FULLY LOADED CLIPS

Get Ready for Some Bad News...

Tue, 29 May 2012 14:19:03 -0700

He’s back bitches!

Mr. I got outcoached into a concussed state, has been re-signed by cheap ass owner for next season.

Prepare for the end of the CP3 and Blake era. Get ready to go back to the bad times.

Haters unite!

IN OTHER NEWS:

Here’s my predictions for the conference finals:

Spurs in 7

Heat in 7

Love you all,

Go Clips!

A Nod to the Gods: Spurs complete sweep 4-0

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:01:44 -0700

So that sucked.

In an almost poetic fashion the Clippers found a way to hurt their fans one last time before fading into the obscure wasteland that is the NBA offseason. The players will now have all the time they need to heal up, work out, and buy expensive automobiles. The Clippers found themselves down by one point with 30 seconds to play and suddenly the stage was set. Chris Paul versus the Spurs for the Clippers playoff life. As is the Clippers’ M.O. Chris Paul fumbled the ball out of bounds before having it ricochet off Manu’s leg. The Clippers were granted a 2nd chance at a memorable finish in front of a home Clippers crowd. Once again the possession disintegrated into chaos and the Spurs came up with the ball. As if some evil force was toying with the Clippers, the Spurs’ Green missed 1 of 2 free throws with 10 seconds to play. Coach Del Negro called his final timeout and drew up his final abortion on his Fisher-Price white board. A near disaster on the end bounds pass nearly resulted in a premature ejaculation of a final play, but Mo Williams got the ball to Paul for one truly final chance at NBA history. CP3 waited for his customary 4 seconds on the shot clock and shot towards the basket. He cradled the ball like an NFL running back, praying for a ref’s whistle and as he faded back, he lofted the ball toward the rim. Clank.

And that was that.

I feel…so unfulfilled.

I don’t know how I would have reacted if the ball went in and the Clippers eventually lost by 5 in OT. But there was something about the play call and the futile fade away runner. It was so lifeless. So antiseptic. In a town like Hollywood, and a series record of 0-3, I just felt like it was time to go for the win. One shot. One 3 point attempt, win or lose. Do or die. But CP3 and VDN decided to go for the tie. Sure, that’s smart on paper. But it’s a home playoff game, down 0-3, headed back to San Antonio against the best team in the NBA this year. Suppose the 3 goes in? The game would become an instant classic and the #1 play in Clippers history. It’s a true love letter to the fans. If the shot misses? We end up right where we are right now.

So that was 2012.

There was a lockout, a trade, and a playoff appearance.

The Clippers put the league on notice and the league noticed.

Today the league let the Clippers know they’re still not there yet.

So now we wait for 2013. No draft picks to really get excited about. At least there’s a crazy free agency period waiting in the near future. But is it really time to be optimistic?

Personally I think it’s too early to tell. NO SHIT you say, but the way I look at it, the Clippers have more question marks than they have stable pieces. Marv Albert and Steve Kerr mentioned during the broadcast that the Clippers need to add a piece or two. The way I see it, the Clippers need to add a team to their two pieces. I mean, does anyone really truly believe the Clippers wouldn’t have lost to the Spurs if they had a healthy Chauncey Billups? Sure the Clippers would’ve been deeper and more potent offensively, but c’mon San Antonio is the class of the NBA.

Next year is another year. I really don’t know much and can’t tell you what the future holds, but for at least one year the Clippers will have Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. And I will take my chances with those two against anyone. Right now this hurts. It hurts BAD. But I couldn’t feel luckier to actually feel like shit. My entire life has been spent having to bid the Clippers good night shortly after Christmas, but this year was different. I got to watch my team in the playoffs. ESPN was talking about my team. TNT was talking about my team. Other teams were talking about MY team. The Clippers count now. I guess that’s what I always wanted.

Now I want one more thing.

I want that fucking title.

Go Clippers!

I REALLY HOPE THIS IS VINNY DEL NEGRO’S SPEECH TO THE...

Sat, 19 May 2012 20:47:43 -0700

I REALLY HOPE THIS IS VINNY DEL NEGRO’S SPEECH TO THE CLIPPERS BEFORE SUNDAY’S GAME

Stapled Shut! Spurs on the brink 3-0

Sat, 19 May 2012 16:26:29 -0700

I just finished watching the post game press conference and coach Del Negro gave his political concession speech. There’s still at least one game left, and Del Negro was saying things like, “it’s all part of a learning process” and “this is the first step in building a program for years to come”. I’m enraged by his presumption that he’s even going to be around for the future. Hey Vinny, you need to coach like this game is your last, because it probably will be!

RECAP:

Much will be made about the Clippers having an amazing first quarter and surging out to a 24 point lead in the first half, but I’m still troubled by Vinny’s inability to change up his match ups and formulas against this Spurs team. Every fan in the arena and at home knew the Spurs were coming back and it was only a matter of when. Candidly, I began to get nervous when the lead shrunk under 20.

The 3rd quarter will live and infamy and hopefully it will be shown on a projection screen on the side of coach Del Negro’s house for the next 12 months. There’s a hacky expression that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different response. If that’s the case, the 3 quarter was insane. Pitching the ball down low to Blake Griffin, who as of this date doesn’t really have an NBA low post game, and waiting for him to force a shot or run the clock out. Meanwhile, the Spurs run more back door cuts and perimeter screens than the Princeton Tigers. My question to the Clippers would be this: “Can you make a shot 1ft from the basket?” BECAUSE THE SPURS SURE AS HELL CAN!

The Spurs aren’t lucky. Memphis has bouts of luck. Minnesota was crazy lucky against the Clippers this season. Even the Lakers have a horseshoe up their asses occasionally. The Spurs know how to play basketball better than every other team. They’re old. They’re slow. They’re boring. And they’re going to win a 5th title unless some NBA coach is able to go head to head with coach Pop. Sadly, there isn’t a coach left in the entire playoffs with that ability (no, Doc Rivers is a terrible coach).

AT WHAT POINT DID YOU KNOW COACH VDN GAVE UP?

At the end of the 4th quarter, with the Clippers having just enough time to make one more run, coach Pop shrewdly begin intentionally fouling Reggie Evans. Not once. Not Twice. THRICE. So Vinny, where were you on that one? If he admitted he was cleaning the piss out of his pants I’d feel validated, but a real coach would stand right up in his piss pants and make a damn substitution!

NOW THAT THE TEAM HAS GIVEN UP, WILL THEY GET BETTER?

I think yes and no. I think Chris Paul will be dying for his 1st championship especially because he has been injured and unable to perform at the level he’s know for. I believe Blake Griffin will get better just because he’ll get better at controlling his emotions and nerves. I truly hope Blake is a smart enough player to know he has A LOT of off-season work ahead of him and that most of it will be not be done in a weight room or treadmill. He needs to got to big man school.

The negatives I worry about are the younger guys and the role players. Randy Foye has not progressed and he wasn’t very good in the Memphis series either. At some point he needs to really contribute or possibly he shouldn’t be a piece of the future. DeAndre Jordan is signed to be a part of the future, so he really needs to step up his game and his learning curve. He’s an offensive void that has become a glaring problem in both playoff series, and he constantly has to be removed because of his confusion with defense and rebounding. DJ has been better in the less physical San Antonio series, but he’s still miles away from being a starting center on a championship team. When I look at guys like Mo Williams, Nick Young, Caron Butler, and Kenyon Martin, I really worry they don’t want to stick around and play a minor role on a team that still looks like they’re 2 years away. Mo has been a good egg all year even though he’s been fuming behind closed doors about his lack of playing time. It wouldn’t surprise me if by this time next year 6 or 7 different players are a part of this team. I do believe CP3 will try to get Chauncey to resign at least a one year deal with the Clips but a lot may have to do with the next Clipper coach.

Your team of the future looks like this:

PG: Chris Paul

SG: Chauncey Billups

SF: NONE

PF: Blake Griffin

C: DeAndre Jordan

Bench: Eric Bledsoe, Trey Thompkins„ Travis Leslie, Nick Young? Reggie Evans

GONE: Ryan Gomes, Caron Butler, Kenyon Martin, Bobby Simmons, Mo Williams, Randy Foye,

5 Things to Look Forward to Next Year:

5. Full 82 game schedule- The days of rest in between games should help out with fewer injuries and allow for more practice time. Sweet sweet practice time.

