There are back-to-back possessions early in the game that offer a glimpse of the Clippers’ prolific offensive night:
- [1st, 8:56] With Jeff Green starting at PF for Oklahoma City and Brian Skinner suffering flu-like symptoms, Mike Dunleavy has inserted Ricky Davis into the starting lineup, shifting Al Thornton to the 4. Eric Gordon inbounds the ball on the far sideline to Ricky Davis up top. Al Thornton and Mardy Collins occupy the respective blocks. Collins sets a little baseline cross-screen for Thornton, who moves to the low right block. One of the benefits of having Al at the 4 — and I’m not sure there are all that many — is that he generally receives the ball closer to the basket, which diminishes the possibility that he’s going to fire a contested 19-footer. Ricky Davis delivers a bullet bounce pass that hits Thornton perfectly as he swings around the screen. Jeff Green trails him. Thornton takes a single dribble, then forcefully carves out some room for himself with an assertive turn of his right shoulder. Maintaining full control of his body, Thornton elevates — keeping the ball low — then fires a strong fadeaway jumper over Green from 12 feet.
- [1st, 8;23] A Kevin Durant missed shot pinballs beneath the hoop before landing in the hands of DeAndre Jordan. Eric Gordon is the recipient of the outlet pass. He’s defended by Kyle Weaver from the very outset of the play, so what follows is not a case of Gordon having plenty of free space in the open court. Weaver stays with EJ the whole way. Eric races the ball upcourt in transition. About seven feet beyond midcourt, Eric slows up to a stationary dribble in what looks to be evolving into a deliberate halfcourt set. Weaver stops short, then turns around to set himself defensively opposite EJ. As he does, Eric crosses over from his right. Then, with his left hand, EJ explodes right with a burst of speed. He finishes with that acrobatic scoop layup that’s becoming familiar — where he’s facing the court, shoulders parallel to the baseline, as he kisses the ball off the glass.
The Clippers’ two primary scorers both operate efficiently tonight. Gordon racks up a career-high 41 points, more than any NBA rookie has scored in a game this season. His line is impressive: 41 points, 12-19 FGs [5-7 3PA], 12-14 FTAs on 81.5% TS. The last bucket:
- [4th, 1:01] The Clippers lead by three with about a minute remaining in regulation. Fred Jones brings the ball up slowly as Gordon runs down the right side of the court. Steve Novak sets a baseline screen. EJ runs around the screen with Russell Westbrook trailing, then pops out to the left wing where he gets the ball from Jones. Westbrook can chase with the best of them, and he catches up to Gordon and coolly settles himself defensively. Gordon feeds Al in the post against Jeff Green. It’s a decent entry pass, but Thornton fumbles the ball before eventually getting hold of it — a tense moment in a crucial possession. Al manages to kick the ball back to Gordon out on the arc. Westbrook gambles for an instant, which gives Eric a slight opening to split the defenders. Gordon finds daylight, but then is met by Nick Collison, the weak side help. Collison elevates straight up to contest Gordon at the rim. Eric avoids Collison by sustaining himself mid-air, while he whirls a scoop shot that he kisses off the glass for a layup.
Eric Gordon doesn’t complicate matters. On most possessions, he’s either getting a nice look at a 3PA, or he’s exploding to the hoop — looking for either a finish, contact, or both. Tonight, he rarely settles for anything less.
Al Thornton plays one of his more measured games of the season. Unofficially, Thornton finishes 5-11 from beyond 17 feet [2-2 3PA], which means he takes almost two-thirds of his 29 shot attempts from inside 17 — a very good distribution for Al.
The team needs an offensive facilitator after Collins leaves with a strained right calf four minutes into the game. They get one in, of all people, Ricky Davis. Despite a woeful shooting night, Davis stabilizes the Clippers at point through much of the game, and dishes out 11 dimes in 30 minutes. He makes a fantastic pass out of a baseline trap that finds Eric Gordon open along the arc for a 3PA [2nd, 2:35]. He also runs a nice set on a high S/R with Jordan, where Fred Jones fills space on the perimeter behind the screen. Davis hits him with a good pass and Jones drains the 3PA [3rd, 7:58]. A few minutes later, Davis finds Jones again, this time on a perfectly orchestrated alley-oop [3rd, 2:30]. Jones and Davis each finish with a team-best +8. There’s a bit of irony that on a night when the Clippers lose their pseudo-PG, they finish with only seven turnovers, tying a season-low.
