The Clippers' playoff obituary was already being written. A heartbreaking Game 2 defeat led to a horrible Game 3 performance and serious doubts that they could rally against a battle-tested Spurs team.
But Chris Paul had other ideas. L.A.'s all-world point guard delivered a spectacular 34-point, seven-assist performance to lead the Clippers to a 114-105 victory that ties this riveting series at two games apiece.
The Clippers started quickly, held off a Spurs run with an unlikely Austin Rivers flurry, and pushed to a halftime lead led by Paul and J.J. Redick. Blake Griffin then came alive in the third quarter to help the Clippers maintain their advantage in the early stages. A fourth foul on Matt Barnes briefly derailed momentum, but Paul and Rivers responded with tough shots to keep the Clippers' lead at five entering the fourth quarter.
The much-maligned Clippers bench took over to start the fourth. Jamal Crawford and Rivers dominated the early stretches of the fourth quarter, allowing L.A. to build its lead to 13 with 9:30 left. The Spurs quickly responded with eight straight points to get right back into the game, but a series of missed free throws short-circuited the rally.
That was enough for Paul to take over. The Clippers' star built the lead back to 14 with two buckets of his own and an assist on a Redick three, and the Spurs got no closer than eight the rest of the way.
3 things we learned
1. The Clippers' stars showed up
As good as Kawhi Leonard has been, this game was a reminder that the Clippers have the two best players in the series. Paul and Griffin carried the Clippers to victory, exploiting every loophole to create small advantages and then picking apart those openings. Both players constantly forced switches and then punished mismatches either on the perimeter or in the post.
Paul in particular played one of the best games of his career. Whenever the Clippers needed a hoop, Paul delivered by pushing at defenders and draining pull-up jumpers. This counts as a pull-up jumper of some kind.
Their performance was everything we love and hate about those two stars. The aesthetics weren't always there, but the results and the doggedness have to be respected, even by Spurs fans.
2. The Clippers played great defense
The Clippers were shredded in Games 2 and 3, so they appeared to make a couple small defensive adjustments. They looked to have changed their pick and roll coverages slightly, going to a hedge tactic where the big man trapped but the guard slipped underneath the screen. That's a slight difference from the all-out blitzing they did in the first three games.
The Clippers still had to make tough rotations often, and the Spurs would have been more efficient had they made a couple more open shots and free throws. But those rotations weren't quite as difficult as they were in the first three games, which made enough of a difference.
3. The Clippers don't win without Austin Rivers
I cannot believe I just typed that sentence, but it's true. When the Clippers needed their bench to give them a spark in the second quarter, Rivers responded with three field goals while isolated against Patty Mills. When the Clippers needed their bench to maintain a tight five-point advantage coming into the fourth quarter, Rivers, along with Crawford, pushed the lead to 13. Without his 16 points, the Clippers don't win this game.
It's true that Rivers was succeeding in ways he's often failed in the past. He overdribbled, took difficult floaters and shot off the dribble rather than in spot-up situations. But he was making the shots, and added strong defense to boot. He may be a disappointment as a player, but if the Clippers win this first-round series, they could argue that acquiring him just so he could help them win this game was worth it.