Ball or Nuthin' » Clippers

Blake Griffin’s Monster Dunk

T Lamont — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:38:06 +0000

Straight from the Clippers’ beatdown of the Thunder was this epic moment:

This is clearly the frontrunner for the NBA’s poster of the year.

It’s not very often that Kendrick Perkins gets bullied like that…so enjoy it.

On another note, it’ll be interesting to see how the Thunder rebound from their defeat at the hands of an opponent who they were up for. This matchup could very well be some sort of postseason preview, and Los Angeles certainly upstaged them this time around.

Why Clippers Are Better Than The Thunder

T Lamont — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:19:24 +0000

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Amidst the Thunder’s humbling loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, there were a few lessons that Oklahoma City should take away from their trip to Hollywood…

You can’t outscore every opponent in every game.

The Thunder have some of the league’s best young gunners on its roster – Kevin Durant, James Harden and Daquan Cook just to name a few. OKC connected on 9 triples in tonight’s contest, but one things that LAC does not lack is shooters. The home team knocked down 13 triples, including a late first half 12-0 run that saw them swish four bombs in 51 seconds.

The NBA’s best teams will be able to outscore a two-headed monster, even one that is the caliber of Oklahoma City’s. Scott Brook’s challenge will be to diversify his team’s offensive approach, and two resist some of their urges to launch those quick three-pointers.

For point guards, it’s better to give than receive.

This concept could not yield a more striking contrast than in tonight’s showdown in the Staples Center. Oklahoma City blur of a point guard, Russell Westbrook is one of the best players in the NBA. He plays the point guard position. However, it’s not hard to announce that he is not even one of the top ten point guards in the league. Westbrook uses his extreme quickness and athleticism to put the pressure on his opponents, often leading to lots of free throws…and about 25-30 points per game (on a good night).

But the Clippers quickly got out to a great start, thanks to perhaps the best floor general in the league, Chris Paul. Paul is one of the best at getting his own shot, but he is undoubtedly one of the top two in the Association at getting shots for others. His play allowed Caron Butler, Mo Williams, DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin to become integral pieces of a huge conference tilt. CP3 leveraged the talents of his cohorts to shift the game’s momentum and to extend Clipper runs as only a top-tier playmaker can do.

CP3 put in work tonight against the NBA team with the best record.

Oklahoma City feeds into the hype that they are the Durant-Westbrook show.

As Westbrook and Durant continued to boost the scoring totals late in the first half and early in the second half, the Thunder’s deficit grew. But the duo didn’t stop. They kept attacking, trying to preserve the chances for the visiting team to sneak away with a “W”.

But the two All-Stars are failing to comprehend an absolute truth as it relates to enhanced success – they will need the help of their other roster mates.

Sure, super-sub James Harden pitched in to contribute his usual aggressive play, but it remains to be seen if the dynamic duo will do something to dispel the notion that they are a two-man operation. It seems as if they are clearly buying into the hype surrounding their unbelievable talents, although it may lead to their ultimate demise come postseason time.

Clippers Look Good on Paper, But…

T Lamont — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:29:43 +0000

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A front-office that was unable to land any notable offseason acquisitions.

An organization that allowed a versatile veteran to migrate over to the reigning NBA champions for peanuts.

An organization that will be the laughing stock of the league.

If most of us were to choose the Los Angeles basketball franchise that best fits the descriptions above, we know which one we would usually choose.

But this winter, the aura surrounding these organizations would force us to reconsider what is routinely the status quo.

Let’s just take a peek at the peripheral of these teams:

Clippers – signed Caron Butler; gave up Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman, 2012 first-rounder for Chris Paul; signed Chauncey Billups

Lakers – lost Lamar Odom for a trade exception (and protected 1st round pick)

On a roster that’s aging, and focusing on providing Kobe Bryant with as many opportunities to line his trophy case with titles as possible, the Lake Show’s deportation of Odom seemed rather…stupid. Not only was Bryant vocal about the weirdness of the move, but now he’s coming up with ailments that, during any other circumstance, he would undoubtedly find a way to power through.

Add to that the fact that the Lakers came up short on making a deal for a talented point guard – something that they’ve publicly declared as a need years ago. Their need for playmaking has been so bad that Bryant was singing the praises of an over-the-hill Jason Kidd back in 2007, and – in case you forgot – had an expletive-filled tirade about them not letting go of a young Andrew Bynum to get him.

By contrast, the Clippers did something that they have seldom done in the past – they made a move to make them relevant right now. Of course, the presence of power forward phenom Blake Griffin provided the team with something to build on. Adding almost anything to him can yield relevance in a conference without a true favorite at this point, but Chris Paul is a lot more than almost anything.

