Clippers' energy, defense of Rockets' Harden are Game 7 question marks

Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers visit James Harden, Houston Rockets in Game 7 with a chance to reach the Western Conference finals.

The world's brightest basketball minds could study film of the Rockets' Game 6 comeback for years on end and never be able to fully explain it. Some events are simply beyond us. There was some math and strategy in play that allowed Houston to erase a 19-point deficit and build its own 15-point lead in a matter of minutes, yet the full, tidal swing of the series on the whole defies explanation. The Clippers had all but advanced to the Western Conference finals before the Rockets pried out their playoff survival from the slimmest of probabilities.

Any such episode will evoke questions of pressure and momentum as the series moves forward—high-volume sports tropes that attempt to impose order upon chaos. Los Angeles, faced with its third closeout opportunity in a row, will face the burden of completion in Game 7. Houston, riding high after finding a healthy rhythm in Game 5 and rooting out a miracle in Game 6, can approach the winner-take-all finale with added confidence. The degree to which these things matter is debatable. But in a very human sport that can never be fully extricated from its context, these intangible influences have some role to play in how a series progresses from game to game.

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Central to this discussion is the difference between a series that turns on emotion as opposed to one that turns on tactics. Any game of makes and misses is inherently streaky. There will be times when a team like the Rockets goes so cold from the field as to be beyond saving, and others when Josh Smith and Corey Brewer go 5 of 7 from three despite all we know to be true about their perimeter shooting. That particular high kept Houston alive in this series. It didn't, however, produce any evidence to suggest that the hot shooting of the Rockets' role players is bankable moving forward.

Can Clippers recover? Josh Smith, Rockets force Game 7 after collapse

All of which isn't to say that Houston made its Game 6 push without adjustment. Kevin McHale made some subtle tweaks in the way the Rockets operate (especially on defense) leading into and throughout that defining game. Some took well, others didn't. On balance, though, McHale's alterations prodded enough life out of his team's defense to flip the outcome. Now, to the extent that there is specific momentum to carry the Rockets from Game 6 to Sunday, it's there. Houston plays best with a certain amount of frenzy to its defense and Dwight Howard stabilizing the middle, as was evident in its demonstrative fourth-quarter run.

Notable in Houston's comeback was the absence of James Harden. The MVP runner-up was supportive of his teammates from the bench, applauding their efforts as McHale opted to finish the game with those players who had trimmed the deficit and claimed the lead for themselves. That decision has largely been framed as the Rockets succeeding in spite of Harden watching from the sidelines. This much is inarguable; Harden is a huge, singular piece of how Houston goes about scoring. Yet on the odd day where Smith, Brewer, and Jason Terry were able to drum up offense for themselves, McHale's decision to keep Harden out may have played a bigger role in the Rockets' comeback than has been acknowledged.

Even if we ignore the role that inserting Harden might have had in taking the ball out of the hands of the right mix of streaky scorers, the biggest issues come in the way that the superstar guard has detracted from Houston's overall defense. Over the course of this series, the Rockets have allowed 113.2 points per 100 possessions with Harden on the court—nearly the worst mark on the team. This is far from some noise-altered coincidence. The defensive improvement we saw of Harden in the regular season has faded hard and fast in these playoffs. It's blatant in transition but costly at other times, none of which could be afforded in a run like Houston's. 

[daily_cut.NBA]The flow of a comeback can be delicate. Had even a few possessions played out differently, so, too, might have the final verdict. Brewer and Trevor Ariza came up with high-energy defensive plays that proved essential to the Rockets' cause. Harden is great. He's just not at all that kind of player, and in the weird, magical run of Houston's comeback push, 'that kind of player' keyed a come-from-behind victory in ways that Harden would not have. That in itself locks Game 6 into amber. Harden will play big minutes as the Rockets' season is decided, and with that comes greater offensive faculty and some interesting defensive challenges.

In terms of projecting the success of that instance forward, it's also worth considering how the Clippers' exhaustion came to influence their execution. The Rockets were consistently where they needed to be in coverage—taking away passing angles, smothering Blake Griffin post-ups, and completely sealing the glass to deny L.A. any added opportunity. They were able to do so, in part, because the Clippers had exhausted all offensive punch and appeared exhausted at the start of the comeback. 