4. Another year older for Eric Bledsoe, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan- Players get better the longer their in the NBA. These 3 shouldn’t be any different.

3. Free Agency- With a 2nd round appearance and Blake Griffin and CP3 in place, some quality players are going to want to be a part of this. Things might actually be on the up and up.

2. New Coach- The only reason VDN is the current coach is because the Chicago Bulls are paying half of his salary. Everyone knows owner Sterling is cheap, but with the new pressure of expectations he may have to go get a REAL coach. (Phil Jackson on line 1)

1. Playoffs 2.0!- Barring injury, this team is going to be back again and again. Consistency and optimism will keep CP3 in town and everyone wants to play in L.A. Another year older, wiser, and a more cohesive roster and the Clips will be able to take the next step towards that 1st ring.

A few encouraging facts about contenders:

Lakers- the HAVE to reload. They’ll be totally different next year and Kobe will be a year older.

Spurs- They have to get old eventually…right?

Miami- They’re in total disarray.

Boston- Unlike the Spurs they already ARE old. It’s over Celtics.

Memphis- They’ll never go anywhere until the figure out the Z-Bo/Rudy Gay thing.

PREDICTION OF GAME 4: Spurs lose on purpose, and Clippers go down with a little pride left. Clippers WIN 110-98. Spurs will close out in 5 @ home.

as always, Go Clippers!!!

105-88, Losses are bigger in Texas: Spurs lead series 2-0

Thu, 17 May 2012 21:31:49 -0700

The Spurs very well might be the best team in the NBA and they might win a their 5th title this year, but there’s absolutely NO reason why the Clips should be playing and losing in this way.

Blake Griffin and Chris Paul are killing the Clippers in this series.

Yes they’re the two best players on the Clippers’ roster. Yes, they’re two of the best players on the planet. But Jesus, Blake is a no show on defense. Blake’s a no show on offense. Now Chris Paul is a turnover machine. I love both guys, but they aren’t healthy enough to contribute for real minutes in this series.

The reason the Clips are getting massacred is because of Coach Del Negro.

Every time the starters are in the game, they have only one (!) offensive play. CP3 runs a high screen and then dishes to a hobbled Blake Griffin on the low block. Blake wastes the shot clock and then misses a shot. Its a strange thing that coach VDN has to put all his bench guys in just to claw back in the game. The bench brings speed, energy, and defense on to the court. With Blake out of the game, the small bench players are forced to play a ball movement based guard-centric offense. When your offense fails while your two starting all stars are in the game, and your offense surges while the all stars are on the bench, look no further than the coach.

This team has always succeeded in spite of coach Del Negro, but now he’s faced with the best opposing coach in the NBA. Coach Pop looked up and down the line up cards and saw the biggest glaring mismatch was actually in the coaching box. Del Negro is getting played.

The Spurs were still unconscious from the field and made shots they didn’t deserve.

The refs were awful and biased during the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

CP3 was horrible and Blake was worse.

BUT NONE OF THIS TAKES AWAY FROM THE FACT THAT THE CLIPPERS ARE LOSING BECAUSE OF VINNY DEL NEGRO.

GOING FORWARD:
The Clippers play next at home for an early 12:30 game. The crowd will be crazy and the players will be eager to show the home fans that they will not go quiet into that good night. The Spurs are playing loose and confident, and they will continue to be a handful. I look for the Clippers to do a better job on the boards. I think CP3 will play better in front of the home fans (he has to right?). I don’t believe the Spurs can shoot the ball that well for a 3rd consecutive game. Yet, the Spurs have won 16 consecutive games, so what the hell do I know? Luck alone would suggest that the Spurs have to put out a clunker eventually but go ask the Utah Jazz how that worked out.

Prediction: Everytime I pick the Clippers they lose. So I’m going with another big win for the Spurs and the Clippers don’t even bother to show up.

Spurs 100 Clippers 78 (jinx jinx jinx)

Go Clippers!

Spurs don't miss a beat: Clips lose, trail 0-1 in series

Thu, 17 May 2012 12:52:09 -0700

The Clippers lost game one of this hopefully long series, 108-92. Many other media outlets were reporting how dominating the Spurs were in this game and that the Clippers should now begin fighting to win just ONE game to preserve personal pride. These media outlets are crazy (I’m looking at you K-ROCK Los Angeles). Chris Paul played one of his worst games of the year AND San Antonio set their own personal record for three pointers made. With both of those factors playing a major role, the Clippers were still in the game deep into the 4th quarter. All of these things could mean nothing if the Clippers lose tonight to put themselves in an 0-2 hole, but I believe the Clippers can compete and damn it they can win in San Antonio.

NEGATIVE THOUGHTS:

-Blake Griffin was held out of the 4th quarter for the most part again in game 1 as he was in the final game against the Grizz. He did complete a few high flying dunks and a couple of great offensive moves, but his defense has become an even more glaring problem with his knee injury. The Spurs are way to much of a well oiled offense to play 4 on 5 defense. The key to beating the Spurs will be the ability to force turnovers and to not allow easy shots deep in close to the basket.

-Chris Paul was not himself. CP3 is hurting and coach Pop of the Spurs, is far to smart to allow Chris to do whatever he wants. Now the Clippers proved their mettle by having a tremendous performance from Eric Bledsoe, but sadly, that’s something the Spurs are going to happily live with. Pop is sitting in his chair saying, “Make the Clippers bigs beat us at the free throw line and their guards pick up the slack when we clamp down on Chris Paul”. Over the course of 7 games, if coach VDN cannot make any adjustments and the Clippers role players can’t come up huge, this series will be very difficult to win.

POSITIVE THOUGHTS:

-The Clippers are younger, faster, and tougher than the Spurs. One of these games Blake Griffin is going to abuse the front line of San Antonio. The Spurs play average team defense and great team offense, but their strengths are all based on their coach. There’s an old boxing saying that, “everyone has a plan until they get hit.” The Clippers have to go out and hit the Spurs and see if they have the ability to recover. Remember this is the same Spurs team that lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in the 1st round last year. They are not invincible and they can’t match up to physical teams.

-Eric Bledsoe is coming of age. Clipper fans have known for a while that he’s become as best defender at the guard position due to his length and athletic ability. But it’s quite something to see CP3 having the confidence in him to run the point in the offensive sets. If he can play in control, limit his turnovers, and continue to make some shots, the Clippers could have a one, two punch that could make life very difficult for the Spurs.

-The Spurs do NOT have a great defense. After the lockdown, gritting and grinding of Memphis, now the Clippers wings all of a sudden are seeing open looks at the basket. There certainly could have been some 1st game jitters about seeing open shots, but with Mo Williams, Randy Foye, Nick Young, and Caron Butler, the Clippers are going to have the ability to score 100+ points in the next 6 games of the series (doesn’t mean the WILL, but they CAN, and SHOULD).

PREDICTION TIME:

Tonight I fully expect the Clippers to hot early and make an onslaught of shots from the perimeter and off transition. As is always true in the NBA the Spurs will stay calm and will work their way back into a close game. In typical Clippers fashion the game will come down to the final moments, but this time the Clippers make the big shots.

Clippers 109 Spurs 106 OT

Go Clippers!

Ho Hum: Clips Advance

Sun, 13 May 2012 19:11:28 -0700

I was wrong.

Let that soak in. I was wrong.

The greatest thing that ever happened to the Los Angeles Clippers was dependent on me being painfully wrong.

The Clippers didn’t make shots.

The Refs didn’t help the Clips.

Blake and Cp3 didn’t take over the game.

yet…the Clippers won!

I would ask that you all don’t watch the highlights because I’m afraid the Clips might lose. So on to San Antonio.

CAN THE CLIPPERS WIN ANOTHER ROUND?

No, I want the reverse jinx to be in effect. I told my dad prior to the game 7 that whomever wins will beat the Spurs, but that remains to be seen. Go Clips!

DO I KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT?

Kinda.

The Heat, Pacers, Lakers, Thunder, Spurs, Celtics, won their series. Which I was right about. I got the sixers wrong, but Rose tore his everything muscle.

