City and Chicago were eliminated in the first round by #7 seeded Golden State and Indiana respectively. This means that Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose, who finished 2nd and 3rd in the MVP voting, are out of the Playoffs. #1 seed Denver was also eliminated by Dwight Howard and the #8 seed Mavericks. Warriors will face the Rockets in the second round, a series that is expected to be a high-scoring one as the teams are the hottest offenses in the post-season (GSW 114.7 ppg, HOU 112.1 ppg).

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

(#3) HOU (4-3) | 27 | 29 | 27 | 29 || 112 ||
(#6) SAS (3-4) | 33 | 28 | 22 | 24 || 107 ||

Player of the Game : Josh Smith

| 20 PTS | 12 REBS | 10 ASTS | 2 STLS | 0 BLKS | 7-13 FG | 0-0 3 PT FG | 6-10 FT



Gerald Green : 31 points, 5 rebounds, 13-26 FG, 2-5 3PT, 3-4 FT
James Harden : 16 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 5 turnovers, 5-13 FG, 1-5 3PT
Nerlens Noel : 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, 5-6 FG, 2-3 FT
Patrick Beverley : 11 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, 3-5 FG, 1-2 3PT, 4-5 FT
Chandler Parsons : 9 points, 4 rebounds, 4-8 FG
Jeremy Lin : 9 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3-13 FG



Tony Parker : 29 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 12-25 FG, 5-7 FT
Manu Ginobili : 28 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, 10-16 FG, 4-5 3PT, 4-4 FT
Kawhi Leonard : 12 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, 5-12 FG
Tim Duncan : 11 points, 10 rebounds, 5-6 FG
Tiago Splitter : 7 points, 6 rebounds
Omer Asik : 5 points, 11 points, 3 assists, 2 steals

[Martti.]

Patrick Beverley harassed Stephen Curry all night long.

Rockets take game #1 behind Smith's triple-double.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: Smith followed up his triple-double in game #7 against the Spurs with another triple-double in game #1 of the Conference Semis against the Warriors. Smith's night wasn't all good, as he had 8 turnovers, but even so, the Rockets were +25 with him on the floor.

LVP: Stephen Curry. The Warriors All-Star guard was a no-show in the first half. The Warriors trailed by 11 at the half with Curry scoring just 3 points - a buzzer-beating half-court shot to end the half. He missed his first 8 shots and finished the night 6-20 from the field. He did have 13 assists, but his shot selection was woeful.

X-Factor: Patrick Beverley. Jeremy Lin got only 18 minutes of court time, just because of how great Beverley was. The back-up guard had 7 points, 9 assists and 6 steals in 25 minutes. He alongside Harden, Green, Smith and Noel are proving to be the line-up the Rockets use to go on huge runs, tonight being no exception. Beverley was +20, Green +17 and Noel +9.

Those were... a first half to remember : Gerald Green played only 8 minutes in the first half, but that didn't stop the high-flier from putting on a show. He scored 18 points in that time (7-10 FG, 4-4 FT), including 5 dunks, 3 off lobs. He finished with 34 points in 19 minutes (!) and is the leading scorer left in the Playoffs after the Warriors eliminated Durant.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

(#3) HOU (1-0) | 34 | 31 | 28 | 22 || 115 ||
(#7) GSW (0-1) | 31 | 23 | 18 | 30 || 102 ||

Player of the Game : Josh Smith

| 18 PTS | 11 REBS | 11 ASTS | 0 STLS | 3 BLKS | 8-13 FG | 0-1 3 PT FG | 2-3 FT



Gerald Green : 34 points, 4 rebounds, 13-20 FG, 2-5 3PT, 6-6 FT
James Harden : 29 points, 5 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 10-19 FG, 5-13 3PT
Chandler Parsons : 10 points, 4 rebounds, 5-10 FG
Larry Sanders : 8 points, 2 blocks, 2-3 FG, 4-8 FT
Patrick Beverley : 7 points, 9 assists, 6 steals, 3-7 FG
Nerlens Noel : 6 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 3-3 FG



Klay Thompson : 24 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 10-21 FG, 4-9 3PT
David Lee : 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 9-13 FG
Stephen Curry : 18 points, 13 assists, 5 steals, 4 turnovers, 6-20 FG, 2-7 3PT
Andrew Bogut : 11 points, 3 steals, 4-5 FG
Carl Landry : 8 points, 10 rebounds
Harrison Barnes : 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals

[Valor]

J-Smoove has been on fire

[Martti.]

