FULLY LOADED CLIPS

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!

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!

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!

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!!

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.

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! 

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)

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!

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!

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