Here’s my 2nd round predictions:

Celtics in 5

Heat in 5

Thunder in 7

Clippers in 7

This doesn’t count as my official recap/prediction. OKAY? okay.

So that’s it! You’ll be hearing from me soon.

Did I miss the pain? Clips LOSE, Series tied 3-3

Fri, 11 May 2012 22:37:41 -0700

As Clipper fans we all have some sort of social flaw. There is some basic mental make up that is miss wired in all our brains. What on Earth would make a person choose to do this to themselves? Sports are not fair, nor will they ever be. Some teams win, some teams lose, but they don’t take turns being high or low. The Clippers are losers. I don’t mean that in a derogatory or depressing way, but check the statistics, they LOSE (a lot). So when Clipper fans talk themselves into some kind of optimistic frenzy it goes against all of our own rational judgment. So once again we find ourselves climbing back up on that old rugged cross, for one more go at the pain we’ve become so accustomed to.

Think I think…

What would it actually be like to win? In the now dated 90s movie Swingers, the depressed main character Mike, is cheered up by his friend by hearing, “someday you’ll actually miss your pain. You’ll miss it because you lived with it for so long.” Well damn it, I hope that’s true. Give me the problem of someday missing this pain.

On to the Game 6 recap and Game 7 predictions:

HEROES:

-Marc Gasol, Grizzlies= he scored 23 points and added 9 rebounds. In a game featuring spotty shooting, he was one of the few bright spots for either team.

-Reggie Evans, Clippers= he continues to play great defense and make all the clutch rebounds for the Clips. Without Reggie the Clippers wouldn’t even have the opportunity to lose a game 7.

-Kenyon Martin, Clippers= K-Mart went for 10 points and played the most inspired defense of any player on the floor. When people talk about playoff experience mattering, they’re talking about Martin.

-Eric Bledsoe, Clippers= I’ll go on record as saying I don’t trust this guy with the ball in his hands. He plays at 100mph, and as a result loses control and misses a lot of lay ups. But his defensive energy is the #1 reason the Clippers were in this game in the final minutes. He was the MVP in the losing effort.

GOATS:

-Gilbert Arenas, Grizzlies= This guys sucks. He only played 3 minutes, scoring zero points. I just wanted a Grizzlies player on this list.

-Chris Paul, Clippers= His effort and bravery to play hurt was truly inspired, but once you step on the court, none of that matters. He didn’t do what was necessary to win and he turned the ball over twice in the final 3 minutes. I LOVE CP3, but tonight he was a mess and only taking 9 shots in unacceptable.

-Blake Griffin, Clippers= Ditto on the injury thing. My main gripe with Blake is his defense. The only thing necessary to play defense is effort, just ask Reggie Evans. Blake was leaking like a sieve out there and Vinny was forced to leave Blake on the bench even as the Clips struggled to score. Blake is also proving to be emotionally fragile when it comes to the referees. He absolutely will NOT stop bitching to the refs. His whining may actually have cost the Clippers this game because he put the officials in such a foul humor. Kudos on the clutch free throws though.

-Vinny Del Negro, Coach Clippers=Someone should have given Vinny one of the free red tee shirts all the fans got at the ticket turnstile, because he was literally a spectator. Lionel Hollins isn’t an amazing coach, but all it takes is a little adjustment and Vinny shits his pants. The Clippers shot themselves out of the game in the first half, but were still in it due to the Griz settling for outside jumpers. The minute the 2nd half started and the Griz began pounding the ball inside, Vinny basically went home.

WHAT ABOUT THE REFS?!?

-They were horrible, but I really can’t say they ruined that game. The Clippers lost that game on their own. But the refs certainly didn’t do the Clips any favors. Next question.

CAN THE CLIPPERS ACTUALLY WIN GAME 7?

The only way I see the Clippers pulling out game seven in Memphis is with a perfect storm of luck. Can we all pray that the Grizzlies spent all their enthusiasm trying to get to a game 7, but now that they achieved their goal they will come out flat believing the victory is their birthright? This is actually a possibility, albeit a small one, because of the early start time of the game on Sunday (10 Pacific). The other thing the Clips need to have happen is an absolute unconscious shooting exhibition. The gods of 3 point shooting need to smile on Foye, Young, Williams, and Butler. I’m talking an “At my signal UNLEASH HELL!” sort of onslaught. The Clippers have actually done this a few times in the regular season, and putting the Grizzlies in a deep hole would really ruin them. Memphis came back from a ten point deficit on Friday, but they just don’t have the team to work their way back from a large double digit deficit.

WILL THE CLIPPERS WIN GAME 7?

Never in my life have I wanted to be more wrong than when I write; no, they won’t. The Clippers have had their hearts torn out. They don’t have enough healthy bodies to with stand another physical bruiser of a game. The Memphis crowd is going to be insane and the Clippers offense just doesn’t seem to start fast enough to get the crowd on their heels. Too many injuries. Too many missed free throws. Too many bad calls. Too much Memphis length.

PREDICTION: GRIZZLIES 96 CLIPPERS 85

It’s just sad because if the Clippers don’t win this game the season was a failure. Sure, a loss anywhere on the way to the finals results in a failure, but this was the season meant to change the loser stigma. A first round exit isn’t going to do much convincing better players to sign with L.A. A first round exit isn’t going to do much convincing Chris Paul to sign an extension. A first round exit isn’t going to do much. Period.

GET OUT THERE AND PROVE ME WRONG CLIPPERS!!!

GO CLIPPERS!!

Injury added to insults: Clips lose, lead series 3-2

Wed, 09 May 2012 22:25:29 -0700

Technical fouls? check

Falling behind early? check

Injuries to star players? check

Confused head coach? check

So here we are…

Things couldn’t have gone much worse than they did in Wednesday night’s 92-80 loss at Memphis. Now the Clippers are faced with the game on Friday at Staples Center. Not a game on Friday…the game. Okay not, THE GAME, that would be a game 7, but for all intents and purposes, the Friday game is “the game”. Agreed?

World renowned asshole, Bobby Knight, once quipped when asked how his team found victory, “Our team scored more points than the other team.”

Sadly, he’s right. I can give you all the professional expert analysis you need, but this series is going to be won by the team with the most points. The Clippers must make more shots. I don’t care what Memphis does on defense, or what the state of CP3’s groin is, the Clippers MUST hit their shots.

The Clippers are going to get double and triple teamed, and probably even hacked on every opportunity, but the ball needs to start going in. In the 4th quarter run at the end of Wednesday’s game the Clippers made just 2 of their final 10 attempts. These were not hotly contested shots either, they were open jumpers. The Clippers have to dig deep, get hot, and stay hot. This team is constructed as such that they should be able to out shoot any team on any given night if their mojo is right. Come Friday, the mojo best be in alignment.

Friday’s game is going to feature a starting line up with only one (!!!) healthy starter. Chauncey Billups is out for the year. CP3 has strained both sides of his groin (insert joke). Who knows what Blake has done to his knee (hyperflexed? sounds made up)? Caron Butler has a broken left hand. And the healthy guy on the totem pole, DeAndre Jordan has been playing so poorly coach Del Negro has had to remove him from every game. So alert the Bat Signal, get Danny Manning out of retirement, check if Sam Cassell is still alive, because the Clippers need bodies on the floor.

Nick Young

Eric Bledsoe

Mo Williams

Reggie Evans

Kenyon Martin

Randy Foye

and maybe even Bobby Simmons

These are the men that have to find away to score points, get rebounds, and play defense. This ain’t exactly murderer’s row, but it’s not the Little Sister’s of the Poor either. Mo Williams and Nick Young are brave to a fault which is only a major problem when their shots aren’t falling. Wednesday the shots weren’t falling, on Friday they have to.

