Saturday Slam: Clippers and Spurs have a series for the ages

     The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 111-109 on Saturday night to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals. It took a full seven games to decide who the winner of this series would be and I say "full" because Game 7 went down to the last second. Game 7 alone had more drama in it than most playoff series' ever do in all of their games combined:  Chris Paul went down with a hamstring strain and returned to hit the game winning shot; Tim Duncan had a huge night with 27 points and 11 rebounds; J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford, and Matt Barnes hit clutch threes to keep the Clippers alive; Boris Diaw and Danny Green hit clutch threes for the Spurs; and Blake Griffin had a triple-double composed of 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists.

     Both teams stepped up and deserved to win Game 7 and that is what made it so memorable. Both teams played at a very high level and unfortunately only one team could win. Fortunately for the Clippers, they are the team that advances, but regardless of the outcome, both teams need to be commended for the performance that they displayed on the basketball court. As a fan it was truly a treat to watch these two teams battle it out. I can't remember a more fun and entertaining series in all my years watching NBA basketball and I've been watching NBA basketball since I was an infant.

    In addition to all the sensational shots, plays, and moments of heroism, what really made this series interesting was that home court advantage didn't matter. The Clippers and Spurs split the first four games, the Spurs won Game 5 in Los Angeles, and the Clippers forced Game 7 by winning Game 6 in San Antonio. Usually, home court advantage has a much greater impact on a seven game series. Even if it is between two evenly matched teams.

     But in this series, it really did not matter. Neither team was afraid to go on the road and get a win and neither team felt secure playing on their home floor. I don't want to diminish the fact that the team with home court advantage won the series, but if you look at how this series played out, there's no way one can say home court advantage decided this series. What decided this series was the Clippers playing one percent better in Game 7 and that one percent came from their own will and determination.

     I know that we have only ended the first round of the playoffs and that we still have many interesting series' ahead. But I do not believe that any series we see, including the NBA Finals, will be as intense, dramatic, or compelling as this series. This series had everything you could want in an NBA playoff series and more. While it's a shame that one of these two teams has to be sent packing, it's a blessing that we were able to see them face each other. As fans, we should feel grateful for what we have witnessed.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord