FULLY LOADED CLIPS

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!!

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.

The Clippers embarrassed themselves on the road trip and the whispers and rumors now became loud screams; it was time for Vinny togo. Famous writer and blowhard Stephen A. Smith came out and said that Vinny would be kept on the team until the end of the year because of Donald Sterling’s “thriftiness”. This almost didn’t seems possible, being that the team had a day off and then 5 easy home games, but in a blinding act of stupidity, the Clips retained VDN. Then Saturday happened. The Clippers came out and played GREAT. They rebounded, they defended, they passed the ball on offense and hustled down the court in transition. This was the one thing the Clippers didn’t need. Don’t get me wrong, the Clips need every win they can get, but they can’t afford to win anymore that will delay the departure of Vinny.

I was watching this documentary on HBO a few weeks ago about this retarded girl. The retarded girl was in her 30s, but all she could basically do was sit around and make pot holders all day. When the retard’s mother died, she was sent to live with her sister, a famous artist in New York. Well, the sister was very talented and had her own life to deal with but having to constantly care for a retarded person began to destroy her career and relationships. Neither person was evil for their situation, but together it just wouldn’t work. So when the sister prepares to ship her sister to a living facility, the retard gets it together. Fixing dinner, folding her clothes, taking care of the cat…it looks like the retard can actually hack it in the modern world. So everyone has reservations about sending her away, and saying that she’s really improved and that she really IS capable of taking care of herself.  VINNY DEL NEGRO IS THE RETARD! Blowing out the Grizzle on Saturday afternoon was his own personal “taking care of the cat and folding his clothes.”

Clipper fans, analysts, and hell even Clipper players are now questioning their feelings on coach VDN. Were we too emotional? Were we making knee jerk judgments because of our new success? Is it actually the players fault? NO. It is very likely that coaching isn’t the only problem with this team, but I assure you Vinny is a terrible coach. This team is on the eve of its first real playoff run in team history. Vinny is not a coach that can handle the playoffs. In playoff basketball, the game slows down and becomes a half court style of basketball. Vinny’s stagnant offense with too many isolations and lack of passing and movement will spell doom for the Clippers in the first round. Every single possession is magnified in the playoffs and the Clippers have enough flaws to begin with (Free throw shooting anyone?) to deal with a coach that can’t be creative enough to make in-game adjustments. 

For the last few days people have been throwing out names of who they want the next Clippers coach to be: Larry Brown? Phil Jackson? Nate McMillan? Mike D’Antoni? Those are all big names and I don’t know what the right answer to that question is, but I do know the Clippers don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of putting anything together with VDN in charge. And don’t look now, they’re 2 losses from being out of the playoff picture altogether.

New Orleans tonight…better not lose this one Vinny. Your job DOES depend on it.

I’m confused. I know the Clippers must be more confused. The Clippers played an almost great game last night. They defended, the transitioned the ball, the rebounded the ball, and they didn’t play down to the depleted Suns’ level…until the 2nd half. Neil Olshey was on the foxsports tv broadcast talking about the addition of Nick Young, and he added that the Clippers should be up 15 or so going into the half so they can take the fight out of the Steve Nash-less Suns. No sooner did the words come out of Mr. Olshey’s mouth than the Suns went on a run that cut the Clips’ lead to 8 going into the half. No one was worried or should have been, with a neutered Suns team that was virtually manhandled by the Clippers in the first half.

The 2nd half was a nightmare. The Clippers had a temporary flashback to being the Clippers of old. The 2nd half Clippers were not a playoff team, the 2nd half Clippers were a lottery team tanking at home in the hopes of securing the number one pick. Chris Paul was in the game at the wrong times and resting at the wrong times. The 2nd  unit, usually known for its energy, was a disaster and was turnover prone. It’s a shame in professional sports that fans of struggling teams attack the coaches first. Last night Nate McMillan got the ax in Portland. A few days ago, Mike D’Antoni was forced to leave the Knicks. But life is life and facts are facts, coach Del Negro is now sitting on a very hot seat. The Clippers have TWO players that started in the All-star game. They have THREE former All-stars in Caron Butler, Mo Williams, and Kenyon Martin. They have the best (maybe) point guard in the game, and the most explosive power forward in the league. They have a first class shot blocker in DeAndre Jordan. They have a great  energy guy in Reggie Evans. The team has good chemistry and is unselfish. What they don’t have is a coach with a clue. It’s time for VDN to go.

