by Blake Krantz
Defending home court in game five of their second round match-ups, the Atlanta Hawks and Golden States Warriors won last night to take pivotal leads, three games to two.
The second round has not disappointed, with all four match-ups extending to at least a Game Six, and there seems to be a likely chance of several Game Sevens over the weekend.
For Golden State, MVP Steph Curry finally found his groove last night in a 98-78 win over Memphis, becoming the first player in NBA history with six three-pointers and six steals in one game.
The Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers are also up 3-2 on the Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls. Tonight, Houston and Chicago will both look to stay alive in potential elimination games for the Clippers and the Cavaliers.
In game five Tuesday night, the Rockets stayed alive with an impressive effort at home, led by star James Harden. After back-to-back blowout losses in Los Angeles in games three and four, the Rockets have put themselves solidly back in the series, needing a win tonight in game six to force game seven in Houston.
Chicago will also need a win tonight in game six of their series to avoid elimination. In a match-up which has lived up to expectations in the Eastern Conference, each team has won on a final “buzzer-beating” shot, with Derrick Rose winning game three for Chicago at the buzzer and Lebron James doing the same for Cleveland in game four.
But now, after Cleveland won game six Tuesday night to go up 3-2, tonight could be the final game of the evenly matched series. The United Center in Chicago will be electric tonight in a “win or go home” situation for the hometown Bulls.