👀 All Eyes On Clippers-Nuggets Showdown

A winner-take-all NBA playoff showdown is here, but it’s not the one NBA fans were expecting. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider: In a strange, unprecedented NBA postseason, the Clippers are on the bubble, in the Orlando bubble ... we take a look at how Marcus Smart’s controlled chaos is powering the Boston Celtics ... and Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Miles Boykin surprises his mom in a must-see video. Neither Al Pacino, Kurt Russell nor Denzel Washington will find their way channeled into Doc Rivers’ mind on Tuesday as the Los Angeles Clippers coach tries to find a way, any old way, to put what has turned into a nightmare series into the rear view mirror. Rivers likes sports movies as much as the next guy but doesn’t feel like gladiatorial words of fire to conjure the spirit of Russell’s Herb Brooks (Miracle) or Billy Bob Thornton’s Gary Gaines (Friday Night Lights) are the right recipe to help him forget about the Denver Nuggets, the playoff opponent that started out as a pest and has since grown into an annoyance of monstrously threatening proportions. “I’m going to say ‘let’s go win,’” Rivers told reporters when asked what message he planned to import ahead of Tuesday’s second round Game 7. “Rah-rah speeches are very overrated. There’s no secret speech. That’s for the movies. The real thing is you’ve got to have preparation. There is nothing secret or magical, it is about playing basketball, manning up.” Okay, no movie motivation then, so what are the Clippers going to be able to do to avoid this from turning into a horror show that they didn’t see coming? While the Lakers booked their end of the bargain in setting up an epic battle of L.A. in the conference finals, Rivers’ team, despite boasting the stardom of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, has stalled and procrastinated and frankly, failed to do their part. [STORY IMAGE 1] Now there is a single chance remaining to “win one for the gipper,” or whatever the NBA postseason equivalent of that might be. It is a weird spot to be in, one game away from being derided for having produced one of the great NBA postseason choke jobs, and also one game away from being right back to where they were before – many people’s pick to win it all. If the Clippers are truly comfortable when placed under heavy pressure, they have yet to prove it, and questions linger. “Can you live in that moment, as best you can, with clear eyes?” – Thornton’s Coach Gaines. The Clippers paradox has played out for several weeks on FS1’s First Things First, with co-host Nick Wright certain that an implosion is imminent and Chris Broussard maintaining that the team is still the league’s most well-rounded and a worthy title favorite. [STORY IMAGE 2] “The Nuggets were down 18 in Game 6 and went on a 56-25 run on these fraudulent Clippers,” [Wright said](. “I don’t know how people can still believe in (L.A.) after watching them this postseason.” If the Clippers are going to win Game 7, they will need someone to step up on the offensive end outside of Leonard and George, who have combined for 57 percent of L.A.‘s scoring output the past two games. “Go pick me a winner, Bobby.” – The Natural. The Clippers should win the decider, and FOX Bet has them listed as a seven-point favorite to win Game 7. The repercussions if they don’t could put the franchise in a dire spot. A premature end causes problems that the Clippers don’t really want to think about. This was a team built to beat the Lakers and to win a championship. Part of the deal with Leonard leaving Toronto was that George would be recruited to stand alongside him. If this is a formula with more flaws than fight, the end could come sooner than predicted. [STORY IMAGE 3] Rivers is projecting calm but has no desire to have a 3-1 surrender on his record for the third time in his career, after his Clippers let go such a lead against Houston in 2015 and the Orlando Magic did the same against the Detroit Pistons in 2003. The series could end up being a mere bump in a glittering road, or the end of the journey. “If we end up winning it all this year it will be a story to tell,” Rivers added. “Every year is different, every journey is different. We are here because we have put ourselves here.” They’re also there because the Nuggets, unfairly ignored for too long because the West has seemed like a two-horse race since even before the start of the season, have been simply excellent and profoundly resilient. Nikola Jokic produces artistry in a hulking form, and there has been no definitive answer to Denver's big man, with even the Clippers’ newly installed Sixth Man of the Year, Montrezl Harrell, being outclassed. [STORY IMAGE 4] “I don’t play defense” – Bill Murray in Space Jam. Not well enough to cope with Jokic, anyway. Furthermore, Jamal Murray is an emerging superstar and Denver has won five straight elimination games after overturning a 3-1 deficit against the Utah Jazz in the previous round. It sets up a blockbuster, not the kind of one we are expecting. It feels like the Clippers should win, but it has felt like that for the past two games as well. It is a strange season and the Clippers are on the bubble, in the bubble. “Will you remember me if I don’t (make it)?” – Hoop Dreams Oh, for sure. Just not in the way they’d want us to. [STORY IMAGE 5] Here’s what others have said ... Zach Lowe, ESPN.com: “Denver has counters in the bag for whatever the Clippers might bring in Game 7. The Nuggets have proven worthy adversaries for a team many — present company included — picked to win the title. The Clippers need to play with a precision and diligence that sometimes eludes them. Denver demands no less.“ Doc Rivers, Los Angeles Clippers head coach: “We’re here because we put ourselves here. You can look at that in a good way or a bad way, but it is what it is … This team didn’t have any experiences, and so they’re learning everything right now.” Sam Quinn, CBS Sports: “The Clippers have been the better team throughout most of this series, a few collapses aside. They've outscored the Nuggets by 12 points in the series as a whole, and while their favorite status guarantees nothing, it signifies their superiority during the longer regular-season sample size. This won't be the walkover most expected, but in a winner-take-all setting, the better team has the advantage even if that doesn't come with home-court advantage.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - One of the most dangerous young scorers in the game is taking shape as a well-rounded force. [ESPN staff writer Kirk Goldsberry]( explains why this is Jayson Tatum’s chance to cement his superstar transformation. - Should Major League Baseball keep the runner-on-second rule in extra innings? [Hannah Keyser and Mike Oz of Yahoo Sports]( debate that question here. - When Gordon Hayward went down with an injury in the opening round of the NBA playoffs, things looked bleak for Boston. But instead of folding, the team inserted its sixth man into the starting lineup and hasn’t looked back. [The Ringer’s Paolo Uggetti]( details how Marcus Smart’s controlled chaos is powering the Celtics. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( This is a video that can be appreciated by everyone who watches it, especially those who enjoy playing Madden video games. Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Miles Boykin surprised his mom by teaming up with X Box and EA Sports to make her the first ever woman to appear on the cover of a Madden NFL video game. So, you ask, what’s the occasion? According to Boykin, his mom has been paying for his X Box Live subscription since he was 16 years old, which would allow him to play Madden online against others. This was his way of thanking her, which is so neat to see. This is the type of feel-good content we love to feature. Well done, Miles! [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Miami Heat at Boston Celtics (ESPN, 6:30 p.m. ET) Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat go up against Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of this Eastern Conference Finals matchup. Oakland Athletics at Colorado Rockies (FS1, 8:30 p.m. ET) Matt Olson and the Oakland Athletics take on Charlie Blackmon and the Colorado Rockies. Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET) Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets battle Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 7 of this second round Western Conference playoff matchup. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by FOX Bet Miami Heat at Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum Top Point Scorer of the Game: +120 Here’s a bold statement that basketball fans will likely gravitate towards following the opening two rounds of this year’s NBA playoffs: It’s time to include Jayson Tatum on the esteemed list of “NBA superstars.” The Celtics forward is averaging more than 25 points and 10 rebounds in 11 games this postseason. He leads the Celtics into the Eastern Conference Finals against a red-hot Miami Heat team. Placing a wager on Tatum to be the leading scorer in this game could lead to a nice, little win on your Tuesday evening. 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