A message to the referees:

Dearest referees,

I know you’re confused and this certainly has been a physical series, but now is not the time to make the NBA playoffs about you. People pay a lot of their hard earned money to watch this heroes of the hardwood compete at the highest level. The ongoing inconsistencies of the calls have become disheartening. I’ve come to accept the home court advantage calls that exist in the NBA, but the barrage of technical fouls mixed with what appears to be blindly guessing at when to blow the whistle is beginning to mar the series. Blow the whistle when someone gets hit. Otherwise, let the players decide the outcome.

regards,

FullyLoadedClips

A Final Word on the Memphis Fans:

A lot is going to be made about the Memphis fans loudly booing Blake Griffin’s knee injury. The media is going to start making love with the definition of “class”. I’m only going to use this as an opportunity to point out the dangers of a mob mentality. The Memphis fans are not bad people because they booed Blake’s injury (they’re bad people because they’re from Tennessee). They got worked up in the moment and the mob took over. Whining about whether it was right or wrong is not important. People aren’t good or bad. People are people. Yeah, they shouldn’t have booed, but whatever. As a fan, I only care about the scoreboard. And Wednesday night, the Clippers were on the short end.

PREDICTION FOR FRIDAY:

MEMPHIS GOES COLD, CLIPS GET HOT: CLIPPERS WIN BY 9 MOVE ON TO SAN ANTONIO

Thrice as Nice: Clips lead 3-1 in series

Tue, 08 May 2012 12:04:17 -0700

The Los Angeles Clippers won 101-97 in an overtime thriller last night. When the dust settled on last nights victory something became abundantly clear to me; to win a championship a team needs the best player in the league. I’m not suggesting that the Clippers are going to win a championship purely because of Chris Paul, but with the nature of playoff games someone, preferably an All-Star, is going to have to close the game. Last season, Dirk Nowitzki was the best player in the league come playoff time and his team rode him all the way to their first ring. Right now, I don’t think it should even be argued that Chris Paul is the best player in the NBA playoffs. Lebron and Kobe will get their chance in the 2nd round to prove they’re the best, but without real adversity, we don’t know how great they’re really playing.

What did we learn?

-Caron Butler is a tough sonofabitch. He came out and score double digit points in the 1st quarter…with ONE HAND. Getting anything from him in these games is going to be huge for the Clips.

-Blake Griffin is learning. Blake still can’t put together a complete game, but he scored 30 points on the largest front line in the NBA last night. His defense and rebounding leaves much to be desired, but the Clippers are a MUCH better team when he’s in the game.

-Kenyon Martin is important. K-Mart has become a shut down defender. Who the hell thought Martin was going to be one of the deciding factors in the 1st round.

-Reggie Evans IS a god. Reggie has taken it upon himself to win these games on defense and on the glass. It’s very possible that he won’t have nearly this much value in further series if the Clips should advance, but this Memphis series belongs to him.

-The refs are very confused. I’m sure this series has been difficult to officiate. There has been a foul committed every second of every play. Literally both teams starting line ups could have fouled out last night. Yet, the inconsistencies of the refs calls has begun to shape the 4th quarters. Local broadcaster, Mike Smith, commented that every 50/50 ball that went out of bounds went the way of the Grizzlies. Meanwhile the Grizzlies put the Clippers in the bonus with 7 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Is it possible the refs were screwing BOTH TEAMS? Going back to Memphis this makes me nervous.

-Chris Paul is the best player in the NBA. CP3 blew it at the end of regulation and he continues to make me crazy by delaying his drives until 3 seconds left on the shot clock, but he is a dominating unstoppable force in the way that all great finishers were. Lebron James may score 35 points going into the 4th quarter, but even heat fans want the ball in Dwyane Wade’s hands when they’re going for the win. If the Clippers are to close out this series it’s completely dependent on whether or not CP3 can will them to another win.

WHAT NOW?

-The Clippers head back to Memphis needing just one more win to advance in the playoffs and face the Spurs. Memphis is decidedly angry following their latest of 3 frustrating defeats at the hands of the Clippers. I fully anticipate the Clips having major troubles winning game 5 in Memphis. The fans won’t be on their side. The refs won’t be on their side. Fate won’t be on their side. To win game 5 or any game in this series they’re really going to have to start hitting some 3 point baskets. Last night they got 2 huge 3’s from Nick Young and Mo Williams, but for the most part the team was cold from outside.

The offensive rebounding is and will continue to be a major problem, but like most of the Clippers flaws, it can’t be fixed, but can be improved on. Vinny Del Negro needs to get Reggie and Kenyon in the game earlier because DeAndre Jordan just plain hasn’t figured out how to rebound.

Vinny Del Negro has to do a way better job. Chris Paul wasn’t just playing against the Grizzlies last night, he had to play against his coach. The entire 3rd quarter and start of the 4th was an experiment on watching a dumb coach self distruct. Vinny hasn’t drawn up an inbounds play this entire year worth running. He almost cost the team the game by calling a timeout right as Mo Williams received a pass and got fouled! Vinny’s offense is offensive. TNT’s analysts were lambasting the Clip coach last night, for his inability to run ANY plays. Charles Barkley calls it the “stall” offense.

CAN THE CLIPPERS WIN THIS SERIES?

Well yeah, they’re up 3 games to 1. But……………………………the Clippers are going back to Memphis with too much confidence while playing an angry Memphis team. Mailing in game 5 is okay for Jordan’s Bulls, or Bird’s Celtics, but the Clippers don’t have the ability to turn in on at home and coast through the playoffs. T’would behoove them to give it their all and steal this game and series in Memphis, but I think the only way they win game 5 is if the shooters catch on fire. There are a possible 3 games left in this series and luck only favors the Clips in 1 of the 3. So should they lose game 5, they HAVE to win game 6. Plain and simple this is going to be trench warfare. Nothing will come easy and every game is going to come down to the final seconds. By goodness I hope they can close this thing out and advance.

PREDICTION?

Game 5: Bad Guys 92 Clippers 85

C’mon Clippers, prove me wrong.

It has been a Red Dawn: Clips go up 2-1 in series

Sun, 06 May 2012 12:29:17 -0700

It’s really difficult to quantify how big one win can really be. So for lack of better writing skills, I’ll say that yesterday’s win was HUGE. I was fortunate enough to witness yesterday’s game from the 5th row behind the Clippers’ bench. The atmosphere in Staples Center was something I’d never experienced in L.A. before. The Clippers themselves couldn’t believe the energy in the building. Even in pregame warmups the team shoot around developed into an impromptu dunk contest. I was terrified when I saw Blake and DJ executing “between the legs” dunks, because of the potential injury risk. But it was cool to see the moment even got to the players. These were not cold veterans, these were excited young guys that we so hyped up that they had to do SOMETHING.

Strangely, all that energy was a nervous energy. I can’t really explain it, but I could actually feel the crowd cheering louder and louder so that they wouldn’t be able to hear their own negative feelings of self doubt. In the post game press conference, Chris Paul credited the crowd with winning game 3. CP3 has not been around the Clippers long enough to realize the crowd was cheering to fight their own demons. Cheering for the Clippers goes beyond typical fandom. Cheering for the clippers is practically a metaphysical trial.

RECAP AND THOUGHTS:

GOOD NEWS: Caron Butler taped his hand back on and gave the Clippers a brave energy boost that they desperately needed. He is clearly one of the leaders on this team, but he’s gonna have to come up with an even bigger bag of tricks to stay effective in this series.

DJ played better. He still fumbles the ball out of bounds too often, but he played physically, and fought harder to keep the Grizz off the boards.

REGGIE EVANS. Some teams have a mascot or a lucky trinket (see: the rally monkey with the Angels), the Clippers have Reggie Evans. I’ve never seen a player less qualified to play basketball than Reggie Evans, yet he is completely beloved by his team and embraced by the fans. As CP3 was shooting free throws the crowd actually began chanting Reggie! Reggie! Reggie! This is one of the stranger things I’ve ever witnessed. Even more bizarrely Reggie Evans is probably the key to this series. His ability to control the glass and play pressure post defense will be the most important component to winning the series. To make an even more drastic a point, without Reggie Evans, the Clippers would lose this series.

BAD NEWS:

-The Clippers still keep playing from behind. Momentarily in the 1st half the Clippers had a 13 point lead, but that quickly evaporated because Coach Del Negro went to his “no one can score” line up. Coach really has to make sure he has at least 3 scorers on the court at all times, otherwise the Clippers are going to go on scoring droughts and allow the Grizzlies to extend their leads or crawl back into the game.

