Thunder complete remarkable, controversial comeback to steal Game 5 from Clippers

A game that had more than its fair share of questionable calls was appropriately decided by a series of them in the final stages of the fourth quarter.

While the Oklahoma City Thunder deserve praise for finishing the contest on a 17-3 run that erased a 13-point deficit with under four minutes remaining, many will point to the officiating as the reason for the Thunder winning Tuesday night's Game 5 against the Los Angeles Clippers.

It was an odd sequence of events. After Kevin Durant hit a lay-up to make it 104-102, Russell Westbrook then stole the ball and fed it to Reggie Jackson, who appeared to lose control of it as it rolled out of bounds. But the refs deemed that Matt Barnes had touched it last, setting the stage for an even more questionable call.

Off the inbound, Westbrook launched a three-ball that came across as premature. Luckily, he was bailed out by the officials, who called a foul on Chris Paul with six seconds left. One free throw. Two free throws. Three free throws.

Thunder win 105-104.

Star Performer

The refs.

With Durant going a miserable 6-of-22 from the field, Westbrook couldn't have picked a better time to put in his best scoring performance of the playoffs.

Specifically, Westbrook posted 38 points on 11-of-23 shooting to compliment six assists, five rebounds, and three steals. And of course, it was his three free throws at the end that gave the Thunder a 3-2 series lead.

Regardless of the controversial finale, Westbrook had himself a game.

Turning Point

Few calls in this year's playoffs, if any, have held the implications for a series that the out-of-bounds call with 11.3 seconds remaining held.

If the officials had deemed that Jackson touched it last, as replays indicated, the Clippers would have found themselves up two points and with possession. The Thunder would have been forced to foul, and the Clippers could very well have put the game out of reach by sinking their free throws.

Instead, it was determined that Barnes had deflected the ball out of bounds, and here we are.

Judge for yourself:

Highlight Reel

Thabo Sefolosha opened up the contest by putting DeAndre Jordan on a poster.

Jamal Crawford converted his NBA-record 44th four-point play of his career:

And of course, no highlight reel would be complete without the train wreck that was the final minute of the game.

Quote of the Game

It's safe to say that Doc Rivers is expecting a fine from the NBA due to his post-game remarks.

You can see the Doc Rivers post-game press conference here.

Series at a Glance

Game 1: LAC 122, OKC 105 (Clippers lead series 1-0)
Game 2: OKC 112, LAC 101 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: OKC 118, LAC 112 (Thunder lead series 2-1)
Game 4: LAC 101, OKC 99 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5: OKC 105 LAC 104 (Thunder lead series 3-2)
Game 6*: Thursday, May 15 - TBD
Game 7*: Sunday, May 18 - TBD