When a guy is struggling with open looks, the question becomes: Will he compromise the team with his poor shot, or will he find something useful to do in the offense? Tonight, Davis helps the Clippers immensely by moving the ball around in the halfcourt.
DeAndre Jordan has a rough night, and never re-enters the game after he leaves at [3rd, 6:58]. He gets discombobulated a few minutes earlier, during a strange sequence at the 9:28 mark. Jordan tries to wrestle a rebound away from Al Thornton underneath the Thunder basket. The ball squirts out, and ends up in the hands of Jeff Green, who scores on a putback. The play clearly eats at Jordan, who shuffles slowly upcourt. Ricky Davis yells an encouraging, “Come on, D!” before calling 3-Down, which prompts Gordon to cut underneath and pop. The ball eventually goes into Jordan on a beautiful bounce pass from Ricky Davis, but Jordan drops the ball on his way up for the layup. He’s now really, really discouraged. A minute later during a dead ball, Fred Jones goes over to console him.
When asked about it after the game, Jones says, “I’ve been in his shoes. I’ve been a rookie in this league. One day you’re a superstar, the next you’re having a tough night. I understand that. I was able to be raised in this league by great vets like Reggie Miller and different guys like that who always told me to keep on an even keel. The way they spoke to me when I was a rookie, I felt like I should do the same thing.”
28 Responses
You know it’s been a weird one when Kevin can write a long rundown of that game and never mention Cheikh Samb…
Posted on January 24th, 2009 at 1:32 am
Dunleavy does a great job “shopping for the groceries”. He almost always picks the best available and gets good deals on everything. Sometimes they are a little too close to their expiration date, but that’s ok. Every once in a while he picks up a discontinued item that no one will ever see again. But for the most part, he picks some pretty good groceries. The problem is, once Dunleavy has his groceries in the cart, he takes the cart and blindly pushes it out into traffic without any direction or guidance. The cart explodes in traffic, and other drivers get to choose from our damaged groceries.
This is what rooting for the Clippers is like. You’re basically rooting for a driverless shopping cart to make it across a freeway during rush hour.
Unfortunately, there is no seperating Dunleavy the GM and Dunleavy the head coach. Save Gordon, Thornton, and Jordan’s careers by getting rid of Dunleavy. As long as he’s our driver, we’re destined for another crash.
HP Reply:
January 24th, 2009 at 5:38 am
Dunleavy has his faults, but I think it’s apparent he does a fine job of developing talent. He puts them in situations where they can develop confidence and lets them take off. Obviously these players didn’t develop wherever they were. Even before the recent rash of injuries, Dunleavy was already incorporating Gordon, Collins, Novak into the rotation, so it’s not as if he’s been forced to play guys because of injuries (I’m trying to forget the series of games where MD gave up on his bench and played all starters some 40 min. each).
It’s ironic, but in this nightmare season I’ve actually learned to appreciate Dunleavy more. He has a bunch of guys who mostly wouldn’t even crack the rotation on most teams playing competitive basketball against the likes of the Lakers. The offense may have been stagnant before, but the guys are moving the ball now.
If the vets (BD, I’m mainly referring to you) buy int MD once they get back, this team could really be fun for the rest of the season.
oasisman Reply:
January 24th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Hey, just wanted to say that was the best defense of MDSr I’ve read this season. Wow. I agree with you….our bench was a major problem earlier in the season, but now it looks somewhat decent. The team hasn’t quit on MDSr. It’s a good sign.
Kirbs Reply:
January 24th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
We eke out a tough win with rookies & journeymen with 3 of our best players out and then you continue to bag on the coach, who is doing his besy with what is available.
Dj Reply:
January 24th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Yeah, we eeked out a victory. Against the Thunder. The worst team in the league.
Bottom line is we’re 10-32. 6 other teams under 15 wins have gotten rid of their coach.
Kirbs Reply:
January 25th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
No, on what we have available due to injury, we are more than likely rated the worst team due to experience and depth, yet we beat them. Go support someone else
Dj Reply:
January 26th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Clearly you are a glass half full type of guy. What the hell are you doing rooting for the Clippers? Maybe you should find a new team yourself.