Other results :



(#4) LA Clippers 1 - 0 (#8) Dallas

Game #1 - Clippers win 115-109
MVP - Blake Griffin - 32 points, 7 rebounds, 12-17 FG, 8-12 FT



(#1) Miami 1 - 0 (#4) New York

Game #1 - Heat win 93-86
MVP - Dwyane Wade - 35 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 13-24 FG, 9-14 FT



(#3) Brooklyn 1 - 0 (#7) Indiana

Game #1 - Nets win 111-96
MVP - Brook Lopez - 20 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 10-19 FG

[Martti.]

Harden was quiet all night, but calmly sank the game-winner.

Rockets go up 2-0 behind Harden's winner.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: Usually it'd be the guy who makes the shot to win the game, but on this night, it was the struggling Chandler Parsons. The forward from Florida broke out of his slumps and scored 37 points on near-perfect shooting, going 15-18 from the field. In comparison, he totaled 35 points in the first 4 games of the first round.

LVP: The Warriors front court. David Lee had 4 points, Cody Zeller, Speights, O'Neal, Landry and Bogut all had 2. The Warriors got no meaningful contributions on offense from their big guys. Landry did have 9 rebounds in 17 minutes, but they still allowed 66 points in the paint and a near triple-double from Josh Smith. But hey, they won the rebounding battle 44-40.

X-Factor: Didn't think James Harden would ever go under this category, but he wasn't playing as the all-star, all-NBA player he is. He made the biggest shot of the night with 3 seconds to go and finished with a quiet 10 points on 4-10 shooting. But it was his field goal and 2 late assists that helped the Rockets hold off the Warriors furious rally.

Those were... a tale of two halves : After just 13 points in the first half between them, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry scored 25 in the second half, EACH! They matched the total of the Rockets scoring in the second half and took their first lead after Thompson's jumper with little over a minute to go.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

(#3) HOU (2-0) | 24 | 34 | 26 | 24 || 108 ||
(#7) GSW (0-2) | 14 | 28 | 25 | 36 || 106 ||

Player of the Game : Chandler Parsons

| 37 PTS | 6 REBS | 2 ASTS | 0 STLS | 0 BLKS | 15-18 FG | 2-4 3 PT FG | 5-6 FT



Josh Smith : 22 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, 10-16 FG, 2-2 FT
Gerald Green : 12 points, 3 rebounds, 5-15 FG, 2-6 3PT
James Harden : 10 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 4-10 FG, 2-5 3PT
Patrick Beverley : 10 points, 4 assists, 2 steals
Jeremy Lin : 8 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2-3 3PT
Nerlens Noel : 5 points, 6 rebounds



Stephen Curry : 34 points, 9 assists, 4 steals, 6 turnovers, 13-27 FG, 6-14 3PT, 2-4 FT
Klay Thompson : 29 points, 11-22 FG, 3-5 3PT
Harrison Barnes : 16 points, 6 assists, 6-11 FG
Toney Douglas : 11 points, 3 rebounds, 5-10 FG
David Lee : 4 points, 7 rebounds
Marresse Speights : 2 points, 6 rebounds
Carl Landry : 2 points, 9 rebounds

[Martti.]

Other results :



(#4) LA Clippers 2 - 0 (#8) Dallas

Game #2 - Clippers win 111-78
MVP - Jamal Crawford - 28 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 10-22 FG, 4-12 3PT



(#1) Miami 2 - 0 (#4) New York

Game #2 - Heat win 122-80
MVP - LeBron James - 25 points, 16 rebounds, 9 assists, 9-15 FG, 2-3 3PT



(#3) Brooklyn 2 - 0 (#7) Indiana

Game #2 - Nets win 117-78
MVP - Deron Williams - 34 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, 11-20 FG, 4-7 3PT, 8-8 FT

[Martti.]

Smith had a performance for the ages.

Rockets push Warriors on brink of elimination behind Smith.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: After 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in the first quarter, you could tell Smith was on his way to a huge performance and he did have. The forward piled up 33 points, 14 rebounds, 14 assists and 5 blocks, the first player in NBA history to reach those minimums in each category. He was also 13-16 from the field and 7-9 from the stripe. Larry Bird was 2 blocks shy, when he had 30-17-15 and 3 blocks back in '87. In the post-season, the closest has been Ralph Sampson's 33-17-10 and 5 blocks in '86.

LVP: Toney Douglas has been a nice spark plug for the Warriors, but was scoreless in his 11 minutes and was the recipient to a trio of crossovers, falling down twice. He was also -14 in those minutes.

X-Factor: Josh Smith was the headline, but Larry Sanders had 10 points and 15 rebounds next to him. All 5 of his field goals came off Smith's passes, the two big men played very well off one another.