-Eric Bledsoe. Analysts always talk about experience winning in the NBA playoffs. Eric Bledsoe is why they say these things. His energy and defense would be tremendous assets in this series, but his inability to cope with playoff pressure makes it difficult to allow him into the game. He tends to be careless with the ball and is known to play out of control. In the playoff EVERY possession counts. EVERY turnover is huge. And as we almost found out, EVERY FREE THROW IS IMPORTANT.

-Poor Free Throw Shooting. This bugaboo that’s been following the Clips around all season almost crept up and bit them in the ass. Reggie Evans is never going to make his shots, but CP3, Blake, and whomever else gets the opportunity down the stretch must make their free throws. Rudy Gay made two ridiculous 3 point shots with less than 25 seconds to play and thanks to several missed free throws, including 2 in a row by Bledsoe, the Grizzlies had a final shot to win the game.

NOW WHAT?

The Clippers won the game.

The Clippers are up 2-1.

I believe it’s becoming increasingly clear the Clippers are only going to get 1 shot at winning this series, and it’s gonna mean winning ALL of their home games. They won their first one, and now they have 2 left, but they’re going to need both to close the deal. Sadly, the refs are not doing a great job of calling the series and it’s likely a game could be won or lost due to their incompetence. Here’s hoping the bad calls will be in the Clippers’ favor.

The Grizzlies are not ever going to go away. If this was a 100 game series, it’s possible it would end 50-50. This is going to go down as one of the great 1st round series in NBA history, which alas, is torture for both fan bases. If the Clippers can win game 4, they’ll be one game away, but I think we’re on a collision course for a must win game 6. If the Clips lose game 4, this is going to get really tricky. Let’s pray it doesn’t come to that.

Go Clippers!

Splitting Headache: Clips lose, series even 1-1

Wed, 02 May 2012 22:28:21 -0700

GOOD NEWS:

-The Clippers gained homecourt advantage by splitting the two games in Memphis.

-The Clippers are shooting the ball well (56%), and CP3 appears healthy.

-Blake Griffin actually played BETTER in the loss than the win.

-The Clippers have extra days of rest to rehab their injuries.

BAD NEWS:

-The Clippers are making a bad habit of turning the ball over.

-The Clippers got killed on the offensive boards 16 to 4.

-The Clippers got out shot from the FT line 39 to 18

-The Clippers are hurting BAD. Mo Williams, Eric Bledsoe, and NIck Young got hurt and couldn’t return. With Chauncey and Caron already out for the year, this already thin team just got thinner.

REASONS FOR OPTIMISM:

-The refs will be homers for the Clippers. It’s very WELL known that refs favor the home team in the NBA playoffs. Teams don’t bitch too much about it because: A) If they do they’ll be fined and B) The refs will be on their side during home games so it evens out.

-The Clippers will never turn the ball over 20 times again. CP3 won’t let that happen.

-The Clippers will never get killed on the offensive glass like that again. Part of this has to do with the refs. Get ready for a lot of loose ball fouls and foul shots.

-Someone, anyone will step up and score for the Clips besides CP3 and Blake. Bobby Simmons was aggressive tonight and could get hot. Randy Foye really needs to get his shit together, but Mo Williams looked great until he injured his forearm.

REASONS FOR PESSIMISM:

-DeAndre Jordan. I love DJ, but he is becoming a liability in playoff games. He’s an offensive black hole (we knew that). But on defense, his commitment to shot blocking has left tons of rebounds open for the Memphis players. His inability to control the defensive boards put the Clippers in a hole for the first 3 quarters, until VDN knew he had to get him out of there. DJ is also too talented to be so careless with the basketball. He’s made a habit of fumbling passes and rebounds out of bounds, as well as making WAY TOO MANY ill advised passes. Boring plays like end line inbound passes are routinely ending up in Grizzly hands. DJ has to sit until he gets his head together.

-Randy Foye. This guy was on fire in the second half of the season and he was really shaping into one of the better 3pt assassins in the league. So……where the fuck is that guy?

-Injuries. I mean really. Chauncey, Caron, Mo, Bledsoe, Young? How much abuse at the wing position can this team endure? The Grizzlies are big, long, and mean. It’s time Kenyon Martin become the mean motherfucker we all know he is, and checks these Grizzlies in the mouth. I predict technical fouls. Lots and lots and lots of techs.

-Coach Del Negro. This series is going to be long. Tonight proved that, but now the Clippers have been down by double digits in both games and have only materialized a largest lead of 7 points. I really don’t know if Vinny has enough tricks up his sleeve to keep adjusting his strategies and line ups.

GAME 3: SATURDAY 1:30 PM PACIFIC TIME

PREVIEW: The Clippers will have the crowd and refs on their side. I predict the Clips winning a close game. I see the Clips taking the lead and maintaining it for most of the game, but with the shoe now on the other foot, the Clips will have to withstand a late 4th quarter charge from their Memphis counterparts.

Go Clippers!

Can you hear me now? Clips win best playoff game EVER!

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:02:49 -0700

It was the worst playoff game I’ve ever witnessed until it was the best.

Plenty of websites will walk you through the last 8 minutes of last night’s game and break down the x’s and o’s that went into mounting a 27 point comeback, but I’m going to write about what it that win means.

After my elation and excitement subsided last night, I felt an emotion that I didn’t expect to feel, but maybe I should have. Disbelief. As a longtime Clippers fan I didn’t know what to do when my team comes back to actually WIN A PLAYOFF GAME. Sure, this is game 1 of a 7 game series. Sure, it’s the first round and ultimately this game shouldn’t mean that much. Sure, the Clippers got lucky. But I think that’s the most important point: THE CLIPPERS GOT LUCKY. Since this team moved to San Diego and became “the Clippers” they’ve been cursed. Not like Red Sox cursed or cubs cursed, but terrible, not close to the playoffs ever doomed to be a laughingstock cursed. The team played their asses off in that 4th quarter last night, but on any other night of any other year Rudy Gay’s final shot goes in and the Clippers lose 100-99. But not last night. Last night he hit front rim.

WHAT NOW?

Chris Paul and the media talked about the changing of the losing culture in Clipperland all year. Some said the culture changed when CP3 signed. Some say in changed when they beat the Lakers. Some say it changed when they finished with a winning record and made the playoffs. I think it actually changed when Rudy Gay’s shot clanged off the rim at the end of last night’s game. Clearly, the Grizzlies are going to come out like crazy people on Wednesday and attempt to blow the Clippers clean out of the building (and they probably will). But the Clippers now just knocked the biggest bully in the NBA to the canvas, and now they have everyone’s attention. Now the Clippers cannot be ignored. Now the league has to stand back, take notice, and account for CP3 and Company. Yesterday the Lakers won their game against Denver and many analysts are talking about how much that win means with Kobe playing that poorly. Well I have bad news analysts, the Clippers played one of their worst games of the year…and won. Blake Griffin will not be as nervous going forward. Mo Williams will begin to hit his shots. And CP3 will NEVER turn the ball over like he did last night. Needless to say, it is the NBA who should be nervous.

CAN THEY WIN THIS SERIES?

Yes and No. Wednesday is a HUGE game for both teams. The Clippers can lose that game and still be okay because now they’ve stolen home court advantage back, but the Grizzlies are a team that can easily turn the tables on the Clips at Staples Center due to their defense and size. The reason various NBA preview shows have been so exited about this series is because there’s very little chance of a blowout. That’s what makes last night so impressive and strange. The Grizzlies don’t have the offense to blow anyone out, but their defense will keep them in every game. Now that the Clippers have won a game on the road I’m getting greedy (read: nervous). It will be incredibly important to win their home games, but I’d feel a lot better about it if they could put the Grizz in a 2-0 hole. This Grizzlies team will not quit and I still think we’re headed to a full 7 games, I just think the Clips would be better off if they won @ Memphis early rather than needing to win a game 7 on the road.

CARON BUTLER IS HURT, WHAT THE HELL?

This is just how it’s gonna be for the Clips for the rest of the way. He’s not injured like Derrick Rose or Shumpert in NYC, but he’ll miss games or be severely limited. Now it looks like we’re entering into the Bobby Simmons era.

