We begin in Chicago, where Benny the Bull was forced to start at point guard and the inflatable version of Benny the Bull had to start at small forward. Not really, but Kirk Hinrich and Derrick Rose are both still out and Luol Deng was too sick to play. Nate Robinson also struggled with flu-like symptoms, but soldiered on to play, regardless.
The game was marred by a lot of sloppiness. Chicago had a handful of notably bad unforced errors and the Nets had this dreadful airballed layup from a wide-open Gerald Wallace.
Despite the errors and Nate Robinson's heroics, Chicago couldn't finish strong enough and Brooklyn escaped, bringing the series to a 3-3 tie. Maybe now's not the best time to jump off the bench, Derrick Rose.
Also, Nate Robinson was pukin'. Sorry.
In the other game, the Warriors and their fans brought the noise for a possible closeout game. Denver came on strong early and even got a Kosta Koufos three-pointer -- the first of his career.
But Stephen Curry started cooking in the third quarter, leading the Warriors to a big lead and leading the arena to a roaring climax.
MC Hammer couldn't have been happier.
Denver's defense tightened up in the fourth and the Warriors' offense found itself gasping for air as the Nuggets closed the deficit to a manageable gap with an impressive run. Golden State head coach Mark Jackson was forced to burn ten timeouts in the quarter as his team let Denver back into the game.
Amid a confusing array of calls (including a particularly bad blocking violation called on JaVale McGee) and a bunch of turnovers, Denver trailed by only two points with about 15 seconds remaining.
Wilson Chandler drove and missed a floater and the ensuing loose ball was ruled out of bounds. Many weren't so sure about that call; you can judge for yourself below.
After a review, the call stood and the Warriors escaped with a four-point victory, defeating Denver in the series 4-2. As a viewer with no strong ties to any of these teams, I had hoped we'd get a Game 7 for Nuggets-Warriors, but at least one series from tonight will have a dramatic do-or-die game for both teams.
More from SB Nation:
• Celtics survive, push Knicks' swagger into grave
• Of course Jordan Crawford said something horrible
• The NBA's best GIFs from Wednesday
• Longform: The secret world of NBA daps