However, perhaps the more impressive part of the Clippers’ haul was that they did not have to part ways with recently signed pieces Chauncey Billups or Caron Butler. And with scoring guards Mo Williams and Randy Foye coming off the pine, Los Angeles doesn’t seem to be short on the ability to put the ball in the basket.

The Clippers are loaded with offensive firepower.

In a Western Conference without a clear cut favorite, it’s pretty safe to say that the Clip Joint can definitely count on earning an invite into the playoff party this time around.

But how will they fare?

They may be able to skate through a first round matchup based on the superior collective talents of Paul, Griffin and Butler. However, as things stand now, prospects of any further advancement is quite gloomy – and here are the main reasons why:

- Lack of quality front court depth – Granted, there aren’t many quality bigs lingering throughout the NBA free agent market, but Los Angeles will need someone to spell Jordan and Griffin. As the Clips find themselves in battles against the conference’s tougher, more physical opponents (from Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Memphis, and that other L.A. team), they’ll need to become more strategic in their management of matchups to keep their top talents on the floor and out of foul trouble.

- No offensive cohesion – Thus far, the Clippers offense consists of a heavy dose of dribbling by Chris Paul, and a lot of watching from other offensively gifted players on the rster. The Clips are living off of their ability to get easy baskets from pushing the ball, but those opportunities will diminish exponentially when they play quality opponents (particularly in the postseason). Simply put, they are a team of players who are accustomed to being number one options on their rosters.

- Offensive philosophy needs tweaking – Seeing that it’s best position player thrives in this manner, it seems like a safe bet to assume that Los Angeles will primarily become a high screen and roll team. While it may make sense, there are two downfalls to it: (1) Blake Griffin will cap its effectiveness due to his extrememly limited range and (2) the Clippers’ other talented weapons will continue to be untapped resources. Thus, the team will need to plug in some offenses that incorporate movement to spread the wealth – allowing them to become less predictable and less dependent on Paul’s ability to lose his defender and draw the attention of other defenders.

Improving in these three areas will go a long way to ensuring that the Clippers can continue to be the most talked about team in L.A…in a way that they aren’t used to.

Random NBA Thoughts…

T Lamont — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:34:21 +0000

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LeBron Still Unable to Solve Boston’s Defense

New year, new team, same result. Such is the story for the reigning MVP LeBron James when he takes on the Boston Celtics. Although LBJ remained able to put up the best statistical line of this past Sunday’s afternoon tilt with 22-7-7 (some may argue that Rondo’s 11-10-10 was better), he is continuing to struggle against the Celtics in a way that starkly opposes his effectiveness against the rest of the league.

In contrast to other teams that allow a defender to play squared-up with LeBron prior to bringing help, the Celtics defend James in a manner that will push him towards another Boston defender. Instead of aggressively making a move, this seems to play into James’ psyche. He hesitates instead, taking time off of the clock and not gaining an offensive advantage for the Heat. When Boston plays him perfectly, LBJ is forced into taking a bail-out jumper or some other type of tough field goal attempt.

When asked about it, Bron-Bron brought up the manner in which he used to struggle in contests with Detroit. And he admitted that, right now, the Celtics give him that same degree of difficulty. But just like in 2007 – when he needed Daniel “Boobie” Gibson to step up to help him eliminate the Pistons – LeBron’s going to need the consistency of Miami’s outside shooters (Mike Miller, Eddie House and James Jones) if he is planning on getting over the hump against Boston.

And we all know that the road to the NBA Finals will go through Boston.

Dwight Howard’s Surprising Domination of L.A.’s Interior

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol…you just got punk’d.

Against more of Los Angeles’ opponents, Bynum and Gasol are bullies on the interior. They dominate the boards, score at will, and clog up the lanes to deter opponents from attempting easy baskets. But on Sunday, they took turns getting manhandled by Dwight Howard (31 points – on 13-16 shooting – and 13 rebounds). Howard was so dominant that only one other Magic player scored in double figures (Jason Richardson, with 12). Granted, every Orlando player who saw some floor time scored at least 4 points, however, Howard was the sole consistent offense for the team.

In the Lakers' last three games (all losses), Bryant has shot 24-62 (38.7%) and averaged 18 points per game.

Boston (surprise!) has illustrated the perfect blueprint on how to defend the Magic. If a team has a player with the capability to, at the very least, control Howard one-on-one, then the other Magic players are rendered ineffective because they are primarily adept at catching and shooting. The Celtics have been able to stifle Orlando’s fluidity with this strategy, and it seems that the Lakers may have attempted to do the same. But the Lakers only scored 75 points, and no team is going to win many games with that point total.

