Just a few days ago, the Los Angeles Clippers seemed poised to move onto the team's first Conference finals in franchise history. That was about the last time the Los Angeles Clippers seemed poised. [ Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball ] The Clippers turned the ball over 18 times and whiffed on several key defensive sets in the team's 113-100 loss on Sunday , as the Houston Rockets overcame a 3-1 series deficit to earn a spot in the NBA's version of the Final Four. Feeding off of a rabid Houston crowd that had seen this sort of dance before , the Rox also fed off of James Harden's 31 points, seven rebounds and eight assists as they ascended to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997. The Rockets were not without fault in victory, it should be noted. Harden turned the ball over seven times himself, and both teams combined for 15 first quarter miscues. Houston was stellar in its approach, however, revealing a steady focus that could have gone to pot with all the pressure on and a home crowd expecting big things. The Rocket defense, save for one "whaddya gonna do?" stretch from the Clips in the third quarter, was masterful....