The question that Springfield has to be asking themselves: Is no lead safe against Phoenix?
Springfield opened a double-digit lead in the first quarter, built it to 24 by halftime and then had to hang on to defeat Phoenix 94-82 in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series.
Phoenix, who erased big leads in their victories in Games 1 and 4, made the second half compelling. They opened the third quarter with a 19-5 run that trimmed Springfield's advantage to 59-49, but Springfield put together a string of baskets to restore their lead to 19 by the end of the quarter.
Phoenix charged again in the fourth quarter, pulling within six, 85-79, with 1:49 to play on a drive by Stephon Thompson, but Springfield hit their foul shots down the stretch to secure the win.
"We came out with energy in the second half," said Shawn Stevenson, who led Phoenix with 22 points. "We closed the gap real close. We just couldn't get over the hump."
Chandler Dawes made all six of his foul shots in the final minute.
"We knew they were going to make some kind of a run," Dawes said. "But we kept our composure and sustained throughout."
Reserve Clarence Davis led Springfield with 27 points and 13 rebounds.
Dawes added 23 points and 17 rebounds.
Led by Davis, Springfield's bench outscored the Phoenix reserves, 42-17.
"When our bench plays that strong, it means we're really passing the ball well," said Charlie Dawes, who scored 10 points and had nine rebounds.
Springfield's energetic defense took away the inside in the first half, limiting Phoenix to 10 field goals in the first two periods. Thompson was 0-for-7 from the field.
"I didn't really have my strength, the way I normally have it," said Thompson, who has been bothered by a shoulder injury that makes his right arm numb.
Phoenix missed its first four shots before an alley-oop dunk by Stevenson three minutes into the game, then missed its next five attempts.
A tip-in by Chandler Dawes gave Springfield a 23-13 lead with a minute left in the first period, and a putback by the other Dawes, Charlie with 7:16 remaining in the second quarter pushed Springfield to a 38-18 lead.
"It really was a clinic," Charlie said of his team's execution in the first half. "We moved the ball around, we went high-low. We went baseline. We had the size and we just started taking it."
Phoenix never found an offensive rythm in the half. As a team, they shot 4-for-22 in the first quarter and 6-for-16 in the second.
Phoenix was outrebounded in the half, 31-11, but Phoenix grabbed more rebounds in the second half.
Thompson, who had his way with Springfield in the first four games, scored his first basket with 9:16 left in the third quarter.