NBA playoffs on May 8: Game 5 becomes salvation of 'Splash Brothers'

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The Milwaukee Bucks became the first team to make the Conference Finals after they beat the Boston Celtics 116-91 at the Fiserv Forum on Wednesday, ending the series 4-1. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors claimed a precious victory against the Houston Rockets 104-99 in the essential Game 5 at the Oracle Arena. However, they lost Kevin Durant to injury.

Bucks vs. Celtics, a failed season for Boston

Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks, dunks in the game they win against the Boston Celtics 116-91 at the Fiserv Forum, May 8, 2019. /VCG Photo

After the surprising loss in Game 1, Milwaukee got the perfect vengeance with four straight wins, in which they won by 12.5 points on average over Boston. Actually, their dominance of the game is even more intimidating. Milwaukee have won eight of their nine games in the playoffs so far, by 15.3 points on average. They could score 117 points per game but kept a rebound rating of 98.2. The team led all 16 teams in playoff rebounds (42.4), blocks (6.7) and second-chance points lost (9.3).

Before the 2018-19 season had begun, no one would expect the Bucks to be the candidate for the NBA Championship but here they are, waiting for the winner between the Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Toronto have Kawhi Leonard who may be their solution in offense but that's the only thing they have to match the Bucks. The 76ers seem to have the better talent, yet before coach Brett Brown could figure out how to combine them as a team, the 76ers posed an even smaller threat than the Raptors.

Jayson Tatum #0 of the Celtics shoots in the game against the Bucks, May 8, 2019. /VCG Photo

By contrast, losing the series was more like the whole season in miniature for the Celtics: a disappointing failure. Perhaps making the Conference Finals without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward and playing seven games against LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers last season gave people too much unrealistic illusions and made them ignore the Celtics' problems: their terrible offense.

In all of their five losses, Boston started to lose control of the games because they could not score. Without a top-level slasher, the team could not change the opponent's defense and thus had to rely on their unsteady jump shots. Meanwhile, in order to create open shots, Boston had to pass the ball more often, increasing their chances of committing turnovers, which was lethal in the playoffs.

Kyrie Irving #11 of the Celtics shoots in the game against the Bucks, May 8, 2019. /VCG Photo

That led to the question on a lot of minds: What happened to Kyrie Irving? Isn't he the offensive solution that the Celtics have been looking for? The cruel truth is, Irving may still be that excellent assassin, but he isn't ready to lead a team. In their four consecutive losses to Milwaukee, Irving missed at least 10 shots in each game. When he could not score, his orchestrating was limited too – Irving only delivered 5.2 assists but committed 3.75 turnovers per game.

There's no doubt that Irving will opt out of his contract in the summer. The question is, "Where will he go?" Which teams are willing to offer him a maximum contract? Both his career and Boston's future are now at the crossroads and they have to make a choice.

Warriors vs. Rockets: There's loss, but also gain

Kevin Durant (C) of the Golden State Warriors checks his injured right calf in the game they win against the Houston Rockets 104-99 at the Oracle Arena, May 8, 2019. /VCG Photo

Golden State's fans could not have been happy when they saw Kevin Durant leave the court while he kept touching his right calf, especially when TNT broadcaster Reggie Miller mentioned the word "Achilles" – the injury that cost Kobe Bryant the last three years of his career. Though Golden State announced Durant suffered right calf strain, nothing's clear until the MRI result is released on Thursday.

Miller's concern was understandable because until his injury, Durant had already played 34 minutes on the court in the first 36 minutes of the game. In the previous four games, he played over 44 minutes per game, not to mention they were all physical fights and Durant acted like the team's only pillar in offense.

Stephen Curry of the Warriors roars to celebrate in the game against the Rockets, May 8, 2019. /VCG Photo

Houston missed their best chance of taking the lead in the series. Having once trailed by 20 points in the second quarter, they managed to come back, close it to three points when Durant left and even exchanged the lead with Golden State in the fourth quarter. However, they were one step short of success because Stephen Curry finally started to act like the owner of the Oracle Arena.

Curry and Klay Thompson, the "Splash Brothers," had been underperforming in the series before Wednesday. Thompson woke up first in Game 5 by making five of his seven shots, including two three-pointers to get 12 points in the first eight minutes of Q1. However, Curry continued to muddle along with only nine points, until that nerve-scratching injury moment of Durant.

Andre Iguodala #9 of the Warriors dunks while Draymond Green #23 of the Warriors blocks a shot in the game against the Rockets, May 8, 2019. /VCG Photo

In the following nine minutes, Curry hit five of his six shots to get 14 points, leading GSW's offense, just like he did in the 2014-15 season. He buried three-pointers, made the Rockets pay by attacking the big men after the switch, and distracted the opponent's defense so Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green could make their contributions in offense.

Besides Curry and Thompson, other Warriors did their jobs too. Iguodala proved that he's still one of the best defenders of the league and he still has some gas left in offense. Green is the best glue that keeps the team together with his fast break, defense and second passing in screen play. Let's not forget, these four won the NBA Championship together, before Durant came. Of course there's also Kevon Looney who grabbed five offensive rebounds. So far, victory has belonged to the team that led in rebounds.

Kevon Looney #5 of the Warriors blocks a shot by Chris Paul of the Rockets in the game, May 8, 2019. /VCG Photo

It should also be pointed out that Houston were quite chaotic in the game-deciding Q4. James Harden almost became an invisible man as he stopped penetrating and did not reach to help in defense. Meanwhile, Chris Paul did not stand out either. The things he did most in Q4 were missing shots and committing fouls.

Game 6 will take place at the Toyota Center on Friday. Compared with the 2017-18 Western Conference Finals, things seemed to be reversed: Golden State held the home advantage, won Game 5 to lead 3-2 but lost their best player. Houston must win Game 6 or they can stay home and watch the rest of the playoffs on TV.