The “Death Lineup” breathed new life into the Golden State Warriors.
It was yet another reminder: In the NBA playoffs, where even a brief downward slide can be enough to end a season, even the best teams won’t hesitate when they feel a need to shake up their starting lineups.
Desperate times in the first round sent Cleveland to desperate lineup measures. Toronto, the team that finished with the NBA’s second-best regular season record, sought a spark by changing its starting five against the Cavs for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Utah showed Houston a new look Sunday in Game 4 of their West semifinal matchup, and while the Jazz slowed the high-powered Rockets at times they still fell into a 3-1 series deficit. READ MORE>