{"id":7383,"date":"2025-05-03T16:43:28","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T16:43:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/7383\/"},"modified":"2025-05-03T16:43:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T16:43:28","slug":"starting-5-may-3-rockets-force-game-7-clippers-nuggets-finale-popovich-bids-farewell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/7383\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting 5, May 3: Rockets force Game 7, Clippers-Nuggets finale, Popovich bids farewell"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Before we dive into the Rockets forcing Game 7 in the Bay, and get you ready for tonight\u2019s Clippers-Nuggets Game 7 in Denver, we pause to salute a legend.<\/p>\n

Gregg Popovich \u2013 the NBA\u2019s all-time leader in coaching wins \u2013 stepped down as head coach of the Spurs on Friday, ending an unmatched 29-year run on the sidelines.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

5 STORIES IN TODAY\u2019S EDITION \ud83c\udfc0
May 3, 2025 | What\u2019s inside today\u2019s edition?<\/p>\n

Closing Time: Houston\u2019s defense shines as Rockets dominate 4th quarter to extend series
Rockets Force Game 7: A red-hot VanVleet and the 2-big lineup fuel Houston\u2019s Game 6 win
Clippers-Nuggets: It all comes down to one game to decide who advances to face OKC
Game 7 History: How Denver & LA have fared in Game 7s ahead of the 152nd ever tonight
End Of An Era: Gregg Popovich ends remarkable coaching career, transitions to new role<\/p>\n

1. ROCKETS DOMINATE 4TH QUARTER TO FORCE GAME 7<\/p>\n

Steph Curry scored the final four points of the 3rd quarter to cut Houston\u2019s lead to two points (86-84) entering the game\u2019s final frame.<\/p>\n

The Rockets tripled that lead in just six seconds on a Fred VanVleet 4-point play to open the 4th. It was just the start<\/a> of a game-sealing \u2013 and potentially series-altering \u2013 final 12 minutes in the Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Houston opened the 4th on a 20-5 run that featured three key factors.<\/p>\n

Jumbo Lineups: Houston went big with Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams for the entire run with either Jabari Smith Jr. or Amen Thompson at the 3 alongside VanVleet and Jalen Green in the backcourt
\nHeavy Dose Of Zone: Anchored by Adams in the middle, the Rockets frustrated the Warriors with a swarming zone defense that kept Golden State out of rhythm
\n\u201cThe boys on the ball are doing a really good job.\u201d \u2013 Adams praised his teammates<\/a> for consistently forcing tough shots
\nMissed Opportunities: As good as Houston\u2019s defense was, the Warriors did generate some good looks at the basket, but were unable to knock them down. The Warriors opened the quarter 1-of-16 from the field and 0-of-10 from deep<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s break down some film of Houston\u2019s defensive efforts in the decisive quarter:<\/p>\n

\"\"
As Jimmy Butler III drives the lane and kicks out to the corner, watch the closeouts by Sengun and the rotations from Adams and Jalen Green to shut off Golden State\u2019s shot opportunities until Butler III takes a contested corner 3.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Green sticks with Steph Curry along the baseline to slow down the play before Curry runs off a stagger screen looking for a pass for a wing 3. Sengun switches on the play perfectly to grab the steal.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A signature Warriors play when Curry is doubled off pick-and-roll. He finds a rolling Draymond Green\u00a0 heading down the lane for a 4-on-3 advantage below the 3-point line. As Draymond tries to dish to the cutting Gary Payton II, Adams plays goalie and comes up with the steal.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Curry screens for Butler III, then pops to the 3-point line. Once Butler III\u2019s drive is stopped, Smith Jr. recovers to Curry, forcing him off the 3 and into a drive. Green and Adams clog the lane, forcing a kick out to Butler III in the corner, which Smith Jr. rotates over to contest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Rockets were a top-five defense during the regular season as they earned the West\u2019s 2-seed. They relied on that defense with their season on the line, helping them become just the 36th team to force Game 7 after trailing 3-1 and one win away from being the 14th to ever pull off the comeback (13-279 all-time).<\/p>\n