But the bigger issue for L.A. has been focus and motivation. The Lakers have dropped games to some suspect teams of late (see Charlotte, Cleveland), and the All-Star break couldn’t be coming at a better time for Phil Jackson. I’m sensing that Lakers’ management is grappling with whether they should make a move before the trade deadline or not. It seems that the team has finally become impenetrable to Jackson’s motivational tactics (i.e. media criticisms and sharp, almost comical, soundbites), and some alternative method is going to be required for the champs to truly regain their focus.

Griffin is Great, But the Clippers Need E.G.

Although, Blake Griffin had a year to sit back and soak in the NBA before taking the court, no one expected him to take the league by storm like he has. B.G. is averaging monster numbers (22.7 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 3.5 apg), and the Clippers are reaping the benefits of having a bonafide force down on the blocks. Griffin’s game is definitely going to require more refinement, but he’s showing all of the signs of being a player who wants to continue to improve.

As for the Clips, they’ve struggled of late – mainly due to the absence of guard Eric Gordon. The former Indiana star is putting up over 24 a game, and is sorely missed late in games when a big shot or play is needed. In his absence, the Clippers have gone 3-9, including a recent 24-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. This was an unfortunate setback for an improving team. Prior to Gordon’s injury, Los Angeles has posted wins in 12 of its last 17 contests.

What Happened to the Bucks?

After such a surprising season that saw them come within a game of advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Bucks were viewed as a team with great promise. And considering they lost Andrew Bogut to that horrific arm injury late last season, there’s good reason to believe that a fully-healthy Milwaukee team would have upended Atlanta in the postseason.

But in 2010-11, the Bucks have welcomed some new faces – and it hasn’t been for the better. The names are recognizable – Drew Gooden, Corey Maggette, Earl Boykins, Keyon Dooling and Chris Douglas-Roberts – but this group lacks the cohesion among themselves that Scott Skiles was able to develop with last year’s roster.

However, in addition to the team’s dedication to synergy, it was the backcourt that primarily energized Milwaukee’s efforts. This season, second-year point guard Brandon Jennings has missed a significant amount of time after needing surgery on his foot. And perhaps the largest mystery has been the play of John Salmons. Salmons, always a skilled, versatile player, practically elevated the Bucks into a dangerous unit when he joined the team for its final 30 games. This season, his points per game average (19.9 to 13.2) and field goal percentage (46.7% to 38.4%) have suffered tremendous drops, and he’s barely resembled the triple-threat that he was last season.

The Playoffs Need Stephen Jackson

In case you forgot, he makes love to pressure. Last weekend, Jackson nailed a tough – and I mean, very tough – game-winning fadeaway jumper to propel the Bobcats past the Hawks. Any win is a good one for the ‘Cats. If you Google the phrase “playing to their level of competition,” you’re almost certain to have some resulting links that reference the Bobcats. In their last six games, they’ve beaten Boston, L.A. (Lakers) and Atlanta, while they’ve suffered losses at the hands of New Jersey and Indiana.

Stephen Jackson's passion for the game would make the playoffs more intriguing.

But regardless of Charlotte’s inability to avoid their annual flirtation with the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot, one thing is clear – Stephen Jackson’s ferocity and edginess would make the postseason much more interesting.

For that reason alone, I’m personally pulling the Michael Jordan to continue to practice with his team. Maybe his competitive spirit can rub off, and empower Paul Silas’ group to do enough to capture that #8 spot – and give us all a shot of Captain Jack in the playoffs.

Will Memphis Ever Get Over the Hump?

Just when it appears that the Grizzlies are on their way, their momentum gets broken.

After going 8-2 in their last 10 games, Memphis finds themselves at 31-26. Now that record is only good enough for fourth place in the Southwest Division, but Lionel Hollins’ team is currently tied with the disjointed Utah Jazz for the eighth spot in the Western Conference. And they actually have the potential to increase their standing, as they only reside one loss behind New Orleans and Denver, and two losses behind Portland.

So, while things were looking up, they came to a screeching halt last night when it was announced that Rudy Gay (19.8 ppg, 1.69 spg) will miss at least 4 weeks with a left shoulder injury. They get this news right after having O.J.Mayo return to the lineup following a 10-game suspension for the consumption of a supposed nutritional drink he purchased at a gas station (at least Rashard Lewis can understand, right?). With Zach Randolph anchoring their interior scoring, Memphis should be able to find a way to overcome the loss of Gay. Tony Allen played well in Mayo’s absence, and can be counted on to play hard and fill in the gaps.

