VIDEO: Top 5 NBA highlights of the week
5. It was a rough week for Beno Udrih
With incumbent Mike Conley sidelined for much of the playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies have been in part buoyed by the sublime play of Beno Udrih. Through five games, Udrih has averaged 10.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists off the bench, including a 20-point performance in Game 1 against the Portland Trail Blazers.
But Udrih has been put through the blender defensively, which comes with the territory when checking Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry.
First, Lillard put Udrih through the spin cycle:
Then, Curry shook Udrih with a sick crossover:
4. The Hawks channel tiki-taka
It's often said the Atlanta Hawks play basketball like the San Antonio Spurs and given the results this season when Atlanta won 60 games, it's hard to refute that claim.
The Hawks needed six games to put away the pesky Brooklyn Nets, who they hammered 111-87 in Game 6 to punctuate their series win. In that game, the Hawks recorded 34 assists.
Shown below is the prettiest of the 34, in which the Hawks swing the ball around eight times before finally spotting DeMarre Carroll from deep:
3. Vince Carter is still out here dunking on fools
Given the emergence of elder sages like Paul Pierce and Tim Duncan (more on him below) in these playoffs, it feels like time has stood still for the remaining few players that were active in the 1990's.
That includes Grizzlies guard Vince Carter, who threw down a put-back dunk, in a playoff game, at the age of 38.
2. Tim Duncan stuffs Blake Griffin to save the game
Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs have five titles to their names, but Duncan's greatest victory has been the war he's waged against Father Time.
Incredibly, the 39-year-old Duncan is still going strong. He averaged 17.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 35.7 minutes in a thrilling seven-game series against the Los Angeles Clippers that included this clutch block on Blake Griffin in Game 5.
1. Chris Paul is clutch. End of story.
An annoying narrative has dogged Chris Paul's tremendous career.
Somehow, Paul picked up a reputation of not being a big-game performer because he hasn't advanced past the Western Conference Semifinals. It's a crazy reputation to attach to Paul, who is averaging 20.9 points, 9.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals through seven forlorn forays into the playoffs.
Just ask Duncan, the foremost champion, about Paul's ability to deliver in big games.
Paul somehow sneaked a layup over the outstretched arms of Duncan to knock off the defending champions with a last-second miracle shot in Game 7:
Oh, and Paul was hampered by a hamstring injury. Get that narrative out of here.