Game 7 between the Spurs and the Clippers last night was so many things:
It was an injustice. I joked about it on Facebook but an event of this magnitude - a Game 7 between arguably 2 of the NBA's 3 best teams - deserved it own spotlight. The fact that it took place merely as an opening act to the most anticipated boxing match ever downplayed its significance.
(it was also just generally unfair that these two teams had to face each other in the first round but I digress)
It was brutally competitive. A back-and-forth exchange of haymakers between two giants who refused to go down. To hell with Mayweather/Pacquiao, this was a fight.
It was an arrival. This might have been the biggest win in Clippers' franchise history, which isn't saying much seeing as it's the first round and all. There's an ongoing narrative about how Chris Paul's never been to the Conference Finals, but little to no discussion of how the Clippers franchise hasn't either. Not in their days in L.A., San Diego, or as the Buffalo Braves. Not once. Bagging the defending champs was a breakthrough for this team.
It was whatever the exact opposite of an anticlimax is. Last year's first round was an incredible onslaught of awesome, filled with overtimes, Game 7s, and stuff like this.This year's was a bland abyss of short series and blowouts, ironically punctuated by an unforgettable battle.
It was a fitting conclusion to this series. These teams traded leads and advantages like they were
Pokemon Cards, going back and forth with pendulum-like consistency. Game 7 epitomized that.
It was a shock. The Spurs looked so fucking good after the All-Star break. As they do every year, they timed their peak perfectly and forced everyone to remember "OK, this is the Spurs, of course they're still for real". And just like that, they're gone.
It was an absolutely heroic display by Chris Paul. Playing through obvious pain for most of the game, he dominated on one leg and turned in a signature career performance, along with an iconic game-winner.
It was a valiant effort in defeat by Tim Duncan. Playing on one leg for the entire series, Duncan was surgical down the stretch of Game 7, partying like it was 1999. At 39 years old, he's barely lost a step. It may well have been his last NBA game, but let's all hope not.
It was a confounding display from Kawhi Leonard, who went 5-13 on the heels of 3-15 from the floor in Game 6. With Tony Parker not himself, it was that much more crucial for Kawhi to be a force offensively, and after starting the series on fire, he burned out down the stretch.
It was an emotional paint-shaker for any fan of these teams or the game of basketball. There were plenty of these moments:
And for once Steve Ballmer wasn't alone in his excitement hyperbole. Because Clippers-Spurs Game 7 was one of the best basketball games ever played.