The Line ups will look like this:

Starters: CP3, Foye, Blake, Young, Deandre

2nd Unit: Bledsoe, Mo Williams, Bobby Simmons, K-Mart, Reggie Evans

The optimistic view here is that they didn’t lose much length defensively. The Clips will suffer at perimeter defense without Caron, but they already sucked at defending the 3 so who cares? The pessimistic view is that they are going to have to find some more points somewhere. ANYWHERE. Mo Williams has now become the ONLY scorer on the Clippers 2nd unit. Mo’s going to have to get hot, but coach VDN has to make sure he doesn’t try the “dribble around like I’m lost then shoot with 2 seconds on the shot clock” offense. Personally, here’s what I’d like to see more of:

CP3, Bledsoe, Blake, Young, Deandre

Mo Williams, Foye, Bobby Simmons, K-Mart, Reggie Evans

In the 2nd scenario, Foye is on the court adding a 2nd scoring threat, plus his length helps on defense. Oh and for the record, Bobby Simmons better not suck because the next guy off the bench is…(gulp) Ryan Gomes.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Wednesday, 9:30PM Eastern Time @ Memphis

Go Clippers!

NBA Playoff Preview: Can the Clips make a title run?

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:21:45 -0700

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

#1 SPURS VS #8 JAZZ

The Utah Jazz managed to sneak into the playoff and steal the 8 seed away from the Rockets and the Suns. For their trouble, they get the task of trying to take down a very, very, experienced Spurs team. To even play Devil’s advocate and justify the possibility of a Utah upset seems preposterous, but I’ll give them this: they play well at home. If the Jazz can protect their home court this series could stretch on longer than it should. But it won’t.

Prediction: SPURS IN 5

#2 THUNDER VS #7 MAVS

It’s tragic that this match up comes in the first round. I’d like to watch this in the Western Finals with both teams playing at the tops of their game. Instead we have a listless Mavericks team that has had a classic title hangover and hasn’t regained any of the mojo that led them to the trophy last year. While the Thunder went 8-7 in April and just lost their third best player thanks to World Peace’s elbow (love that sentence). The Mavs are running on fumes and even their owner seems to be ready to reload in the offseason. I just can’t see the Mavs finding enough scoring between Dirk and Terry to make this much of a series.

Prediction: THUNDER IN 5

#3 LAKERS VS #6 NUGGETS

I’m not really sure Denver fans know how they locked up the 6 seed. Denver is supposed to be rebuilding after jettisoning Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks. This series could turn out to be the most interesting series of the Western first round. Kobe is fighting with his shin. Bynum is fighting with his coach. And Metta World Peace is just fighting. The Lakers should win this series, but I think there’s enough turmoil and poor shooting left in Kobe and Co to take this one the full 7 games. Denver is a tough place to win, but I think Pau Gasol will be the difference and the Lakers will close the Nuggets out at Staples Center.

Prediction: LAKERS IN 7

#4 GRIZZLIES VS #5 CLIPPERS

Ugh. If you like ugly basketball, have I got a series for you! There will be fights, technical fouls, and at least one game where both teams fail to score 80 points. The Grizzlies have length and depth at seemingly every position and they will have the Clippers frustrated in every game. The good news for the Clippers is that the Grizz CANNOT score. Last year the Grizz shocked the world with the play of Z-Bo (22 and 11 avg), so everyone anticipates a similar run this year. I think the Clippers will actually sneak up on the newly confident Memphis team. Memphis has not played a good team in its last 8 games. Their last quality opponent was a loss @ the Spurs on April 12th. So for as “hot” as everyone thinks the Grizzlies are, one should keep in mind they’ve been beating up on the likes of the Bobcats, Cavs, and Wizards for nearly a month.

The key for the Clippers to win this series comes down to one thing: 3 point shooting. Much will be made about Blake Griffin and his free throw shooting, but the Clippers honestly shouldn’t get locked into a low post battle with Memphis. The Grizz want the Clippers to run the high pick and roll and slow the game down to a two man game. The Clippers should focus on letting CP3 penetrate and dish to the likes of Foye, Simmons, Butler, Young, and Mo Williams. Here’s an extra prediction, If Blake Griffin averages over 22 points per game in this series the Clippers will lose. Sadly, I don’t think we have the coach for this series.

Prediction: GRIZZLIES IN 7

EASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW

#1 BULLS VS #8 76ERS

Rose is an MVP, but he’s an injured MVP. The 76ers make the Memphis Grizzlies look pretty. Do NOT watch this series unless you hate yourself. The series will last longer than it should. Yes, 5 games is longer than it should go.

Prediction: BULLS IN 5

#2 HEAT VS #7 KNICKS

The sexiest 1st round match up in the entire NBA playoffs. The crowd at Madison Square Garden will be insane! But then it will slowly dawn on them how overmatched the Knicks really are in this series. LeBron James is going to play like a man possessed, and this series will actually be over before it even gets started. I hate to break this to you Heat Haters, we’re going to be stuck with Miami until at least the Eastern Finals.

Prediction: HEAT IN 4

#3 PACERS VS #6 MAGIC

I’m not really sure what the Pacers have done to achieve such positive cosmic karma, but they literally can sleepwalk through this one. I fully anticipate the Pacers to do just that. They will end up losing a game or two purely because they can’t believe how lucky they are to play the hapless Magic. The Magic are a fucking joke.

Prediction: PACERS IN 6

#4 BOSTON @ #5 HAWKS

Yes that’s the “at” symbol. Boston has the higher seed but will travel to Atlanta. This is a total shit match up for the Celtics. The Hawks are classic example of a team that can’t win the title but exists purely to make everyone’s life miserable (See also: Memphis Grizzlies). The Celtics know how to win a series like this, but it will be imperative for them to win their games at home. It would not surprise me to see the Hawks win their first two games at home and still end up losing the series. But should the Hawks go up 2-0 in the series Boston cannot afford to drop even a single game at home. The Celtics are too old to be screwing around with must win games. Even their big three probably can’t come back from down 3-0 or 3-1.

Near Miss: Clips edge Hornets in Home Finale

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:59:54 -0700

Once again the Clippers found themselves playing down to their opponents and nearly lost their opportunity for home court in the first round of the playoffs. The Clippers deserve a little slack after having their hearts’ broken earlier yesterday afternoon when Kobe and Co. came back from a 17 point deficit to lock up the 3 seed against OKC. With the Pacific Division championship and the 3 seed dream now over, the Clippers need to focus on one thing and one thing only: Winning 1 game. The Clippers head to Atlanta on Tuesday and if they can manage any sort of win, they can lock up home court in the 1st round. This is VERY important, because Memphis is continuing to win games and will most likely finish with an identical record as the Clippers. The Atlanta game becomes crucial because with only a 2 games left the Clippers have a few nagging injuries starting to creep up on them. Yesterday, Caron Butler aggravated his hip injury and Nick Young didn’t even play because of his ongoing gimpy-ness. Also, Blake Griffin picked up his 12th technical foul, meaning 1 more and he’s suspended for 1 game. Just imagine if he got a tech in the finale at Madison Square Garden. The Clippers would be without their electric big man for the first game of the playoffs. And forgive me for being so blunt, but this 1st round against Memphis is going 7 games whether they like it or not.

Self control is becoming as big a part of the end of this season as injuries have. With Ron…err…Metta World Peace elbowing OKC’s 6th man of the year, the Lakers look to be down a player for a few games if not the entire 1st round. Blake Griffin can’t afford a fate similar to this, and let’s be honest, it’s really not that difficult to not get technical fouls.

Previewing the REAL BALLERS OF ATLANTA on Bravo:

The Atlanta Hawks are an athletic team that can beat anyone if they get hot, but they are streaky and can go cold for long stretches. It remains to be seen if Atlanta really has anything to play for. Atlanta is going to be stuck playing the Celtics in the 1st round of the playoffs, but they look to have home court being that they beat the Celtics just last week. The Celtics do own the tiebreaker, so the Clippers are probably going to have to deal with a revved up Hawks team. The Celtics play the heat on Tuesday, so maybe the Hawks should just chill the fuck out. The Celtics haven’t even played Allen, KG, or Rondo in their last two games.

The Clippers are going to have an awful time winning this game against the Hawks, but this really feels like Mo Williams will have his name all over it. CP3 is going to give it his all and Blake will provide good energy, but coach VDN knows he needs his role players to become scoring threats in the final two games. Look for Mo Williams to run the 2nd team while opening up a TON of 3 point attempts for Randy Foye, Bobby Simmons, and even maybe Bledsoe (god, I hope not). I don’t like the idea of a shorthanded Clippers team going into a must win game, but at least there’s a good chance the Knicks will be taking the day off on Thursday.

