The 2014 NBA playoffs ushered in the conference semifinals Monday night in ways that were unfamiliar to the viewing masses.
After a legendary overtime, seven-game and buzzer-beater-filled opening round, the two ensuing postseason matchups ended in total blowout fashion.
The No. 1 seed Indiana Pacers fell hard to the Washington Wizards, while the Los Angeles Clippers absolutely crushed the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road.
Let’s recap the lopsided action.
Washington 102, Indiana 96
NBA teams that go seven minutes between buckets and lead for just 15 seconds generally don’t come out on top—playoffs or otherwise.
The Wizards took Game 1 of this Eastern Conference semifinals, winning 102-96 over the offensively challenged Pacers on Monday night.
And they did so by the 3:04 mark in the first quarter.
Washington opened up an early 8-0 lead over Indiana after the game’s first few possessions. Hindsight would later prove that a particular three-part sequence within the eight-point run would echo throughout this second-round matchup.
The 6’11’’ Nene blocked David West’s mid-range jumper, rebounded the miss and quickly fed the ball to point guard John Wall in transition. Wall then dished it out to Trevor Ariza on the wing, where the smooth-shooting small forward nailed a 26-footer from downtown.
Comparable sequences for the Wizards (takeaway, rebound, hit from distance) led to a 13-point cushion over the top-seeded Pacers after the first quarter.
The Association’s best home team during the regular season indeed found itself in an early hole, and one that would endure for most of the night.
To wit, even after orchestrating an impressive 16-2 run to start the second, Indiana’s advantage on the scoreboard ended before it ever really began.
The rare 31-30 phenomenon following two free throws by Evan Turner soon disappeared behind a Nene layup just 15 seconds later. Washington then extended its lead to 13 points at halftime, as both Ariza and Bradley Beal torched the home squad from long range.
Indiana trimmed the deficit to seven points after three quarters and came within the same amount midway through the fourth. But after Paul George made it 82-75 with a layup at the 7:41 mark, the Pacers didn’t connect from the field for the next seven minutes.
And when they did, a trio of three-pointers over the final 30-plus seconds from George Hill went for naught. Nene, Beal and Wall sealed the “upset” by making all eight of their free throws down the stretch.
The ostensibly close final margin was merely a cosmetic upgrade on a game that really felt like a 20-point win by the underdogs.
Beal was tops among all scorers with 25 PTS and added 7 REB, 7 AST and 5 STL. Ariza was perfect from distance (6-of-6) en route to his 22 PTS, while Gortat and backup Drew Gooden contributed double-doubles for Washington. Wall finished with 13 PTS, 5 REB, 9 AST, 1 STL and 2 BLK.
Both Hill and George led the Pacers with 18 PTS. West recorded a 15-PTS, 12-REB double-double, while Lance Stephenson and Luis Scola registered 12 PTS for Indiana. Embattled center Roy Hibbert struggled mightily, filling the box score with zero points, zero rebounds, five fouls and a negative-17 in just 18 minutes of play.
These Eastern foes square off again for Game 2 on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM ET.
Los Angeles 122, Oklahoma City 105
Nowhere has a final tally more effectively misled an NBA audience than Game 1 of this 2014 Western Conference semifinals.
The Clippers demolished the Thunder on their home court, winning 122-105 at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Monday night.
LA led by as many as 27 points both late in the third and midway through the fourth quarter.
The league’s preeminent floor general Chris Paul absurdly hit his first eight three-pointers, finishing with a game-high 32 PTS and 10 AST. The Clippers as a whole shot an equally ridiculous 54.9 percent from the floor and 51.7 percent from downtown.
Oklahoma City, on the contrary, enjoyed a lead for less than two minutes in the opening frame.
The Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka and Russell Westbrook made three straight, which generated a 16-10 advantage and temporarily lit up the OKC faithful.
But after Ibaka tied it at 18-apiece late in the first, the Thunder trailed for the remainder of the game—and lost by 17.
Their unsightly 18 turnovers gave way to 23 game-breaking points by the visiting squad.
The presumed worn-out underdogs from Southern California led by 14 after one, 17 at half and 26 entering the fourth. Despite finishing a grueling seven-game series less than 48 hours prior to tip off, Doc Rivers’ bunch dominated in every meaningful facet of the game.
Scott Brooks’ contingent—while notching a plus-16 in rebounds and plus-three in fast-break points—lost every other statistical battle across the board.
Durant received the necessary touches, totaling 25 PTS, 4 REB and 4 AST on 9-of-19 shooting from the field. Westbrook actually took five fewer shots, but notched 29 PTS with help from a 9-of-10 mark from the charity stripe.
Ibaka was the only other Thunder player who scored in double figures (12 PTS).
Blake Griffin, meanwhile, added 23 PTS, 5 REB and 5 AST to Paul’s aforementioned totals. J.J. Redick and Matt Barnes combined for 22 PTS, while Jamal Crawford lived up to his Sixth Man of the Year honors with an efficient 17 PTS in 19 minutes off the bench.
Game 2 of this conference semifinals matchup is set for Wednesday night at 9:30 PM ET.
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