Facing a 12-point deficit and a potential 3-1 series hole, the Los Angeles Clippers played quite possibly the most important 12 minutes of basketball in franchise history Sunday afternoon.
If not the most important, certainly the best.
Behind the brilliant play of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the unlikely hero, Darren Collison, the Clippers rallied to beat the Thunder 101-99, sending the series back to Oklahoma City tied 2-2.
Paul and Griffin did what they are expected to do as the leaders of the team. In a display of brilliant pick-and-roll basketball, they willed the Clippers back into the game. Paul finished with 23 points and 10 assists and Griffin led the team with 25 points.
This type of production, though, is expected of the Clippers two All-Stars.
12 fourth quarter points — eight in the last three minutes — is not exactly expected from Darren Collison, who took the game into his own hands. Without him, Kevin Durant’s 40-point masterpiece does not go in the trash can.
Ok collison getting it in
— Ty Lawson (@TyLawson3) May 11, 2014
Needless to say, the Clippers were excited about their big comeback win.
Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a game!!!!!!!! What a comeback!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2-2 let’s go!!!!!!!!!!!!! — Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) May 11, 2014
God is so good!!! #ClipperNation couldn’t have done it without you. #keepbelieving
— Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) May 11, 2014
Amazing fight today! Big time win!
— Willie Green (@DetroitWillie34) May 11, 2014
Collison, who scored the Clippers last four points on two highly-difficult layups, refused to let his team go down 3-1.
“The whole time I’m thinking, `We can’t be down 3-1, we just can’t be down 3-1 going to Oklahoma,” Collison said.
Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.