The Phoenix Suns have developed a killer instinct, while the Houston Rockets are honing their skills at blowing leads of record proportions.
The Suns, down 20 points with 10 minutes to play, scored the biggest late-game comeback in NBA playoff history on Wednesday night, with a 124-117 overtime victory that gave them a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series."Miracles are the result of hard work," Suns guard Kevin Johnson said. "We were always playing at our flow, even at 20 points down. We were very determined to win."
The loss puts the Rockets in a particularly dark hole since only one team - the 1969 Los Angeles Lakers - has rallied to win a seven-game series after losing the first two games at home.
"We've developed a better killer instinct than we had last year," said Charles Barkley, who led the Suns with 34 points. "It's our series to lose now, and if we go home and don't play well, we don't deserve to win."
Games 3 and 4 are Friday and Sunday at Phoenix, where the Suns have won their last 13 games.
"We can't get into those relaxed moods," Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "We've got to keep digging for more, that killer instinct. The one characteristic of this team is we didn't used to blow leads. Here's twice it's happened and it's tough."
The Rockets blew an 18-point second-quarter lead in the first game of the best-of-7 series against the Suns and eventually lost 91-87 on Sunday. But losing a 20-point lead in the final 10 minutes was more devastating.
"I've never been in a game this big in the playoffs," Johnson said. "This was the sweetest, because it came on the road. We never had any doubt in our minds we could do it. To be honest, we're so focused right now, we want to win every game. Playing on the road is no big deal to us."
The Rockets were comfortably ahead 104-84 with 10 minutes to play when the Suns went on a 24-4 run to force an overtime at 108-108. Only Sam Cassell's 3-point shot kept the Rockets from being shutout from the field in that span.
Danny Ainge hit a 3-point basket with 32.9 seconds left to tie it at 108, and Olajuwon missed one of his trademark fadeaway jumpers with 15 seconds left.
Barkley had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but his 15-foot, high-arching turnaround bounced out at the buzzer.
But it was over quickly in the overtime. The Suns continued to pour points on the stunned Rockets with a 12-3 start that decided the issue.
Hakeem Olajuwon led Houston with 31 points and 17 rebounds. Johnson added 27 and Dan Majerle had 22 for Phoenix.
"I can't remember anything this dramatic in this big a game," Suns coach Paul Westphal said. "They're starting to put the dirt on your grave and you come back and win. That's pretty amazing."
The Rockets helped the Suns pull off the big comeback by scoring only eight fourth-quarter points, equaling the playoff record-low set by the New Jersey Nets against Cleveland last year.
Phoenix trailed by 18 entering the final period, and the Suns' ensuing comeback broke the record set by the New York Knicks in 1973 - when they rebounded from a 16-point deficit after three quarters to beat the Boston Celtics in double overtime.
The Suns weren't perfect in the stretch run, but they didn't have to be.
"We didn't make every play down the stretch," Westphal said. "It's just amazing we made enough plays to win."
The teams combined for 42 3-point attempts in Game 1, setting an NBA playoff record. This time, they easily broke that mark by shooting a combined 22-for-55.