This is what the Rockets look like when they're at their best:Much of this game felt like a Madden NFL 18 Coins continuation of the fourth quarter from Game 6, where Los Angeles blew a 13-point lead heading into the final period without Harden on the floor. Chris Paul finished with 26 points and 10 assists, but it will be little consolation as he has still never been to the conference finals.Blake Griffin had 27 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, but looked gassed from carrying the Clippers throughout much of the playoffs.Here are three things we learned in a one-sided Gam
Houston's midseason pick-ups have been hugeJosh Smith put the finishing touches on a great series with another big effort in Game 7. Smith finished with 15 points by hitting 6-of-10 shots from the floor, including two of his four attempts from three-point range. His success isn't the only reason GM Daryl Morey should be feeling vindicated.Pablo Prigioni played a steady two-way game, finishing with four points, four assists and three steals. Corey Brewer was solid off the bench, too, adding nine points and three assists.
All three were midseason pick-ups for Morey this year. It's safe to say Houston wouldn't be on to the conference finals without them.2. A healthy Dwight Howard should scare Golden StateHoward played only 41 games during the regular season and his prime feels like it was a decade ago. It's easy to forget that he's still one of the best centers in the NBA, but that's exactly how he played in this series.Howardcapped a solid all-around series with a brutally efficient effort in
Game 7. For the series, he averaged over 17 points and 13 rebounds per game on more than Buy MUT 18 Coins 60 percent shooting. His mix of size, athleticism and physicality could be an issue for Golden State in the next round if he continues to look as spry as he did against the Clippers.3. The Clippers won't get over this series anytime soonThis has to be a horrible feeling for the Clippers. After surviving an all-time great series against the defending champion
Serial complainer. Got himself traded away from the Celtics before his aging star players could bail. That's the opposite of a captain going down with the ship. That's like Billy Zane in Titanic stuff.HAKEEM OLAJUWON: Not officially with the team, but as an icon he's relevant here. So hey, what the hell, Dream? When is one of your summer students actually going to be able to play in the post? Hakeem's School For Buy NBA 2K18 MT Unskilled Big Men has 2.4 stars on
Yelp. Even that's inflated because Dwight gave it five stars thanks to the giant punch bowl of Skittles in the lobby.AUSTIN RIVERS: Duke. Nepotism. Goatee. The trifecta of sports hate.There are also many things to enjoy about this Game 7, such as excellent basketball players playing basketball excellently with very high stakes. Let's all try to find joy in the experience, and share our positive feelings about the players, teams and each other on the Internet!Or, just hate away.SB Nation presents: As the NBA playoffs intensify, so do the fights In this Storystream NBA playoffs schedule and results: Rockets stave off Clippers, advance to face Warriors
The Houston Rockets are going to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1997. The Rockets took care of business on their home floor on Sunday afternoon, knocking off the Los Angeles Clippers, 113-100, in Game 7 to set up a meeting with the top-seeded Golden State Warriors.The Rockets dominated the game from early on and never trailed. It was a full team effort for
Houston, with four starters scoring in double figures and the bench giving Kevin McHale's team quality minutes against a thin and fatigued Clippers squad.James Harden turned in a vintage performance after being benched during Houston's huge fourth-quarter comeback in Game 6. Harden went Buy NBA Live Mobile Coins 7-of-20 from the floor to finish with 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Houston's other star, Dwight Howard, was also excellent. Howard made six of his eight attempts from the field and chipped in 16 points and 15 rebounds in the victory.Trevor Ariza was also great, hitting six three-pointers and playing solid defense to finish with 22 points on the afternoon.