The Clippers have one day off and with the current schedule, now is going to be no time for practice. Coach Del Negro is going to have to put his big boy pants on and learn to make “in game” adjustments, because the schedule is not going to provide time for coaches to be technicians. Nick Young will provide a change of pace and hopefully a boost for this team but they’ll have to weather the storm without him until Tuesday. The Clippers play Houston on Saturday and Detroit on Sunday, these games SHOULD be wins. Houston is a playoff team from the Western Conference, but in this league you need to protect your home court otherwise you stand no chance in the playoffs. Detroit is a cupcake. The Clippers have already lost several cupcake games this year, so I’m not taking it for granted. But when you have a game, say, the Suns without Grant Hill or Steve Nash, you go out get up by 25, rest your starters in the 4th, and move one to the next game. What you don’t do, is pussy-foot around and end up losing a heartbreaker while burning out all your starters. Come Sunday night, I want to be writing about how the Clippers closed the homestand with a huge blowout against Detroit while welcoming Nick Young on Tuesday at the Pacers.

Go Clippers, don’t fuck this up!

Chauncey Billups is hurt, he isn’t dead! The pregame intro music for the Clippers’ starting line up might as well have been a funeral march or Mozart’s requiem. The Clippers dragged their broken bodies up and down the court at the Q last night and just waited for lowly Cleveland to put them out of their misery. After the game coach Del Negro made no excuses and said that his team wasn’t ready to play. That’s your job man! You are to make sure your team is ready to play! If they’re playing slow and sluggish, you wake them up or play guys that want to play. Last week, coach Pop in San Antonio left his entire starting line up on the bench for the 2nd half (and ensuing overtime) on the floor for a big game against Dallas. Stars like Tony Parker and Tim Duncan became energized cheerleaders and it brought the team closer together. A road game in Cleveland would be the perfect place to try to light the fire under the starters by playing the end of the bench. Also, you can avoid burning out all your starters in the middle of this 6 game roadie.

The game itself was ugly to say the least. The Cavs played better than they typically do, but by no means were they shooting the lights out. The Clippers were killed on loose balls and hustle plays. Anderson Varejao killed the Clippers down low for 15 pts and 11 boards. The Clippers now boast one of the toughest low post rosters in the NBA featuring Reggie Evans, DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin, and Kenyon Martin, yet a fuzzy haired Brazilian rolled into the paint and owned L.A’s big men last night. 

Kenyon Martin was a small bright spot. His shot was flat, and he was caught out of position routinely on offense, but his enthusiasm made up for all that. He actually WANTED to play, which is more than I can say about the rest of the team.

Randy Foye has been given the unenviable position of filling Chauncey’s shoes. Foye didn’t play well and didn’t play poorly. Randy Foye played like Randy Foye. He’s a streaky shooter that can be very effective coming off the bench but he really doesn’t add much to the floor when he’s inked in as a starter. Foye is defensively average and he doesn’t offer much in the one on one game. 

One of the storylines that’s going to get more and more play as the season goes on is, the Clippers lack of perimeter defense. The Clippers give up a TON of open 3pt shots and thus far have survived them. The Clippers were making a lot of 3’s themselves which was neutralizing their opponents, but without Chauncey they could be in trouble. Long range shot’s create long rebounds. Long rebounds result in one of two things: a transition play for the defense resulting in fast break points or a fresh 24 secs for the offense. The Clippers have been concentrating on crashing the boards and keeping their opponents from making the tip-ins and put back dunks, but they’re not boxing out deep enough to prevent the long rebound disasters. In the Clippers’ wins the box score shows all those long transition rebounds through CP3’s large rebound total. Chris Paul’s only 6ft tall, he shouldn’t be getting any rebounds.

I hate to believe this game is going to come back to haunt the Clips, but in a shortened season EVERY game counts. And given the clustered standings of the Western Conference every game will count just a little bit more. Before Cleveland, the Clippers were prepared to head undefeated on their road trip to face 1st place Philly, followed by an easy one in Charlotte and finishing with Dallas. The really looked like a team that was going to go 5-1 on the road with a possibility of stealing all 6. Now after blowing the Cleveland game, they’re 2-1, heading into a VERY difficult match up against the 76ers, followed by a Cleveland-lite game in Charlotte, and then another ball crusher in Dallas. One stupid mental lapse in Cleveland could change this road trip from 5-1 to 3-3. 