So here’s a quick recap of what the 3-5 seeds look like going into Monday night:

3. LAKERS (41-24) Remaining: @ Sacramento; Predicted W-L (42-24)

4. CLIPPERS (40-24) Remaining: @ Atlanta, @ New York; Predicted W-L (41-25)

5. GRIZZLIES (39-25) Remaining: vs Cleveland, vs Orlando; Predicted W-L (41-25)

Worst Game Under the Suns: Clips lose by 1

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:42:26 -0700

The Clippers have really impressed me in the last two weeks and I’ve really felt great about their recent overachieving, but last night probably ruined their chances at the 3 seed and will put more pressure on their final 3 games. The Clippers had what they wanted with CP3 handling the ball with 15 seconds to go while down by 1. The possession was a mess, and the Clippers lost. Sunrise, sunset. But now the Clippers have to absolutely beat the Hornets on Sunday night, and win at least one of two between Atlanta and New York. The “cupcake” I reference in my last post, just eliminated Houston from the playoff discussion last night. So, clearly the Clippers cannot afford to rest on their laurels with the suddenly potent Hornets coming up.

As I said previously, the Clippers need help from the Lakers and the Grizzlies. The Lakers take on the Spurs tonight and have an early game with the Thunder on Sunday. Kobe Bryant returns tonight, and believe it or not I think that will actually hurt the Lakers. I’d like to stress, I DON’T BELIEVE THE LAKERS ARE BETTER WITHOUT KOBE. What I am saying is, the Lakers have gotten used to playing without Kobe and his ball stopping style of play could cause a few miscommunications and growing pains against the Spurs and possibly the Thunder. If the Lakers drop both games, it could open the door for the Clips to get back into the race for the #3 seed.

Memphis can’t be counted on to drop any more games, but the Clippers still hold the all important tie breaker over them. Hopefully the Clippers can win at Atlanta and virtually lock up the home court advantage. Home court is going to be especially important with the lack of playoff experience on the Clippers’ roster. Analysts have made Memphis the trendy pick of the playoffs because of their size. Marc Gasol, Rudy Gay and Z-Bo all are huge players. The Grizzlies create match up problems all over the court. The one thing the analysts are not accounting for is the Clippers ability to shoot from the perimeter. The Grizz will definitely slow the game down in the playoffs and force the Clips to use the full amount of the shot clock time and time again, but if the Clippers can get out ahead of Memphis, the Grizzlies are not a dynamic scoring offense. I certainly hope Nick Young, Randy Foye, Bobby Simmons, Caron Butler, and Mo Williams realize how important their outside shooting is going to be.

What to watch for:

1. Tonight watch the Lakers lose to San Antonio.

2. Tonight pray for the Bobcats to overcome the odds and defeat the Grizzlies.

3. Sunday root for the Clippers to finish with a win at home against the Hornets.

Destination Unknown

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:35:44 -0700

The Clippers have quietly returned to the Western Conference Champion conversation. For a team that wins almost ALL of their games by a small margin in the final minutes of the final quarter, they have done an excellent job of staying under the radar. Only in a season this screwy could a team with an MVP candidate, the most electrifying player under the sun, and having a home court in the 2nd largest market in America go almost completely unrecognized.

The headline hierarchy goes some thing like this:

1.CAN THE HEAT WIN IT ALL?

2.WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THE ORLANDO MAGIC?

3.CAN KOBE AND DERRICK ROSE RETURN TO FULL STRENGTH FOR THE PLAYOFFS?

4.ARE THE SPURS TOO OLD?

5.IS THIS THE YEAR OF THE THUNDER?

6.HOLY SHIT, THE CLIPPERS ARE GOOD?

By my unscientific count, the Clippers are at best the 6th most compelling playoff story as far as the major media outlets are concerned. To be honest, that’s just fine by me. I really don’t think coach VDN needs any more pressure on him than he already has. Many of the guys on the team don’t have any playoff experience and for that reason they’re inclined to press during the playoffs. It would actually be a great relief if the Lakers could dominate Los Angeles’ sports page at least through the 1st round.

My earlier post about the finishing schedules of the Lakers, Clippers, and Grizzlies is beginning to come into shape. The Grizzlies did drop their first game, destroying my undefeated pick, but they’re still on pace to finish 7-1 in their final 8. It is imperative that the Clippers keep winning. The Clippers really showed something by defeating the Thunder at home a few night’s back but the more important win was probably in Denver. Road games against playoff hungry teams are going to be slugfests that truthfully, I’d rather the Clips didn’t have to be playing this time of year. The Lakers seems to be in similar trouble as the Clips because the Grizzlies are going to keep coming given their cupcake schedule. The Lakers have a MAJOR advantage over the Clippers with the tiebreaker. As it sits right now the Clips and Lakers are on a collision course to finish with identical records. Strangely enough, one more loss by the Grizz and the playoff standings would basically be set. The Lakers and the Clippers, both, own tiebreakers over Memphis, so with the help of a Grizz loss and some fancy math the Clips could lock in to the 4 seed.

I guess the scariest part of the final 4 games of the season is trying to find the balance between health and victory. On paper the Clippers really need to run the table in these games, but should the Grizzlies lose and the Lakers take down the Thunder and the Spurs, I would seriously consider resting everyone for the away games @Atlanta, and @New York. A season this grueling puts coaches in a very precarious position and one’s record really doesn’t mean much once the playoffs begin. The Spurs are especially dangerous because their coach has been resting the starters off an on for ENTIRE games and still could win the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Clippers have 3 of their final 4 on the road. Shockingly, tonight’s game in Phoenix might be the most difficult game left on the schedule. The Suns are only a half game out of the playoff picture, and their Clippers haven’t won in Phoenix since before the housing crisis. After tonight’s bloodbath, the Clips will finish their home schedule with the Hornets. That’s a cupcake and the Clips should have that game over with by halftime. Then comes the interesting games. Back to back games against the Hawks and the Knicks. Both teams could be locked into their playoff positions by then. Even more interesting the Clippers could be locked into their playoff seed. So these road games could be do or die must win games or a couple of snoozefest games between teams that don’t care.

In sports, people always talk about teams having “control of their own destiny”. This year it seems the Clippers have very little control over their destiny. The Lakers really control the destiny of the Clippers, Grizzlies, AND themselves. The good news here is, no matter what happens that destiny is a playoff destiny. So yes, watch the Clippers tonight and cheer them on against the Hornets in their home finale, but I’d keep one eye on the Lakers come Friday and Sunday. Your destiny depends on it.

By any means necessary: Clips win 112-104

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 15:47:50 -0700

It’s not going to be pretty from here on out. The Clippers just have to keep on winning. The playoff race is going to be played on the razor’s edge for the rest of the way and CP3 realizes the Lakers, Grizzlies, and even Vinny Del Negro need not stand in his way. The Clippers are luckily flying under the radar and could be a very sneaky team in the 1st round of the playoffs. Unfortunately however, the Lakers and Grizzlies (their likely opponents) don’t show signs of letting up either. The hottest teams in the Western conference may be the Lakeshow, Memphis, and our very own Clippers.

Next up the Clips face off against the 1st place Thunder on Monday night. It’s a real shame the Clippers have to have a game that tough when they’re pushing for the 3 seed, but as we’ve seen before the Clippers tend to play up or down to their opponents. So perhaps the Clippers will be hardened into playoff steel by the time the season comes to a close. The Clippers certainly have to feel good about being one win from clinching a playoff spot. Playoff tickets are incredibly rare in these parts, so convincing me that we’re actually in the playoffs is going to be a difficult enough task.

As for today’s game I was impressed in the starters’ resilience, but the bench really left a lot to be desired. Nick Young needs to raise his game now that Mo Williams is back from being injured. Nick Young doesn’t have the pressure to score that he was saddled with while Mo was on the shelf. I really hope he learns to relax and just let the game come to him. The giant red flag in this game was the 12th technical foul Blake “earned” by shooting his mouth off. Blake is a truly great player, but he continues to hurt himself by insisting on berating the refs after nearly every possession. With Blake’s next tech he will be force into a mandatory one game suspension. The Clippers have ABSOLUTELY no room for error, and Blake’s screwing around with the refs. Hopefully CP3 and even the injured Chauncey Billups will sit Blake down and explain to him that he’s hurting the team. Maturity is not this team’s greatest quality, but if they plan on making noise in the playoffs they have to learn to play smart. Right now the smartest thing they can do is keep Blake’s mouth shut.

