It goes without saying that every game in a best-of-seven playoff series is important. The team that wins gets one step closer to advancing, the team that doesn’t is one step closer to their season being over. It’s what makes the postseason exciting.
“I think the most difficult game is whatever game you’re about to play,” said Trail Blazers head. coach Terry Stotts. “As you go into a series, if you go longer into a series, each games becomes more difficult, each game becomes more important. It’s just the nature of playoff basketball.”
But there’s something different about a Game 5 with the series tied at 2-2.