In baseball there is a saying that momentum is the name of tomorrow’s starting pitcher. But in this chaotic 66 game season, with back to back games and wild road trips, teams have to find some kind of cohesive identity. Teams MUST win games against the lesser teams. Teams MUST protect their home court. Teams must come together and create confidence heading into the playoffs. Hopefully last night was just a blip on the radar, not the beginning of the end.

SO THERE WAS THAT.

A word on “The Dunk”

A lot of times people get too excited about the Slam Dunk in basketball as it only counts for two points. Boring, efficient-shooting teams lulled the high flying Clippers into submission last year in route to another playoff-less season. Last night didn’t fall into that category. Sometimes dunks count for more than two points. Sometimes dunks can change the ebb and flow of a game. Sometimes dunks can change the confidence of a player. Sometimes dunks can get a player noticed. And sometimes a Blake Griffin Dunk can disturb the rotation of the earth on it’s axis. Last year when Blake set his testicles on Timofey Mosgov’s head and threw the ball through the cylinder, his career was forever changed. That dunk paved the way for the rookie of the year award, the all-star birth, and eventually a deal to jump over a Korean car during All-Star Weekend. Last night, something happened again. Around 4 minutes into the 3rd quarter CP3 sent a bounce pass to Blake as he had a full head of steam. Seconds later, Blake Griffin and Kendrick Perkins became forever linked. Perkins was widely known and respected around the league as a “tough guy” and many people have blamed the Celtics’ woes on his absence. So when Perkins pushed a airborne Blake Griffin away from the hoop, the natural reaction would be too assume two shots at the foul line and we’ll move on with life. Blake Griffin dunks don’t work that way. To borrow a horrible line from Yakov Smirnoff, “In Soviet Russia, you don’t dunk, Blake dunks you”. Again this was only one play, but the importance of this play has not fully been realized. Is this the play that gels the Clippers team to go on a serious playoff run? The Clippers have been searching for that moment that sheds the Charlie Bucket moniker of “we’re just lucky to be here.” Does Blake finally transform into the hybrid of Karl Malone and Charles Barkley we’ve been hoping for? What happens to Kendrick Perkins? Do Durant and Westbrook not trust their team to the point that they try to score 80 every night and ruin the chemistry? Who knows? We’ll find out as time goes on. Now to the games…

Lots of Billups Left in Clippers Gun: Clips 109 ShitNuggets 105

Sometimes it’s hard for television networks to find something to hype about a late game on a Sunday night in the middle of January, so they come up with some mundane  plot line about a “player’s homecoming”. I guess Chauncey Billups went to Colorado, so it was his turn to hear the fake hype. I’m not sure if the television audience bought it, or even the play by play guys, but the only guy it surely mattered to was Chauncey. Billups scored 32 points and electrified the game with his reckless, yet effective shooting. At times Chauncey can go into “fuck it” mode and just start launching shots from anywhere on the court at anytime on the shot clock; Sunday night was one of those times. Lucky for the Clippers, Billups was on fire. Billups acquired some of that can’t miss mojo that Mo Williams has been walking around with for the last week and proceeded to shoot the will out of the Denver team. This was a huge win for Los Angeles, as the have struggled on the road mightily thus far, and Denver is definitely a team they will be hearing from again. It was another nervous game that Clippers fans never felt good about until the final horn sounded, but a win is a win and Chauncey ain’t done yet.

“Welcome all my friends to the show that never ends, I’m so glad you could attend, step in side, step in side.” -Blake Griffin 

Clippers 112 Thunder 100

I truly don’t believe it would be hyperbole for me to write that this was the single best game I’ve seen the Clippers play this year. The Clippers came out firing on all cylinders, shooting hot and playing good defense, and then settled down to weather the storm. Clippers teams in the past, particularly last year, have made the big highlight reel plays and made runs to get giant 1st half leads, but they’ve never had the intestinal fortitude to hold it together. My mother (a Clips fan) always jokes that the Clippers need to have a 25 point lead going into the 4th quarter to win, because she’s so used to them pissing it away. 