Those were... a historic performance. : No player in NBA history has reached a statline of 33-14-14-5 before, not in the regular season nor in the Playoffs. Two players have reached 33-14-14 before in the regular season, Grant Hill (35-15-14) and Jason Kidd (38-14-14).

Smith's averages against the Warriors? 24.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 12.0 apg, 3.0 bpg on 69% shooting.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

(#3) HOU (3-0) | 32 | 34 | 22 | 29 || 117 ||
(#7) GSW (0-3) | 24 | 30 | 30 | 24 || 108 ||

Player of the Game : Josh Smith

| 33 PTS | 14 REBS | 14 ASTS | 0 STLS | 5 BLKS | 13-16 FG | 0-0 3 PT FG | 7-9 FT



James Harden : 28 points, 9-17 FG, 2-2 3PT, 8-8 FT
Gerald Green : 17 points, 5-13 FG, 6-8 FT
Patrick Beverley : 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 5-9 FG
Larry Sanders : 10 points, 15 rebounds, 5-6 FG
Chandler Parsons : 9 points,3 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2-10 FG



Stephen Curry : 39 points, 8 assists, 6 turnovers, 12-24 FG, 6-12 3PT, 9-11 FT
Harrison Barnes : 17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals
Carl Landry : 11 points, 4 rebounds, 5-6 FG
David Lee : 10 points, 10 rebounds
Klay Thompson : 10 points, 9 assists, 4-12 FG, 2-5 3PT
Andrew Bogut : 6 points, 8 rebounds

[Martti.]

Other results :



(#4) LA Clippers 2 - 1 (#8) Dallas

Game #3 - Mavericks win 112-99
MVP - Dirk Nowitzki - 26 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 7-16 FG, 11-12 FT



(#1) Miami 3 - 0 (#4) New York

Game #3 - Heat win 119-114
MVP - LeBron James - 33 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 11-17 FG, 11-13 FT



(#3) Brooklyn 2 - 1 (#7) Indiana

Game #3 - Pacers win 104-73
MVP - Luis Scola - 24 points, 8 rebounds, 10-14 FG, 1-3 3PT, 3-6 FT

[Martti.]

Green was part of the Rockets come-back.

Despite 40 from Curry, 21-point lead, Warriors get swept.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

MVP: Josh Smith picked up his third triple-double of the series with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He averaged 23 points, 11.3 rebounds, 11.5 assists and 2.8 blocks in the series, numbers unseen in many years, if ever.

LVP: Harrison Barnes was no-where to be found, as he scored just 3 points off free throws, missing all 8 of his shots.

X-Factor: Patrick Beverley only played 12 minutes because of foul trouble, but still picked up 12 points and 5 steals in that time, rallying the Rockets back from 21 down.

That was.. a lead squandered : After James Harden's free throw, the Rockets trailed 14-11. The Warriors then went on a 15-2 run to take a 16-point lead. Green scored 5 straight for the Rockets, but the Warriors answered with 10 unanswered and took a 21-point lead (39-18). Beverley, Green and Noel combined with Harden and Smith then out-scored the home team 33-12 to take the first lead of the game in the closing moments of the second half. The Warriors didn't get closer then 2 points after that.

Recap | Box Score | Highlights

(#3) HOU (4-0) | 25 | 39 | 32 | 27 || 123 ||
(#7) GSW (0-4) | 39 | 24 | 24 | 24 || 111 ||

Player of the Game : Josh Smith

| 19 PTS | 11 REBS | 10 ASTS | 1 STLS | 2 BLKS | 6-15 FG | 0-1 3 PT FG | 7-12 FT



James Harden : 26 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 10-19 FG, 5-11 3PT
Gerald Green : 20 points, 4 rebounds, 7-12 FG, 3-5 3PT
Chandler Parsons : 15 points, 11 rebounds, 6-16 FG, 2-7 3PT
Patrick Beverley : 12 points, 3 assists, 5 steals, +16
Larry Sanders : 12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks, 5-7 FG
Nerlens Noel : 11 points, 5 rebounds, 5-6 FG
Jeremy Lin : 8 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2-3 3PT



Stephen Curry : 40 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 turnovers, 15-30 FG, 6-11 3PT
Klay Thompson : 20 points, 5 assists, 4 steals, 9-24 FG
Toney Douglas : 14 points, 4-6 3PT, 9 minutes
Andrew Bogut : 8 points, 9 rebounds
David Lee : 8 points, 9 rebounds
Harrison Barnes : 3 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 0-8 FG, 36 minutes

[Valor]

Shoot, J-Smoove just killed the Warriors by himself basically...