Posted on January 24th, 2009 at 2:30 am
Stll this team can make best of worst situation. There are several opportunities to be tapped into… if Clippers mngt. aren’t sleeping.
1. Dunleavy acquired CAMBY for one reason: Play-off intentions with Baron Davis. Now, it’s history. Just trade Camby to a contender like Spurs, Dallas,
Pistons, Phoenix. Get a raw talent we can develop(with a rookie contract).
2. Baron Davis will never change. With Eric Gordon in-charge, this team has no use for an ‘A’ grade PG. We need a PG who can defend and willing to work with Eric. Trade Baron Davis now for a proven talent with an expiring contract with rights to re-sign.
3. Begin developing DeAndre & Samb now. Both have different set of skills and Samb deserves to be a starting center atleast for now. Samb is a smart player with physical toughness. He can intimidate, block shots, take care of the ball…unlike Kaman.
4. Trading Kaman: Clippers fell-in to a trap by submitting themselves to Kaman. You can’t be a center if you are too soft. Kaman is too soft & has no desire to intimidate anyone. But trading Kaman may not be an easy task. Try anyway.
5. If we can trade Camby, Baron and Kaman, we’ll have advantage over salary- cap matters. During this period of financial crisis.. that’s exactly what we need.
neiljphx Reply:
January 24th, 2009 at 9:29 am
trading baron or kaman in this economy or even in a a better economy feels impossible because of thier deals.
kaman maybe if he comes back and shows something, a playoff team would want. i can’t imagine what g.m. would make any kind of baron play and not lose his job.
camby is the one that’s served us well, above and beyond the call of duty.
for his sake, i’d like to see the guy get a shot at a deep playoff run.
wonder if we could get a 1st round pick next year (and the obligatory expiring contract guy to make the money work)for him?
Posted on January 24th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Good game by the Clipper Rookie Gordon, he was in total control. I think I found someone rawer than DJ, his name is Samb. Some of the plays he made was as if he was blindfolded and just waving his arms, but they worked. He still needs a lot of seasoning before he gets considered a 2nd bench player.
Posted on January 24th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Keep Gordon, Jordon and Thorton and trade everyone else for young stars in waiting or early draft picks and build a team in the image of the new Portland Trailblazers. Gordon is the nicest cornerstone this franchise has seen in 20 years. A tough kid who enjoys slashing to the rim and playing defense. Man it was fun to be there last night and watch this future All-Star ignite.
Posted on January 24th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Let’s see this team healthy before trading everybody away. We finally have good players, and if they ever do all get healthy at the same time it’s going to be the best Clipper team of all time.
Posted on January 24th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I TOLD YA’LL ALL SUMMER… when everyone was talkin shit on Gordon’s potential.
rc. Reply:
January 24th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
If you ask me to pick ONE player out of(including Gordon) Kobe, King James, D.Wade… I’d pick ERIC GORDON.
Posted on January 24th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
So to sum, trade the PG and Cs, the hardest positions to replace, and build around the unproven wings?
I…have reservations with this plan.
HP Reply:
January 24th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
I agree. If Clips wanted to trade Kaman, JRich would be a Clipper right now. The Knicks would love BDavis.
Hold the course and let these guys play together for the rest of the season. I think we’re all fed up with watching potential year in and year out. The Clips could even add to this roster in the off season, possibly another wing if RDavis continues to struggle. Continue to develop Jordan, Samb, Taylor. I’m leaving out Gordon cause he’s already there.
Posted on January 24th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
howwould drafting jrue holliday in the first round and an athletic wing like wayne ellington in the second round work out?
Posted on January 24th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
I’ve been a season ticket holder for 7 years and Kaman doesn’t have any basketball IQ. He’s not tough enough mentally to be a winner. Many times I’ve watched him and felt sorry for him. That’s crazy. Watching Gordon is like watching a puppy discover that he can bite and not just bark. I’ve been so happy all day and it was because of that game last night. I know these feelings won’t last and we’ll probably get drilled by G.S. or/and Portland. It sure feels good though.
Posted on January 24th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
The general sentiment around here seems to be to let this current group of guys get healthy and have a chance to all play together. But what are the chances this group of guys can all stay healthy for the majority of a season?