2. ROCKETS SHUT DOWN WARRIORS TO EXTEND SERIES<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On the same day Gregg Popovich stepped down as head coach of the Spurs after a historic 29-year run, two of his former players squared off on the sidelines as Steve Kerr\u2019s Warriors hosted Ime Udoka\u2019s Rockets in Game 6 of their first-round series.<\/p>\n

Playing on the road with their season on the line, it was Udoka\u2019s Rockets that prevailed on Friday to force a winner-take-all Game 7 back in Houston on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Rockets 115, Warriors 107: Fred VanVleet (29 pts, 6 3pm) and Alperen Sengun (21 pts, 14 reb) combined for 50 points<\/a>, while Steven Adams added 17 off the bench to help the Rockets stave off elimination. | Recap<\/a> | 5 Takeaways<\/a><\/p>\n

Back & Forth Early: The lead changed hands 10 times in the 1st quarter as neither team led by more than six in the game\u2019s opening 12 minutes
\nTrading Runs: Houston extended its four-point 1st-quarter lead to 11 with 3:49 left in the half before Steph Curry went on a personal 11-0 run<\/a> to tie the game in under 100 seconds
\nRockets Answer: That was the final tie of the game as Houston closed the half on a 7-2 run and would lead the rest of the way. The game stayed within single digits throughout the 3rd quarter before Houston pulled away in the 4th<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A key to Houston\u2019s success all season was its mix of emerging young talents like Sengun (22 years old), Amen Thompson (22), Jalen Green (23) and Jabari Smith Jr. (21) with veterans like VanVleet (a 2019 champion), Adams (in his 8th Playoffs) and Dillon Brooks (in his 4th Playoffs).<\/p>\n

On Friday, it was the vet combo of VanVleet and Adams along with another brilliant all-around game from Sengun that kept Houston\u2019s season going.<\/p>\n

Standing Tall: Adams (17 pts, 5 reb, 3 blk) was plus-15 in a season-high 31 minutes. Golden State\u2019s Hack-a-Shaq strategy to force him off the court backfired as he made 9-of-16 free throws and Houston secured a pair of offensive boards on his misses
\nStaying Hot: After scoring 34 total points on 26.8% shooting (including 6-of-29 from 3) in Games 1-3, VanVleet has scored 80 points (25, 26 & 29) on 59% shooting (including 18-of-27 from 3) in Games 4-6
\n\u201cI am ready and willing when the time comes to step up and make big plays<\/a>.\u201d \u2013 VanVleet after his Game 6 performance
\nDoing It All: Sengun entered Game 6 leading Houston in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Those marks all went up after his performance (21 pts, 14 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl) on Friday<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Warriors dropped consecutive games for only the second time since Jimmy Butler III\u2019s debut in February despite a combined 56 points from Curry (29 pts, 6 3pm, 7 reb) and Butler III (27 pts, 9 reb, 8 ast).<\/p>\n

Missing their chance to close the series at home, it all comes down to Sunday\u2019s Game 7 in Houston (8:30 ET, TNT)
\nCurry is 3-2 in Game 7s, with a 32.6 ppg scoring average that ranks 3rd all-time (min. 5 games). He scored 27 in a win over the Rockets in the 2018 West Finals and dropped 50 on the road in his most recent Game 7 in the 2023 First Round<\/p>\n

3. MILE-HIGH DRAMA: GAME 7 OF CLIPPERS-NUGGETS IN DENVER TONIGHT<\/p>\n

\"\"
There\u2019s nothing quite like Game 7. The stakes, atmosphere and emotions of the Playoffs reach even greater heights.<\/p>\n