This game was a GREAT game for the Clippers. It will forever be remembered as a Blake Griffin game, but it was a more important game for the rest of the team. This was the game that Caron Butler started to figure out his role and find his shooting touch. This was a game that could vault Mo Williams into winning the 6th man of the year award (he’s got my vote). This was the game that further proved Chauncey could become the perfect 2 guard for the Clippers as his career winds down. And this, THIS, was the beginning of complete CP3 dominance. I’ve made note of the Clippers record this season and been completely pleased and overwhelmed by not staring up from the bottom of the standings, yet I’ve been troubled by the lack of the “wow” factor from CP3 this year. Don’t get me wrong, he’s been brilliant, and he’s played better than any Clipper PG I’ve EVER seen, but where’s the guy some have said is one of the best PGs in HISTORY. Last night, I got to find out. 26 points, 14 assists, and 35 “Kobe” or “Jordan” plays where he wills his team through a possession. In the NBA, plays break down, shots don’t go in, momentum swings, but certain players have the salmon-like ability to swim upstream and drag their whole team with them. Last night, Durant and Westbrook were “on”, but every time the Thunder mounted a charge CP3 took it upon himself to make sure this was NOT going to become a close game. Chris Paul has already changed the culture of losing on this team to such a degree that Ralph Lawler (voice of the Clippers) claimed the game was over with 8 minutes left in the 4th. Mike Smith pleaded with Lawler that the Thunder was the best team in the Western Conference and it was a bit too early to be confident. Lawler persisted: The game was over.

As any Los Angeles Clipper fan knows, the Clippers hate you. Sure, they want to win games, but you don’t get the joy of bragging to other bar patrons during a 30 point blowout. No, Clipper fans have to sweat. Clipper fans have to loathe. Clipper fans have to enduring the gut-wrenching nausea of a 4th quarter squeaker. Last night was, unfortunately, no different.

The Clippers took one step forward by beating the Grizz at Staples last night, but the game’s flow could be two steps back. The half court offense is becoming embarrassing and the mental lapses are becoming more and more frequent. After the Clips came out to a very productive and energetic first quarter, they immediately threw on the brakes and threw out their brains eliminating their hard-earned double-digit lead.  Clearly, this season is going to be a work-in-progress and one can’t be pessimistic about making the playoffs, but if this team is to make any real noise in the Western Conference, they need to get their heads right and find a real coach.

I’m not totally convinced that coach VDN is a retarded person, but his lack of adjustments and creativity is making Clipper Nation very nervous. The leadership abilities of CP3, Chauncey, and Mo Williams are assets, but without an offense beyond a high pick and roll, the playoffs are going to be short lived. The various NBA analysts around the league are criticizing the Clip’s lack of bench depth, but in reality it’s the lack of coaching creativity that’s killing them. If Blake Griffin is not on the floor, the pick and roll becomes useless and the game devolves into an isolation fest with our bevy of guards. The Clippers have great PGs (and a lot of them), but without a low post scoring option, they’ll become one dimensional and easily defended. 

Sunday begins a nasty stretch of games including Denver, OKC, and Utah. The Clips will NOT fare very well in these match ups until they get their offensive and defensive sets in order. Knowing that the Clips won’t run the table in these games is not what concerns me. I’m worried that the coaching staff won’t learn anything. The team will obviously get better as the year goes on, but so will the rest of the league. If the Clippers don’t catch up, they’ll be left behind.

There are games of what could’ve been, what should’ve been and what is. This game is what it is. The Clippers are an inexperienced team (save for Chauncey) and 4 quarters of boring (yet intense) playoff basketball is foreign to them. The Lakers were fully prepared to give the Clips their best shot. Kobe has been pissed off all week. Pau was complaining about not scoring. Mike Brown was starting to hear rumbles about his hiring being a mistake. The Lakeshow couldn’t survive a “home” loss to the Clippers on Wednesday night. All of that being said, the Lakers still got lucky. The Lakers shot the ball at a percentage in the 4th quarter that will be hard for them to repeat. Pau got hot. Kobe got real hot. Metta World Peace made his trademark “NOOOOO, YES!” 3pt shot in front of his nervous home crowd. Derek Fisher came back from the dead for 10 minutes or so. For one quarter, everything broke right for the Lakers.

Where do we go from here?

