With the Clippers’ two most efficient scorers out of action, we’re back to the dark days of January when it was tough to discern anything meaningful from a game like this. Going in, the game isn’t without some potentially intriguing storylines. In Eric Gordon’s absence, Mike Taylor draws the task of guarding Tony Parker. Matt Bonner provides Mike Dunleavy the opportunity to start Steve Novak without giving up too much defensively. Baron Davis has been playing a better brand of basketball of late. Unfortunately, Taylor picks up two early fouls and a third in the second quarter. Novak begins to emerge from his slump, but the Spurs defend the pick and roll as well as any team in basketball, and the clean looks are hard to come by for Novak.
All of these sideshows ultimately fall into the morass of lousy, low-percentage shots the Clippers fire indiscriminately from the opening possession:
- [1st, 11:26] After futzing around for 15 seconds, Davis and Al Thornton run a pick and pop on the left side. It’s effective — Al rolls into all kinds of open space just inside the arc. He could explode past Michael Finley, if not all the way to the rack [Duncan will be patrolling the basket area], then at least for a pull-up at 15 feet. Instead, Al heaves up a brick with his heel on the three-point line — the lowest value shot in basketball.
- [1st, 10:55] Fewer variables to discuss here. The Clippers march downcourt and Baron gets an immediate screen from Marcus Camby. Roger Mason runs underneath, which is like catnip to a chucker like Baron. The 3PA is way off.
This, in essence, captures the first half for both Thornton and Davis. They combine to shoot 2-18 for nine points. Al actually delivers two pretty interior passes during a spell toward the end of the first quarter when the Clippers move the ball around the halfcourt very nicely:
- [1st, 5:12] Baron and Novak run that high S/R, with Novak popping left. Baron, against the trap, slings a nice pass over to Novak. As Novak rises for the shot, Malik Hairston closes swiftly. Rather than force the shot, an elevated Novak opts to pass it over to Fred Jones in the far corner. For a team without a lot of raw speed, the Spurs have a way of coming out of nowhere to contest shots. Their rotations are crisp and decisive. Here, it’s actually Kurt Thomas who races from the high trap on Baron all the way to the far corner. Jones realizes that trying to shoot over Thomas with arms extended isn’t as smart as driving past the big man, since Thomas’ breaks are a little worn out at this point in his career. So Jones drive, and as he reaches the paint, he pushes a perfect bounce pass through traffic to a cutting Thornton, who picks it up en route to the hoop for a lay-in. Jones is unquestionably the Clippers’ best playmaker tonight.
- [1st, 4:44] The high S/R is for Davis and Thornton this time around. Al is able to get behind Thomas on the roll, and Baron feeds him in stride. But as Al reaches the basket, he’s met by both Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen. Instead of forcing the issue, Al finds an open Marcus Camby along the baseline to his right. Camby goes in for the easy slam.
More times than not, the defense will send some help to deal with a slashing Al Thornton, which means there will often be people open in close proximity. A player of Al’s athleticism leaves so much on the table if he doesn’t parlay those skills into opportunities for teammates. On this set, Al does precisely that and it’s nice to see.
- [1st, 0:45] In transition, Jones gets it to Thornton on the right wing. Al drives toward the hole, but as he nears the paint, he sees [a] two Spurs confronting him and [b] Marcus Camby, who is trailing the play, storming down the lane. Al hits Camby with a pass and Marcus converts the easy two.
After this, there’s a little eye candy — Fred Jones’ 60-footer at the buzzer to end the first and a sick alley-oop from Jones to Taylor once the game is out of hand. Apart from that, the Clippers descend into meltdown mode.
Zach Randolph’s absence hurts Baron more than anyone. Baron needs someone in the low post to feed, not only because it helps lure the defense away from the perimeter, but it also enables Baron to work off the ball. And if Baron is working off the ball, by definition, he’s not heaving up contested 23-footers off the dribble.
As bad as Al is offensively, he single-handedly puts the game out of reach on the defensive end during a five minutes span in the third quarter [3rd, 10:32; 3rd, 9:50; 3rd, 7:25; 3rd, 6:45*; 3rd, 5:23] when he rolls out the welcome mat for Michael Finley (*and Matt Bonner) beyond the arc.