A multitude of moments over the first six games suggest we\u2019re in for a thrilling finish to this first-round classic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve just got to go for it, lay everything out on the line,\u201d said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. \u201cThese are what you live for growing up as a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Clippers dodged elimination at home Thursday and sent the first-round series back to Ball Arena for tonight\u2019s finale (7:30 ET, TNT) against the Nuggets. Four of the six battles between these two have been decided by six points or fewer.<\/p>\n

Game 1: James Harden gets the bounce on a layup from just outside the paint to force overtime. Russell Westbrook, though, plays hero by stealing away the final possession in the extra frame..
\nGame 2: Kawhi Leonard punctuates a 39-point outing \u2013 his most all series \u2013 with a midrange jumper that puts the Clippers up three late. He missed just four of 19 shots.
\nGame 4: A desperation 3 in the waning seconds by Nikola Joki\u0107 becomes an airball-turned-assist in the hands of Aaron Gordon. The first-ever game-winning, buzzer-beater dunk in league Playoff history results from it.
\nGame 6: Denver trimmed a 15-point deficit to six, but a late Norman Powell 3-pointer made all the difference. The Clippers stay alive as Leonard and Harden join Powell with 24+ points.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Nuggets have two former Kia NBA MVPs at their disposal for this occasion, and they\u2019re both familiar with the moment.<\/p>\n

Proven Performers: In Game 7\u2019s, Joki\u0107 (MVP in 2024, 2022, 2021) averages 26.0 ppg and 16.6 rpg, while Westbrook (MVP in 2017) pitches in 20.0 ppg and 11.2 apg. They\u2019re a combined 6-3
\nBut on the other side is a second tandem who\u2019s no stranger to do-or-die implications.
\nAt The Stern: Harden scored 15 or fewer points in Games 5 and 6, but improved to 28 on Thursday. The 16th-year guard is 3-3 in Game 7s throughout his career
\nAt The Bow: As a two-time NBA Finals MVP, Leonard has already excelled at the highest level. His Game 7 winner in the 2019 East Semifinals is \u200b\u200bpure basketball lore<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cNow you have the opportunity to go home \u2013 in front of your home fans \u2013 and advance,\u201d said Nuggets coach David Adelman. \u201cYou play all year for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. THE NUGGETS, CLIPPERS & GAME 7 HISTORY<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Tonight marks the first Game 7 of the 2025 Playoffs and the 152nd in NBA history.<\/p>\n

For the Clippers and Nuggets, they\u2019ve both been on this stage before \u2013 including a clash against one another in the 2020 West Semifinals.<\/p>\n

Denver is 4-4 all-time in Game 7s, including a 3-2 mark since 2019 with Nikola Joki\u0107 and Jamal Murray (2-1 since adding Michael Porter Jr. in 2020)
\nLA is 4-5 all-time in Game 7s, including a 1-1 mark since 2020 with Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac
\nThe Nuggets defeated the Clippers in their 2020 Game 7 clash<\/a> behind Murray\u2019s 40 points and Joki\u0107\u2019s triple-double (16 pts, 22 reb, 13 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk) \u2013 a statline never matched in the Playoffs since block & steals have been tracked (1974)
\nThe Clippers faced another Game 7<\/a> a year later, and it was Leonard\u2019s turn to stuff the stat sheet (28 pts, 10 reb, 9 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk) \u2013 a statline only matched in the Playoffs by Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Jimmy Butler III & Michael Jordan<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Throughout all of NBA history, home teams have won 74.2% of all Game 7s (112-39).<\/p>\n

However, recent NBA history has seen at least one road team win a Game 7 in each of the past nine Playoffs (2016-2024)
\nThe most recent team to lose a Game 7 at home? The Nuggets, 350 days ago
\nIn the 2024 West Semis, the Minnesota Timberwolves completed the largest Game 7 comeback<\/a> of the play-by-play era (since 1998) as they rallied from 20 points down in the 2nd half to stun the Nuggets at Ball Arena
\n\u201cWe\u2019re going to look back at that, use it as a lesson learned,\u201d said Adelman. \u201cBut this is now. This is a different team that we\u2019re competing against.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both teams enter tonight\u2019s matchup looking for a bit of Game 7 redemption.<\/p>\n

