Monday Morning Point Guard
4/27/09
Starting tonight, there will be a number of teams facing elimination from the NBA Playoffs. While this has been one of the most exciting first rounds in a while, quite a few teams are currently down 3-1 in their series, and face quite a hole to climb out of if they want to get back in this series. The odds may be against them, but the pressure is actually on the team with the series lead.
If you are a fan of the Spurs, Blazers, or Jazz, your team is down, but not out. For the Spurs and Blazers, they have two of the next three games in their arena, so they have to take it one game at a time. If they win at home in game 5, then the pressure of closing out will squarely be on their opponents on game 6. No team wants to blow two chances to win a series in a row, and face a deciding game 7. In the NBA Playoffs, funny things have a way of happening like that.
Detroit Pistons come back from down 3-1 to beat the Orlando Magic in 2003.
I still remember a young Tracy McGrady overconfident that the Magic were already looking ahead to the second round after they won game 4. Detroit would go ahead to win game 5 on their home court, go to Orlando and win a tough game 6, and that win mentally took out the Magic. By the time they boarded their plane to head back to Detroit, you could tell in their body language they were a beaten team. The Pistons went on to win game 7, and the rest is history.
Phoenix Suns come back from down 3-1 to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in 2006.
The same postseason that saw the rise of Dwyane Wade into superstar status as the Heat won the NBA Title, gave us one of the most exciting first round series in NBA History. The Suns, who were riding high off of regular season MVP Steve Nash’s amazing season, were playing the Lakers, and the man who should have won MVP that year, Kobe Bryant. One of the highlights of this series was when this happened:
When Kobe hit that shot, everyone thought the Lakers had this series won. Of course, like the above scenerios, Phoenix had to win three in a row, but two of those three would be at home. They won game 5, went back to Staples Center and won a very tough game 6, and when game 7 began you just knew Phoenix was going to somehow close it out.
Can the Spurs, Jazz, or Blazers add to these historic comebacks? Its not probable, but anythings possible.
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