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The evidence on the court is malleable to all kinds of theories (Had the attrition of heavy playoff minutes caught up the Clippers? Did a sizable lead push the Clippers to check out entirely?), many of which are specific to the conditions of Game 6 in ways that wouldn't automatically translate to Game 7. There is no question that L.A. lost itself in the moment. Every offensive sequence down the stretch was ragged and out of character. Yet for as soul-crushing a loss as that turned out to be for the Clippers, Sunday is a new day fit for its own complexion independent of what came before it. We've seen the Clippers hit terrifying levels at their best moments in these playoffs and the Rockets survive incredible runs when they commit to a lively defense and transition game. With any luck we'll see both in fine form for Game 7 as a Western Conference finals berth rests in the balance.

GALLERY: Photos from the greatest Game 7s in NBA history

Greatest Game 7s in NBA History

2016 NBA Finals

John W. McDonough

In a testy series of blowouts — and a few blowups — the winner-take-all Game 7 provided the thrilling finale with LeBron James as the finals MVP disarming two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry and his record-setting Warriors. Playing his sixth straight finals, James almost single-handedly carried Cleveland back into this series and finished with 27 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds as the Cavs defeated the Warriors 93-89 to capture their first championship in franchise history and gave their city its first major sports winner since the Browns won the NFL title in 1964. He also had three blocked shots and two steals, overcoming five turnovers.

2016 Western Conference Finals

Ben Margot/AP

The Warriors, who fell behind 35-22 in Game 7 against the Thunder, became the 10th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit and win a postseason series after beating Oklahoma City 96-88. League MVP Stephen Curry scored 36 points with seven 3-pointers to finish with an NBA-record 32 in a seven-game series, and also had eight assists.

2015 Western Conference First Round

John W. McDonough

Clippers point guard Chris Paul delivered a driving bank shot over 6' 11" Tim Duncan to KO the defending champion Spurs 111-109 in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series. The teams traded the lead 31 time, and neither held an advantage of more than three points over the final 5:26. Paul, who strained his left hamstring in the first quarter and missed more than seven minutes to receive treatment, hobbled to a team-high 27 points—the last two on this improbable heave off his injured leg with one second left.

2013 NBA Finals

John W. McDonough

LeBron James scored 37 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and simply controlled everything down the stretch to win his second consecutive NBA title and second Finals MVP award. James made five three-pointers, defended Tony Parker when he had to, and did everything else that could be expected from the best player in the game in the Heat's 95-88 victory over the Spurs.

2010 NBA Finals

Peter Read Miller

Injuries, fatigue and a poor night of shooting didn't stop Kobe Bryant from acquiring a second consecutive NBA championship and his fifth overall. Despite his unsightly 6-for-24 shooting, Bryant (23 points, 15 rebounds) led the Lakers to a gritty 83-79 Game 7 win over their storied rivals. The basketball certainly wasn't the best from either team -- the Lakers' shot 32.5 percent from the field and missed 12 free throws, while the Celtics committed 15 turnovers and were outrebounded, 53-40 -- but L.A. rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit for the title win. The Celtics entered the series having never lost a Game 7 in the Finals but left as just the seventh team in history to blow a 3-2 Finals lead after winning Game 5.

2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals

John Biever

Paul Pierce (41 points) and LeBron James (45) went back and forth in a duel reminiscent of Larry Bird vs. Dominique Wilkins in Game 7 of the conference semifinals 20 years earlier. Pierce's Celtics prevailed 97-92 to wrap up a series in which the home team won every game. The Celtics went on to win the championship, while the loss spurred Cleveland to give LeBron more offensive help by acquiring Mo Williams in the offseason.

2002 Western Conference Finals

John W. McDonough

The Lakers joined the 1976 Suns (at Golden State) as the only road teams to win a Game 7 in the West finals. Kobe Bryant finished with 30 points in 52 minutes. The Kings missed 14 of 30 free throws and came up small in crunch time with the exception of Mike Bibby, who scored 14 of their last 18 points.

2000 Western Conference Finals

John W. McDonough

Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant led the Lakers back from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit to topple the Blazers 89-84 in Los Angeles en route to their first NBA crown under coach Phil Jackson. "We realize we sort of made cowards of ourselves in the fourth quarter," Portland's Scottie Pippen said after the game.

1998 Eastern Conference Finals

Manny Millan

Trailing in the fourth quarter of their first Game 7 in six years, the Bulls overcame Indiana 88-83 behind Michael Jordan's 28 points. The Bulls went on to beat the Jazz in the NBA Finals to complete their second three-peat.