Even if the Grizz advance to this year’s postseason, the likelihood of them moving past the first round is slim to none. However, if the nucleus of this team can stay together for another year, they have the extremely legit potential of turning the corner (as did the Atlanta Hawks in 2008-2009).

Clippers Finally Getting It Right

T Lamont — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:46:35 +0000

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A quick glance at the NBA standings reveals somethings that’s all too familiar to Los Angeles Clippers fans – they have the league’s worst record at 3-15. But that glance at the standings might also lead you to believe that – just as was the case in previous seasons – there’s no hope for L.A.’s second-tier team.

That belief would be far from the truth.

Despite a league-low three victories, the Clippers play an intriguing brand of basketball. More importantly, they finally have ‘pieces.’ What’s meant by the term ‘pieces’ is that they have players who could become a solid part of a playoff-contending team. Some years back, there was some excitement surrounding the combination of Elton Brand and Corey Maggette with the young, promising Shaun Livingston – but the Clippers suffered a bad break – literally - with the former #4 draft pick. Otherwise, Los Angeles has continually lived up to its lack of annual hype.

However, there’s a lot to like about L.A. now. And most of the club’s likability can be credited to their inside-outside, one-two punch with unlimited potential: Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon.

Blake Griffin's NBA career will see its fair share of slam dunks.

In a year in which all of the rookie talk was supposed to be about John Wall, Griffin started the campaign as the forgotten ROY candidate. After all, the Sooner stud had just come back from missing a full season due to a stress fracture (and the accompanying surgery) in his left knee. But Griffin quickly squashed all doubt regarding his NBA future, posting at least 14 points and 8 rebounds in each of his first seven games of the season. Then he hit us with the fantasy league line of the year (to date), accumulating 44 points, 15 boards and 7 assists versus the New York Knicks. The power forward is clearly in the mold of the NBA’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Orlando’s Dwight Howard, with his raw ability, off-the charts athleticism and unrefined back-to-the-basket game. With less than 20 games on his professional resume, Griffin is the NBA’s supreme highlight package.

When it comes to Griffin’s ability, perhaps Deron Williams said it best:

“He doesn’t even know how to play basketball yet…”

And that, my friends, is a true testament to how good Griffin is, and to how much better he can be.

But let’s not forget about the player who is the best player on the team at this point – combo guard Eric Gordon. Landscaping the Western Conference, it is a perennial nightmare to be an All-Star caliber guard who is not named Kobe Bryant. There’s a handful of star status guards who are consistently in the running for All-Star consideration – Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Brandon Roy and Chris Paul. This year, Paul and Williams should be locks to make it to the midseason showcase, while Nash’s and Russell Westbrook’s performances should merit strong consideration. If the coaches decide to limit the West’s roster to three point guards, that should run the guard count to four (including Mr. Bryant). Assuming the roster will contain five forwards and two centers (which, by the way, would be a stretch given the lack of impacting pivot men in the league), there should still be room for one additional off-guard.

Could Gordon and Bryant be playing for the same team on February 20?

Normally, considering a Clipper for the All-Star Game would be a laughing matter. But Gordon has been one of the few consistent forces at the shooting guard position. The former Hoosier would probably be in a dead heat with the Warriors’ Monta Ellis for perhaps the final spot, however, Gordon should get the edge. Gordon’s ppg is slightly lower than Ellis’ (24.2 to 24.9), and he has struggled with the long ball so far this season. But Gordon is traditionally a much more reliable shooter from deep, and does a better job of drawing fouls on the opponent and getting to the free throw line. And due to Baron Davis’ injury, Gordon has been able to expand his game and become a bit more of a playmaker than before.

Rounding out the current starting lineup are three youngsters who fit nicely into L.A.’s schemes – point guard Eric Bledsoe, small forward Al-Farouq Aminu and center DeAndre Jordan. The trio does a good job of playing with pace and playing within their roles. Bledsoe is the ultra-athletic, jet-setter that every team needs; Aminu is a do-it-all type with true NBA length; and Jordan is more than capable of posting ten boards and two rejections a game.

Add to this the potential of Chris Kaman’s return, as well as the return of a level-headed Baron Davis (coach Del Negro may just have to settle for whatever head Davis brings to the table) and the Clippers have the makings of a team that may be ready to make some noise…

…two or three years down the road.

Such a statement wouldn’t sound so good to most NBA fans out there.

But then again, most NBA fans aren’t Clipper fans, either.