Hawks And Warriors Progress In NBA Playoffs

There are no NBA Playoff games taking place today, Saturday the 16^th of May, so if you were gearing up for a great deal of top class basketball action, you are likely to be slightly disappointed. To be fair, there has been a lot of top class basketball action of late, and when you think that there have only been 8 teams playing for the last week or so, there is definitely a need to have an off-day to allow players to rest up and to let the rest of us take stock. This may be a blank day for NBA Betting fans but you won’t have to wait too long until the action gets underway again.

On Sunday, the Clippers travel to Houston to take on the Rockets in Game 7 of that series. This means that this is a winner takes all game, which is exactly the sort of excitement that plenty of people crave. Never mind the previous 6 games in the series, or what has unfolded over the course of the regular season; it all comes down to the game in Houston. The winners make their way through to the Conference Final and the losers make their way through to their post-season.

The Wizards fell short at home, allowing the Hawks to grab a 91-94 win and a place in the Conference final. In the other game, the Warriors were pretty comfortable in Memphis, taking the Grizzlies apart by a score of 95-108.

Stephen Curry once again showed his skills that pay the bills

The Warriors have been in excellent form all season and they managed to book their passage through to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 1976. They have a few days off to relax and prepare but it is likely that their fans will still be buzzing regarding the 62 foot shot that Stephen Curry delivered to beat the buzzer on Friday night. Curry grabbed 32 points over the course of the evening but when you want a moment that defines the 2014/15 MVP, this may be everything you are looking for! The 95-108 win in Memphis ensures that the Golden State Warriors won the series by a score line of 4-2 and that there is no need for a Game 7 showdown in the series.

While the buzzer beating moment counted for nothing but great excitement in the Warriors and Grizzlies game, there was a massive moment at the end of the Hawks and Wizards game. Trailing by three points, the Wizards needed something special at the death and Paul Pierce let fly with a three point shot to try and force the game into overtime.

Late drama in Washington DC

The shot was good, the score was tied and Paul Pierce celebrated as both teams looked to prepare for overtime. However, on review of the play, it transpires that the clock had just expired before Pierce got his shot away, which meant that the Hawks had held on. Kyle Korver was the closest Hawks player to Pierce when the shot was made and he went through a run of emotions. He later said;

It went in and it’s just like, `You’ve got to be kidding me. That did NOT just happen. I thought he got it off. I was getting ready for overtime. And then … you’re like, ‘Heeeeyyyy! All right! We’ll take it!’

Given the way the night panned out, you can forgive Kyle for being all over the place with his summation of the final seconds of the game, but he will no doubt be composed by midweek when the Conference finals take place.

On Tuesday the 19^th of May, the Golden State Warriors will be away from home at either the Houston Rockets or the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of the series. On Wednesday the 20^th of May, the Atlanta Hawks will be in Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers in the first game of their series.