*With the defense scrambled coming downcourt, Al inherits Matt Bonner [hitherto, Al's man is Finley]. It’s a fairly basic Spurs set: A high S/R for Parker/Duncan with the three shooters spread along the arc. Bonner is to the left of the action. Al is nowhere. He’s not providing help on Parker — who is dribbling laterally with Baron in front of him – nor is he giving the Clippers good coverage on the shooter. Parker sends the ball over to Bonner, who nails the 3PA with Thornton closing late.
In each of the above sequences, Al displays no instincts as to which conditions warrant his help and which demand that he stay at home on the shooter. Good wing defenders have the ability to balance their attention. It’s not about hedging in no man’s land between the action and the perimeter. It’s an instinct, one that a professional player either has when he arrives in the league (Tayshaun Prince) or develops with experience (Gerald Wallace). The Clippers have no assurances that Al has the wherewithal to cultivate this intuition, but as a small forward with marginal offensive efficiency, he’ll need to.
31 Responses
Wow. My first game in about a month. Here’s the recap.
$5 for parking– I was shocked– Figueroa parking South of Staples usually at least $10-$15.
$100 Season tickets for my special season ticket holder price of $70.
$18 for 2 beers.
$14.50 for 1 more beer and a sad excuse for Nachos.
$140 + 5 + 18 + 14.50 = 177.50.
Infinitely worse, i wasted my time on this game.
I really dont think i’m going to renew my tix again. If they ever get good or exciting, i’ll jump back on and buy a 10 game package or something. The costs just dont justify the benefits. I think the Clips are going to have a real hard time convincing people otherwise. I dont even think i’d renew if they slashed prices by 20%…which we know they wont.
Horrible game to attend– even the DJ was falling asleep.
ACD Reply:
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:40 am
***benefits dont justify the costs
ACD Reply:
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:42 am
While i’m on a roll… i forgot to mention how bad Al Thornton was. He was beyond bad. He made Baron look like a HOF-er. Wow. It’s amazing how he’s regressed. ok bye
MC Reply:
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Losing takes its toll mentally. Our entire starting line up looks exhausted.
Posted on March 3rd, 2009 at 12:39 am
Parker was asked about the difference between Davis and the Davis of old.
“You have to give him the freedom and let him go and play like he did at Golden State,” he said.
Marin Reply:
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:33 am
I agree with this wholeheartedly. While it’s nice to have a beast in the post to feed it to, Davis has always excelled when he’s the lead dog who has control, and can make mistakes. Sure, this leads to some contested jumpers and bad bad threes, but it can also lead to a very special player
Posted on March 3rd, 2009 at 12:49 am
this game hurt
Posted on March 3rd, 2009 at 2:01 am
I’ve been looking at the numbers of shots the Clippers have been taking… They’re among the tops in the league in shots taken, ahead of the Suns and Cavs and Celtics and Blazers and barely behind Don Nelson’s Warriors. Dunleavy is letting them shoot the ball.
If anything, the team is out of control, taking bad shot after bad shot… Every time Thornton, or either Davis goes up for a shot you can almost count it as a turnover.
Let Baron be Baron? Baron is being Baron. Some players age before their time. The obvious characteristic of this is a declining shooting percentage. I’m sure he’ll have the occasional great game that reminds people he was great, we’re seeing the downside of his career… We’re certainly seeing the down side of his effort level.
Section 113 Reply:
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Misleading….they also give up a lot of points in quick time, which means more possessions…hence more shots.
Sam Mays Reply:
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Absolutely. The two go hand in hand. If you take quick shots, there are more possessions. The problem is, Pheonix knows how to run that system and they get a lot of easy shots quickly because their whole team sprints the floor. The Clippers just take a lot of early jumpshots, often well defended; like Baron’s yo-yo dribble three pointers, or Al’s spinning fallaways.
I don’t mind Gordon or Novak taking an early 3, provided the rest of the team is running the floor… And, it’s more exciting to watch a running Pheonix style team, but this group wasn’t built for that. They were built for Dunleavy’s boring low post isolation sets.
Jax Reply:
March 4th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Why oh why did MDSr sign BD to a 5 year $65M deal knowing he’d be forcing him into a stagnant iso offense.
