Game Capsules from The Sports Network:
May 16, 2015:
Atlanta 94, Washington 91
Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - The Hawks will play in the conference finals for the first time in 45 years after surviving another nailbiter against the Wizards. This one literally came down to fingertips. DeMarre Carroll scored 25 points, including two late layups for the lead, and Atlanta held on to beat the Washington Wizards 94-91 on Friday night, winning their semifinal series 4-2 after referees waived off Paul Pierce's 3-pointer at the buzzer. Pierce's off-balance shot, which swished through the net from the left corner, would have sent Game 6 to overtime. But replays showed the ball was still on his fingers when time expired. Pierce, of course, won Game 3 last Saturday with a jump shot that he banked in at the buzzer. He nearly won Game 5 on Wednesday with a 3, but Atlanta ended up pulling it out on Al Horford's putback in the last seconds. The veteran Wizards forward drew snickers following Game 5 for reportedly turning to the Hawks bench after making his 3 and declaring, "Series." Series? Yep. For the top-seeded Hawks, who won three in a row and will now take on LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers starting Wednesday night in Atlanta. It will be the franchise's first appearance in the round before the NBA Finals since 1970, when it only took one series win to get there.
Golden State 108, Memphis 95
Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - As the Memphis crowd groaned over a non- call, Stephen Curry let one fly from three-quarter court. Splash. The momentum from Curry's 62-foot buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter carried into the fourth, where the Golden State Warriors put the Grizzlies away to advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time in 39 years. Curry made eight 3-pointers, finishing with 32 points and 10 assists as the Warriors defeated the Grizzlies 108-95 in Game 6 of their Western Conference semifinal. Jeff Green attempted to beat the third-quarter horn by pulling up from the top of the arc, but Andre Iguodala blocked the 3-point shot. Everybody on the court stopped playing except for Curry, whose fling hit nothing but net. His shot jumpstarted an 10-0 run, which helped open up a 15-point advantage and the Warriors coasted the rest of the way to lock up their first appearance in the conference finals since 1976. Like Game 5, Golden State used its defense get easy 3-point looks and baskets in transition. It held a 22-5 margin in fastbreak points and knocked down 15- of-32 from beyond the arc. The 67-win and top-seeded Warriors will face either the second-seeded Houston Rockets or third-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in the conference finals. The Clippers and Rockets will do battle in Game 7 of their semifinal in Houston on Sunday.
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