Baron Davis has played 1 full season in the last 7 years. Most of those years he’s missed 20+ games a year.
Marcus Camby has never played a full season in his career. He averages on his career around 56 games played per year.
Zach Randolph has never played a full season in his career. On average he misses about 14 games per year.
Chris Kaman has been pretty healthy over his career. But 7’0 265 pound centers can rarely put together relatively healthy seasons, especially with nagging foot and knee injuries.
This is a VERY injury prone team. What are the chances that they are all healthy at the same time, for the majority of a season?
The fact is we need probably 2-3 more solid bench players who can pass as NBA starters. Some of the guys we are trotting out don’t belong in the league.
Being essentially 6 deep with an injury prone team is going to land us in the same place next year. Last place.
Posted on January 25th, 2009 at 12:26 am
Mr.Baron Davis, we know who you are. Don’t listen to your AGENT and say nice things about this team. We don’t despise you but we simply want you and your immature attitude out of LA.
Posted on January 25th, 2009 at 8:03 am
OK, let’s hope Dunleavy & Co. have decided on which path they need to take for a successful 2009-10 season.
1. Thornton & Gordon are capable of scoring 20+ per game. Let’s say 50 consistant pts. from these two. They both have developed chemistry & Clippers should continue to work on it as #1 priority.
2. Spend more time & energy to groom DeAndre & Samb. These two can provide backbone underneath the basket for years to come.
3. Train Mike Taylor to slowdown & play smart. He’s an asset to Clippers off the court as well(his entertaining skills-like making Thornton smile little bit more)
4. Keep Zach Randolph’s spot flexible. If he continues to play well, we should keep him. Somehow he plays well within Dunleavy’s system. He can be a beast & help our young guns.
5. Talking about beasts… Eric Gordon is going to be a ruthless beast as long as he can keep his ankle strong, flexible and healthy.
6. Don’t forget to ship Baron Davis & Chris Kaman. Express delivery preferred before the All-Star break.
7. Provide job security to Collins, Fred Jones & Novak. They can solidify our bench.
8. Make Dunleavy’s life easy. Hire a coach & let Dunleavy take care of running the entire Clipper organization.
9. FANS: get organized & spread the word. To make Gordon & Co. successful, they need tremendous support from the FAN BASE. Without fans, no sports team can sustain itself.
Posted on January 25th, 2009 at 9:03 am
I like the Dunleavy as only the GM idea. Bring in a guy like Mark Jackson or Sam Cassell. They can learn from Mike and bring a player toughness to the team. You think either one of those guys would put up with a dog like Kaman or Baron? These guys have no respect for these older coaches. They might get meaner with a younger guy who has walked the walk.
Posted on January 25th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Since when did Cheikh Samb enter into our long-term plans? Kaman’s health will likely be less of an issue in a sixth-man role behind Camby and Randolph. Things will change in 2010, if we can put together ONE decent season next year, we may be able to attract a free-agent like Amare.
revolving door Reply:
January 25th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
I heard the same kind of premature statements about Gordon, Novak & Mardy Collins. Yes, on this very blog.
None of us really know anything about Cheik Samb. Least we can do: just restrain from downgrading until the player in question gets sufficient time to prove himself.
Posted on January 25th, 2009 at 11:32 am
It’s lame how a site like ESPN’s NBA home page seems to have no story about Gordon’s 41 point performance. Here we are, half-way through the season, and EJ puts up the most points of any rookie in probably the NBA’s best draft class since LeBron’s. Gordon even hit the game-clinching shot while playing great D and showing amazing scoring efficiency at only 6’3″.
I guess when you are the doormat of the league, that’s par for the course….
Posted on January 25th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Why Dunleavy will never win….Remember he had Gordon on the bench with no pt at the beginning of the season..same with DeAndre .Without the injuries these players dont devolope…
Posted on January 25th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I wonder if the season ticket holders could bring a class action law suit against the Clippers? I paid to see Baron, Marcus, Chris and Zach, not Fred Jones, Mardy Collins and Steve Novak. Lets get our own doctor to examine some of these dogs and see if they are able to play. A bruised tail bone? I see players coming back from knee and ankle injuries in half the time. Has anyone checked B.D.’s rear-end lately? I defy you to find a tail bone? This can’t be legal? Or at the very least ethical?
Posted on January 26th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
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