And they say they should fire him as coach so he could concentrate on being GM. LOL
Posted on March 3rd, 2009 at 8:35 am
god this team is depressing
SF Reply:
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:46 pm
He’s not that bad but he needs someone to help him work on his game. He’s constantly working on his game so we know he wants to get better but it seems the coaching staff isn’t guiding him in the right direction.
MC Reply:
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Seeing as though Al started basketball way later in his life and that it isn’t his first sport, I’m pretty sure he just needs to build up some instincts.
ACD Reply:
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:58 pm
instinct, by definition is “An innate capability or aptitude”. You can rarely “build up” instinct.
The only thing worse than his shot selection is his complete and utter lack of defensive intensity. I’m starting to HATE his game.
Posted on March 3rd, 2009 at 11:03 am
ACD, my brother, I feel your pain as a fellow season ticket holder. After unsuccesfully trying to give my tix for last nights game away on this very site, I held a private ceremony with them in my upstair bathroom. It was totally in step with the way the Clippers have been treating their loyal fans all season. It involved several moments of silence, two swipes of my rear end (one for each seat) and a hearty whoosh of bright blue water. I have to admit I felt an unusual sense of relief as I watched a miss opportunity to see Baron and the boys stink up the joint one more time. Thank you to Clippers for saving me the shame of having to turtle walk to the hall closet for a fresh roll of toilet paper. Who said the Clippers weren’t worth a shit? Not me.
ACD Reply:
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:53 pm
i figure this is appropriate for you. it’s pretty crude but your Spurs v Clippers tickets shared the same fate as the 5th amendment in this clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24pHo7PVwR8&feature=related
Posted on March 3rd, 2009 at 2:39 pm
WHAT DO you think about signing charlie villanueva this offseason?
Stian Reply:
March 3rd, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Not if we are drafting Griffin.
Posted on March 3rd, 2009 at 6:11 pm
This coach cant devolope players.see Oneil..He even had Gordon on the bench at the beginning..
Stian Reply:
March 3rd, 2009 at 8:52 pm
C’mon, dude, of course Mobley and not Gordon is gonna be the starter. And Cat played well enough early on to justify being the starter.
Credit to Dunleavy for getting rid of Thomas and Mobley and getting Z-Bo and Mardy in return. That was straight up thievery. AND put Eric in the starting line-up.
Dj Reply:
March 4th, 2009 at 6:12 am
Lets wait to see what New York does with that cap room in 2010 before we call it thievery… If they get Lebron/Wade/Bosh I’ll go ahead and say they won that deal.
Section 113 Reply:
March 6th, 2009 at 8:33 am
STIAN once again proving his ignorance….it was thievery on the part of the Knicks…the most important asset to have in ’10 is cap room, but DUNCEleavy traded that away for Zach Randolph, a proven loser. scores 25, gives up 32…no team will win with FAT ZACH on the roster. Every team in the league is trying to clear space for 2010, except the DUNCE so he is either a contrarian or an idiot….I take idiot.
STIAN you really are Mrs. D, aren’t you?
Posted on March 3rd, 2009 at 6:40 pm
^^^^ lol jermaine o neal is a littl bitter
Posted on March 3rd, 2009 at 8:02 pm
http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=877eea49-c4fe-42a5-a154-c3d9aa65b9c3
Posted on March 4th, 2009 at 12:34 am
Is there a team with a worse record that hasn’t fired the coach? I doubt it. This is ridiculous. Hell teams in playoff contention are firing coaches for a boost in morale and a new outlook and intensity. Why can’t we let this douche go? It is driving me insane. i don’t care if he isnt the problem. HE HAS PROVEN THAT HE IS NOT THE SOLUTION.
Posted on March 4th, 2009 at 10:57 am
The only vote we have is with our wallets. Just stop buying tickets to Clipper games and see how fast Donald dumps Mike D. I’m finished. I’m going to take the money and give it to Operation Smile.
Posted on March 4th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Maybe if everyone stops going they’ll move the team to Anaheim so I don’t have to drive all the way up from Ryan Atwood’s poolhouse in the OC.
Posted on March 4th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
gordon isn’t even on Thorpe’s top 20 rooks, couldn’t see how low he is because it requires that you be an insider.
Kevin Arnovitz Reply:
March 4th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
#5
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/players/rookies/rankings?season=2009
Posted on March 4th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
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