LA looks to avenge its 2020 loss to Denver by eliminating the Nuggets on their home floor and advancing past the first round for the first time since 2021
\nDenver looks to avoid another gut-wrenching home loss to end its season and win a Playoff series for the third straight year, a streak that began with their 2023 title run<\/p>\n

The winner of tonight\u2019s Game 7 will head to Oklahoma City to face the top-seeded Thunder in the West Semifinals.<\/p>\n

The Nuggets split their season series with the Thunder 2-2, making them one of only five teams to defeat 68-win OKC multiple times this season
\nThe Clippers were swept by the Thunder 4-0 this season and are just 2-9 against OKC since the start of the 2022-23 season<\/p>\n

5. END OF AN ERA: POPOVICH ENDS COACHING CAREER, BECOMES SPURS PRESIDENT<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For the first time in nearly three decades, the San Antonio Spurs have made a coaching change.<\/p>\n

On Friday, Gregg Popovich stepped down as head coach<\/a> of the Spurs, ending a 29-season run<\/a> on the sidelines that is simply unparalleled. | Career Retrospective<\/a> | 10 Things That \u2018Pop\u2019<\/a> | A Career In Photos<\/a><\/p>\n

1,422 regular season wins (NBA record<\/a>)\u00a0
\n170 Playoff wins (3rd all-time)
\n22 consecutive Playoff appearances (1997-98 to 2018-19)
\n18 straight 50+ win seasons (1999-00 to 2016-17)
\n5-time NBA champion (tied 3rd all-time)
\n3-time NBA Coach of the Year (tied 1st all-time)
\n303 NBA coaching changes made during Pop\u2019s tenure
\nOlympic Gold Medalist (2020)
\nA Hall of Famer (2023 Class<\/a>) that coached 7 Hall of Famers
\nA coaching tree that includes 6 current NBA (and 1 WNBA) head coaches<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

One of those six is Mitch Johnson \u2013 a Spurs assistant, who filled in for Popovich for the season\u2019s final 77 games \u2013 who was named Head Coach on Friday<\/a> as Popovich transitioned to Team President.<\/p>\n

Popovich: \u201cWhile my love and passion for the game remain, I\u2019ve decided it\u2019s time to step away as head coach.
\n\u201cI\u2019m forever grateful to the wonderful players, coaches, staff and fans who allowed me to serve them as the Spurs head coach and am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the organization, community and city that are so meaningful to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The announcement was met with an outpouring of love and admiration for Popovich \u2013 both the coach and the man.<\/p>\n

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver<\/a>: \u201cGregg Popovich\u2019s sustained success as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs is incomparable\u2026.Coach Pop has developed generations of players and coaches and been a driving force behind the global growth of basketball.\u201d
\nVictor Wembanyama<\/a>: \u201cCoach, thank you for your wisdom, for your leadership, for the culture you created\u2026 But most importantly for being a great and inspiring person.\u201d
\nDraymond Green<\/a>: \u201cCoach Pop is incredible \u2026 I had the ultimate honor for playing for him and winning a gold medal.\u201d
\nHeat Coach Erik Spoelstra: \u201cHe\u2019s always just been an incredible example of class, dignity. To be able to do that after wins or losses, I just think it\u2019s a great example that you can still have class regardless of how the outcome comes during a game.\u201d
\nWarriors Coach Steve Kerr<\/a>: \u201cThe number of people Pop has influenced\u2026is just incredible. Pop is one of the most important people in my life.\u201d The former Spurs player under Popovich did his pregame availability donning a \u201cThanks, Pop!\u201d shirt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Before we dive into the Rockets forcing Game 7 in the Bay, and get you ready for tonight\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7384,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7,6,1193],"class_list":{"0":"post-7383","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-nba-starting-5"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114444908055586937","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7383"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7383\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}