Click here for the updated Playoff Standings as of Friday morning
The 2013 NBA Playoff Standings were once again surprising as neither the Oklahoma City Thunder nor the New York Knicks were able to lock up their Game 5's and first round series. The Houston Rockets and the Boston Celtics stole the show and now the playoffs are much more exciting. As for the Indiana Pacers, they defeated the Atlanta Hawks to take a 3-2 lead in their series. Here are the results and stats from these three Game 5's.
The Knicks started out hot. They scored 11 unanswered points and Carmelo Anthony was unstoppable early on. However, the Celtics didn't give up. Instead of this series ending in Madison Square Garden, the series shifts back to the TD Garden in Boston. Jason Terry is invoking the great Kevin Millar, first baseman of the 2004 Boston Red Sox team that came back from an 0-3 deficit in the ALCS against the New York Yankees. Now the Celtics are seeing red and will look to close this series out in the next two games.
This is New York versus Boston once again and the giants in this match are slipping. The Knicks finished this game shooting under 40 percent from the floor and it seemed like they didn't want to win Game 5. They settled for outside shots despite seeing that these jumpers weren't falling. The Celtics didn't play better, but they made shots when they had to and have now pushed the series back to their court.
The final score in this game was 92-86 Boston and it made the series 3-2 Knicks lead.
Over in the other Eastern Conference matchup, the Hawks have their back against the wall once again after defeating them 106-83 in a massive blowout. The Pacers once again looked like the dominant team and the score reflects the shooting percentages by both teams. The Pacers shot 50 percent from the floor while the Hawks were at 33 percent.
George Hill and Paul George finished with double-doubles, Tyler Hansborough and D.J. Augustin combined for 26 points off the bench and David West finished with the game-high 24 points finally letting the Hawks feel his presence. This series is now 3-2 in favor of the Pacers with the next game in Atlanta where they have had trouble winning in these playoffs.
The Thunder are now looking extremely weak as they allowed the Rockets to once again trample them. They were leading consistently throughout this game. The Thunder were desperate and they thought hacking- Omer Asik was going to get them closer. It did not work as Asik knocked down 13-18 from the free throw line.
The Rockets' starting five all finished in double figures and Francisco Garcia went 5-12 from three while James Harden was on absolute fire going 7-9 from beyond the arc to score 31 points in the game.
The Thunder still lead the series 3-2, but the Rockets are rolling and they are confident. OKC simply looks naked without Russell Westbrook.
Here are the current standings of teams still in contention:
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
OKC Thunder 3-2 Series Lead vs. Houston Rockets
Golden State Warriors 3-2 Series Lead vs. Denver Nuggets
Memphis Grizzlies 3-2 Series Lead vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Spurs Advanced to Second Round 4-0 over L.A. Lakers
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
N.Y. Knicks 3-2 Series Lead vs. Boston Celtics
Indiana Pacers 3-2 Series Lead vs. Atlanta Hawks
Chicago Bulls 3-2 Series Lead vs. Brooklyn Nets
Miami Heat are in the 2nd Round after defeating Milwaukee Bucks 4-0