It's Time To Worry Southern California!

The Clippers & Lakers haven't
had the best of weeks.

It's Time To Worry Southern California!  The Lakers and Clippers are quickly losing momentum in their playoff series against the Nuggets and Grizzlies respectively.

For the Lakers, they have lost two consecutive games in their opening round series with the Nuggets, and now face the pivotal Game 7 tomorrow night at Staples Center.  Kobe Bryant seems to be the only one who has contributed for the team.  Even with his "Flu Game" last night, he has averaged 37 points in the past two games.  Both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum have come up small in the two losses.  A star like Gasol should not be averaging the 6 points he has over the past two playoff games.  Bynum has double-doubles in the past two games, but has not been a defensive force.  Both Gasol and Bynum have playoff experience and need to step up for the Lakers to win Game 7 and avoid another playoff collapse (Remember 2006?).  Denver is a very hot team that carries the momentum heading into tomorrow's Game 7.  They have the fight to steal the series from the Lakers after victories in back-to-back elimination games and last night's 113-96 victory in Denver.  They are trying to become the 9th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit to win the series.

For the Clippers, they are banged up heading into tonight's Game 6 against the Grizzlies.  Blake Griffin and Chris Paul both got hurt in Wednesday's Game 5, and Caron Butler is playing with a broken left hand.  Although they are all expected to play, their health and productivity is uncertain.  Memphis is always a tough team to prepare for because they have so much depth on their roster and weapons at every position.  They offer a similar fight to Denver because they play each game with high energy and intensity.  Throughout the series, the Clippers have faced the same problems that both the Spurs and Thunder struggled with in last year's playoffs against the Grizzlies, and tonight's Game 6 should be no different.

For the Clippers' Game 6 tonight and the Lakers' Game 7 tomorrow, both teams will have their home crowd behind them at Staples Center.  The Clippers are undefeated at home this postseason and the Lakers welcome back Metta World Peace from his 7-game suspension.  If they do not take care of business, the Lakers and Clippers could become the ninth and tenth teams in NBA History to blow 3-1 series deficits.

Kobe Has No Support in "Flu Game"; Celtics & 76ers Advance

Kobe put up 31 points in his
"Flu Game", but his Lakers fell
113-96 in Denver.

The NBA Playoffs are in full swing and tonight's lineup featured three decisive and entertaining Game 6's.  Three teams vied to close out their opening round series and advance to the Conference Semifinals, but only two were successful.  The night began in Philadelphia, as the 8th seeded 76ers were in position to knock off the top-seeded Bulls at home. It was a battle throughout and the beaten-up Chicago Bulls gave it their all to extend the series and force a Game 7 in Chicago on Saturday.  The teams traded baskets down the stretch, but Andre Iguodala converted on two late free throws to cap off a 20 point night and Philadelphia's 79-78 victory.  The 76ers won their first playoff series since 2003 and become only the fifth eighth seed in NBA History to eliminate the top seed of a conference.

The night's second match-up featured the Boston Celtics against the Atlanta Hawks at the TD Garden.  Like the 76ers, the Celtics were at home, trying to close out their series and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.  Three Boston starters stepped up in the series finale.  Kevin Durant led the way with 28 points and 14 points, Paul Pierce added 18 points and 7 assists, and Rajon Rondo added 14 points and 8 assists.  Even with a solid performance from the Celtics tonight, Al Horford helped upstart his team.  He scored 11 of his 15 points in the final quarter as the Hawks went on a late 14-4 run in the fourth.  Atlanta held a 79-78 lead with two minutes to go, but it would not stand.  Boston's Big 3 scored five of the game's final six points as they eliminated Atlanta and advanced to their fifth consecutive Eastern Conference Semifinals.  This will be the 20th playoff match-up between the Celtics and 76ers.

The most intriguing game of the night was in Denver between the Nuggets and Lakers.  The Nuggets were coming off an impressive victory in Game 5 and had the momentum heading into tonight's Game 6.  They faced their second consecutive elimination game, but tonight was in front of a home crowd at the Pepsi Center.  Denver fed off the home crowd and used the momentum of Tuesday's victory in Los Angeles to dominate the Lakers from the get-go.  They began the game on a 13-0 run and built up a 28 point 4th quarter lead, before finishing off the Lakers 113-96 in Denver.  Ty Lawson's season-high 32 points help set the tone early for Denver as they forced the decisive Game 7 in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

The Lakers were in the worst shape as they game began because they failed to close out the series at home on Tuesday and Kobe Bryant was a game-time decision due to a pregame illness.  He played and finished with 31 points, a performance that resembled Michael Jordan's effort in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals (also known as the"The Flu Game").  Besides his effort, the Lakers had no answer for the feisty Nuggets and dropped their second consecutive game in the series.  Game 7 is a must-see game as the Nuggets try to become the ninth team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit and win the series.