1995 Western Conference Semifinals

AP

Guard Mario Elie nailed a go-ahead three-pointer from the corner with 7.1 seconds left as the Rockets won 115-114 at Phoenix, completing their comeback from a 3-1 series deficit en route to claiming a second straight NBA title. Kevin Johnson scored 46 points for the Suns.

1990 Western Conference Semifinals

Manny Millan

While Blazers center Kevin Duckworth provided an emotional lift by playing for the first time in the series after missing the previous six games with a broken hand, it was Clyde Drexler's five free throws in the final 26.2 seconds of overtime that clinched Portland's 108-105 win. The Spurs had the ball with the game tied 103-103 and about 30 seconds left, but Rod Strickland threw a no-look pass to no one in particular, and then he committed a breakaway foul on Drexler that led to two free throws and possession for Portland.

1988 NBA Finals

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Facing an upstart Detroit team in their third Game 7 of the playoffs, the Lakers defended their NBA championship with a 108-105 victory in Los Angeles. Finals MVP James Worthy led the way with 36 points and 16 rebounds, while the Pistons were weakened by Isiah Thomas' lingering ankle injury.

1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals

John W. McDonough

Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta's Human Highlight Film, exploded for 47 points in a stirring showdown with Larry Bird. But Bird saved his best for last, scoring 20 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics escape 118-116.

1987 Eastern Conference Semifinals

Manny Millan

The defending champion Celtics took a 3-1 series lead over Milwaukee before coach Don Nelson's Bucks stormed back to knot the series. The Bucks even led for most of Game 7, but their late cold spell, combined with Larry Bird's 13 fourth-quarter points, gave the Celtics a 119-113 victory.

1986 Eastern Conference Semifinals

John Iacono

Milwaukee gained a measure of revenge after losing to Philadelphia in the playoffs in four of the previous five seasons. This time the Sidney Moncrief- and Terry Cummings-led Bucks survived 113-112 after Julius Erving missed an open 15-footer with two seconds left.

1984 NBA Finals

Dick Raphael/NBAE/Getty Images

In the first Finals duel between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird (pictured earlier in the series), the Celtics survived the Lakers' late comeback to win the decisive game 111-102. Cedric Maxwell scored 24 points for Boston and Finals MVP Bird added 20 points and 12 rebounds.

1981 Eastern Conference Finals

Paul Kennedy

A tight series between two 62-win teams fittingly went down to the wire. Larry Bird hit a go-ahead bank shot in the final minute as the Celtics rallied from a six-point deficit in the final 4:30 to beat Philadelphia 91-90.

1970 NBA Finals

Ron Koch/NBAE/Getty Images

After hobbling off the court early in Game 5 with a torn thigh muscle, Willis Reed made a surprising and triumphant return moments before tip-off for the deciding game. Buoyed by his presence — and his scoring the first two baskets of the game — the Knicks won the title 113-99 behind Walt Frazier's 36 points and 19 assists.

1969 NBA Finals

James Drake

The Celtics nearly squandered a 17-point fourth-quarter lead but, thanks in part to Don Nelson's famous last-minute shot near the free-throw line, held on to win 108-106. Bill Russell, the NBA's greatest winner, retired as a player after collecting his 11th title.

1965 Eastern Division Finals

Walter Iooss Jr

After Red Auerbach had lit his traditional victory cigar with his Celtics leading 110-103, the 76ers closed the gap to 110-109 and had possession with seconds left. But as Hal Greer tried to inbound to Chet Walker, Boston's John Havlicek stole the pass, leading longtime Celtics play-by-play man Johnny Most to famously cry, "Havlicek stole the ball! Havlicek stole the ball!"

1962 NBA Finals

Walter Iooss Jr

In the midst of winning eight consecutive championships, the Celtics escaped 110-107 in overtime. The Lakers had an opportunity to win it in regulation, but Frank Selvy missed a mid-range shot in the closing seconds.

1957 NBA Finals

Richard Meek

A rookie center named Bill Russell finished with 19 points and 32 rebounds, and fellow rookie Tom Heinsohn had 37 points and 23 rebounds as the Celtics overcame a combined 5-for-40 shooting performance from Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman to prevail 125-123 in double overtime. It was Boston's first NBA championship.