The Clippers have a very difficult February road schedule and they’re going to need to show that they can weather the storm. In truth, the Clippers are in a very good position to make the playoffs and will make many teams nervous in the process. The league seems to be evolving and from what I saw last night teams like the Lakers are getting left behind. The Lakers are tall slow and old. The Lakers’ Jimmy Buss appears to have pushed all of his chips to the middle of the table on the oft-injured Andrew Bynum. Early returns suggest that fast, skilled teams are the look of the future. Kobe can probably beat you in the 4th quarter if you let the Lakers stay too close, but over a 7 game series they won’t be able to out score you. The Mike Brown, defense first experiment will ultimately fail.

As for the Clippers, they NEED flight time. Chris Paul HAS to stay healthy for the remainder of the season. Coach VDN needs to try a little coaching so this team will appear to have an actual half court offense. Blake took a huge step forward last night abusing Pau and continuing to use his low post game to dictate to the defense. Mo Williams has been the most impressive Clipper of the last two weeks, but I’m concerned the Clippers offense is becoming a game of “who’s shooting it well, gets the ball.” Caron Butler had his turn of being the hot shooter last night, and Chauncey launches up 3 to 5 heat check 3’s per game. Chris Paul’s health will be the most important factor this season, because right now the team looks like 5 talented guys that don’t know what they’re supposed to do. Talent can only get you so far. Miami showed last year that without a true offense and a strong coach, the players can get lost in the 4th quarter. With the addition of a hall of fame caliber PG like Chris Paul, the team should eventually figure it out, but it’s gonna take time. The good news is, the Clippers will be a much better team in April then they are in January (if they can stay healthy).

So don’t kill yourself quite yet Clipper fan, but consider it if they lose to the Grizz tonight.

Live from the nose bleed section, I witnessed the dismantling of the Toronto Raptors. The game was billed as being the big return of CP3, but since he was ruled out a few minutes before tip off, it became the game before the return of CP3. This game was over shortly after morning shootaround. The Clips took their foot off the gas occasionally but never realistically let the Raptors back in the game. Toronto was short handed as well and it’s never a good thing if Barbosa and DeRozan are leading your team in scoring. Mo Williams continued his hot play and even managed to not get ejected on Sunday afternoon. My player of the game had to be DeAndre Jordan. He went for 16 and 16 on a day filled with dunks and foregone conclusions. 

The most important thing to take away from the victory was simply that, a victory. The Clippers have a huge game on wednesday “at” the Lakers. In years past, the Clips would’ve shit the bed and looked ahead on the schedule at the Lakers. Good teams need to beat the Raptors. I’m not sure how good the Clips are, but they certainly beat the Raptors. A win at the Lakers on wednesday would be huge, but each win counts the same in the standings. On sunday afternoon the Clippers proved just that, a win is a win and they won.

At 7:30 pacific time, the Minnesota T-wolves will tip off against my beloved Clippers in a match up that appears to evoke feelings of the Clippers’ past. Young PG Ricky Rubio has been pared with rebounding savant Kevin Love to make one of the brightest young duos in the league. The Clippers have seen this all before when a young Shaun Livingston was pared with Elton Brand to create optimism for the LA future. Shaun’s knee cap left town and soon after, so did Elton Brand. In today’s NBA teams are not really rewarded for building through the draft. Most teams need to get lucky in the draft and then sign those big name free agents. This is the first year in the history of the Clippers that they have landed some of those big fish. 

Minnesota is a young and pretty talented team that is not nearly as bad as their recent history would suggest. The Clippers need to hold serve at home with their next two games against these Timberwolves and the Raptors on Sunday. The Clippers have made a habit of playing well at home, but coming off those big games against Dallas, the Heat, and the Lakers, I certainly hope we don’t see any lapses in effort or concentration like we did in Utah. 

The T-wolves have won 3 of their last 4 including a nail-biting loss at the Hawks. The Clips on the other hand have won 4 of 5 and need to take care of business before the road schedule bites them hard in February. Look for Vinny Del Negro to play the starters for big minutes in the first half leaning heavily on Chauncey Billups and Mo Williams. DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin will have their hands full trying to control the glass with Kevin Love setting up shop down low. This should make for a fast, physical, turnover-fest, that the Clips should have under control by the start of the 4th quarter. Make some 3s, don’t let Love dominate, and don’t get caught up in all the slop, and we should take another home W into Staples Center for Sunday at noon.