Next up:

Lakers play Dallas tomorrow

Memphis has Utah tonight

Clippers face Thunder on Monday

Let the chaos ensue, go Clippers!

Dying Wolves: Clips win by 13

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 22:24:47 -0700

2 wins in two days. The Clips cut down OKC on the road and then turned around and planted the T-Wolves. Obviously the win over the Thunder looks far more impressive than the victory over a Rubio/Love-less Wolves squad. However, the win tonight was just as, if not more, important than the OKC game. The Lakers, Clippers, and Grizzlies are in a dead heat that will easily go down to the final games of the season. Each win counts as one W and each loss counts the same in the L column. Games against the Thunder are going to count the same as games against the Bobcats, so every team knows they can’t have off nights or fall victim to trap games. The Lakers hold an advantage over the Clippers because of the tiebreaker, but the Lakers still have San Antonio two more times on their schedule. The two road wins this week will be huge if the Clippers have any hopes of snagging that 3 seed and the Pacific title.

Now I’ll break down the schedules of these 3 playoff teams:

Memphis Grizzlies:

vs Utah Jazz- Must win for the Jazz but they’re fading. Memphis will defend their home court fiercely.

@ New Orleans Hornets- I doubt the Hornets will win anymore games this year. They want that #1 pick.

@ Minnesota Timberwolves- Kevin Love and Rubio are out. That means the Wolves are out.

vs New Orleans Hornets- Must be nice to play these cupcakes twice.

@ Charlotte Bobcats- This is the best college basketball team in the country. Unfortunately, they play in the NBA.

vs Portland Trailblazers- The Blazers are calling it quits now that Aldridge is out for the season.

vs Cleveland Cavs- A very respectable season for a rebuilding squad but with the Grizz playing for their lives, I anticipate another W for Memphis.

vs Orlando Magic- Which Magic team will show up? If the Magic has anything to play for they could win this game, but if not they’ll lay down like dogs.

Grizzlies finish (8-0)

Los Angeles Lakers:

vs Denver Nuggets- If Kobe’s still out, this one’s a coin flip. Denver can’t afford to lose.

vs Dallas Mavs- Same story with Dallas. They’re fighting just to make the playoffs. Nobody wants to start the playoffs in OKC or San Antonio.

vs. San Antonio Spurs- With the Thunder skidding the Spurs look to take the 1 seed and home court throughout the playoffs.

@ Golden State Warriors- Strangely this road game might be a welcome relief for the Lakers. No way G State wins this game.

@ San Antonio Spurs- Party’s over. The Spurs don’t lose at home…much.

vs Oklahoma City Thunder- From the frying pan into the fire. This game will be a barn burner. Also, the Thunder is a terrible match up for the Lakers.

@ Sacramento Kings- A blowout to end the year will help Laker fans from jumping off a bridge.

Lakers finish (4-3)

Los Angeles Clippers:

vs Golden State Warriors- This game will be closer than it needs to be, but the Clips take care of business.

vs Oklahoma City Thunder- A payback game. The Thunder don’t let the Clips get away with another one.

@ Denver Nuggets- The Nuggets and Clippers will kill each other in this game. Don’t be surprised to see a fight or a few ejections. Good things don’t happen in Colorado…just ask Kobe.

@ Phoenix Suns- No one can explain why the Suns won’t go away. No one can explain to Steve Nash that he should go play for a better team. Hopefully I won’t have to explain why the Clips let this one get away.

vs New Orleans Hornets- This one will feel particularly good with the tension that will be built up by this point.

@ Atlanta Hawks- Which Hawks team shows up and will they have anything to play for? I hope they won’t. The Hawks are young, athletic, and fighting for their playoff lives.

@ New York Knicks- This one will make for good TV but I can’t see CP3 letting his team close the season with a loss at MSG. Sorry Melo.

Clippers finish (5-2)

So here’s my playoff prediction for the 3-5 seeds:

3. Memphis Grizzlies

4. Los Angeles Lakers (by virtue of tie breaker)

5. Los Angeles Clippers

This doesn’t make me happy, but it’ll be a hell of a first round match up if the Grizz run the table.

Go Clippers!

Memphis 94 Clippers 85: Mental Disabilities

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:09:01 -0700

The final minute of the game told the whole story of the Clippers’ inadequacies. The Clippers couldn’t stop the Grizzlies and they couldn’t create high quality shots on the other end. The Clippers were down 5 with less than a minute to go and Randy Foye had the ball at the top of the key. In this situation the ONLY shots that should be attempted are 3 pointers and very high percentage lay up range 2’s. Randy dribbled around wasting precious seconds, then penetrated the lane, then retreated and fired up a fade away 19 footer. EVEN if the ball goes in, he wasted 10 to 15 seconds. The Clippers would be down 3 and forced to foul. Most NBA players can make at least 1 out of 2 from the line, which would again make the game a two possession ball game and the Clips would find themselves in the exact same situation they were in but with half the time on the clock.

High school and college coaches talk about leadership and basketball IQ all the time in their most cliched sort of way. I’m not really sure what sort of leadership you’re expecting to get from a junior varsity sophomore, but in the NBA it could actually make a difference. The NBA is the top of the top when it comes to athletes, so usually quickness and skill can be neutralized to some degree. That’s where leadership and intelligence can trump the lock down defenses of the 4th quarter. Chris Paul is one of the best if not the best in the game at finding a way to get a quality shot down the stretch. His mixture of penetration kick outs and dribble drive lay ups confound the defenses and really open the floor for his teammates. The good part of success is that it breeds confidence. The bad part of success is that it gives confidence to guys that shouldn’t be playing the leadership role. Randy Foye is an asset. But he is only and asset on the wing knocking down clutch 3’s when the clock is running down.

Randy Foye and Eric Bledsoe have really raised their levels of play lately, and we’re all very pleased. Yet, time and time again we find them taking the game into their own hands and recklessly driving the lane. These drives typically result in a wild shot or an offensive charging foul. The idea of closing your eyes and running into the paint praying for a foul is not what I’d call smart basketball. Chris Paul makes dribble penetration look easy because he’s so good at it, but effectively driving the lane at his height is something that only 4 or 5 guys in the entire league can do.

The Spurs are successful year in and year out because their coach makes sure that every player knows their roles. When roles are defined players don’t get confused. When players aren’t confused, they end up in the proper positions. When players are in the proper positions, high quality possessions ensue. Lots of fans look at Spurs players thinking, “if only we had that guy, our guys never make that shot”. Truthfully, it’s not that Spurs players are any better than the guys on the Pistons, but that they know their roles and their positioning has given them open looks at the basket.

The Clippers on the other hand have become a two faced offense. They are calm, under control, and effective when Chris Paul is running the point. But the few minutes per game that Paul has to rest on the bench sends the team into their “oh, FUCK!” offense. The OF offense usually involves point guard or two guards isolating until the end of the shot clock then heaving an ill advised 20 footer or passing the ball with 1 second on the shot clock and letting Kenyon Martin miss another line drive 18ft shot. The Clippers have gotten better at the OF offense in late March and April with the emergence of Eric Bledsoe, the revitalization of Randy Foye, and the chipping in of Nick Young and Bobby Simmons, but it’s still not a pretty thing to watch.

The next game is a potential blow out loss @ Oklahoma City. Clipper fans are still waiting around to see when they’ll get Mo Williams back to add a little more punch to the offense and to give CP3 a few more minutes on the bench. Coach VDN has to find the delicate balance of making sure his team is healthy and rested going into the playoffs as well as securing home court advantage in the 1st round. Mo’s going to need a couple of games to get back in the flow before the playoffs begin and the Grizz don’t seem to be going away. So look for the Clips to lose on Wednesday but frantically pull it back together in Minnesota for the final playoff push.

Prediction: OKC 114 Clippers 99