Clips lose Game 6 in disastrous 119-107 collapse

When the Clippers found themselves up by 19 points near the end of the third quarter it seemed that a trip to the conference finals for the Clips would be imminent. History would be made. However, Josh Smith and Corey Brewer seemed to have other plans as they lead to the Rockets on a huge run in the 4th quarter which ultimately lead the Clippers being outscored 40-15 in the 4th quarter. The basket seemed to have closed for the Clippers.

“What could've went wrong, went wrong,” said head coach Doc Rivers. “We missed wide open threes, layups, dunks. With each miss, I thought the pressure mounted.”

The 4th Quarter seemed bizarre for the team and the fans since the Clippers finished the reg season with the leagues best offense yet they just couldn't put the ball in the basket no matter how many good looks they got, at one point Deandre seemed to miss a point blank dunk. This was crazy considering he lead the league in dunks and FG% which indicates he's the best finisher around the rim in the league or one of the best at the very least.

Credit to Josh Smith and Dwight Howard for providing some good defense in the 4th Quarter but it mostly seemed like the Clips had shut themselves down more than anything. They were unable to get stops which tried to milk the clock at times which led to a lack of ball movement and stagnant offensive attack.

After a Chris Paul layup with 6:47 remaining, the Clippers didn't score again until Paul hit two free throws with a minute left in the game. Meanwhile, the Rockets stayed hot, outscoring the Clippers by 17 points during that stretch.

“We were trying to run the clock down, and we just stopped playing,” Rivers said. “They kept playing, and then once it got to eight, you could just feel it.”

Usually when Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, the teams two super stars have big games the Clips end up winning but both were cold in the 4th and role players didn't step up either.

“You could tell we kind of got stunned,” said Blake Griffin, who finished with 28 points and eight rebounds but went scoreless in the fourth quarter. “We didn't respond well.”

“Once we get up, we talk about it all year, putting the pedal down and really keep going, not just playing to not lose but play to win and do the things that got us there,” Griffin said. “We didn't do that today.”

Josh Smith and Brewer combined to go 9-of-13 from the field and 5-of-7 from deep in the fourth quarter. Smith, who hadn't made more than one 3-pointer in a game during the series, went 4-of-7 from deep in the game.

The team now finds themselves in a very uncomfortable situation after the loss as they head back to Houston for a Game 7 that will decide the Clippers fate. There is no doubt the Clippers need this win since the last few season the Clips have failed to live up to their championship aspiration but going to the conference finals gives them a legitimate chance to live to their potential. Luckily, they have a couple days off to prepare, something they haven't had for a while and  hopefully the Clips bounce back strong in a game that figures to be the ultimate test of mental toughness.

"This ones for the marbles" said Jamal Crawford. "we'll be ready"