LOS ANGELES -- For a short flash, it almost appeared as if the play was dead.
Deked by James Harden 's patented, left-to-right crossover "hop-back" on the left wing, LA Clippers forward Wes Johnson slipped on a banana peel and fell backward to the hardwood on his tuchus with just over a minute remaining in the first quarter. As Johnson recovered a full 10 feet in front of Harden with 15 seconds remaining on the shot clock, the Houston Rockets guard paused. He wasn't checking the placement of his toes or scanning the floor for a cutter -- it was obvious where the Rockets' shot would materialize.