Through three quarters, the Clippers exhibited everything that has made them absolutely infuriating to watch so far this year. Despite out-shooting their opponent from the field (44% to 32% in the first half), rotating well on defense, and building a substantial lead, the Clippers fell behind on the scoreboard at the end of three periods, 76-75. Outplayed but not outworked, the Thunder again looked primed to steal a victory late from the Clippers on the back of Kevin Durant. What, or who, was the difference for the Clippers down the stretch tonight?
- Vintage Baron – The Baron Davis seen tonight was more in line with what Clippers fans expected when he was signed to his long-term contract. While Baron undoubtedly has been a better overall player this season as opposed to last, he’s still left something to desire with his shot-making ability in crunch time. Baron’s biggest possession came at a crucial time tonight.
[4th quarter, .43 seconds] – Baron works a high pick and roll with Kaman, but Westbrook sinks way off Baron to possibly switch or impede the path of a diving Kaman. There’s confusion with Westbrook and Krstic, and Baron suddenly realizes he has plenty of room on the perimeter, gets his feet set under him, and drills a three pointer to make it a two possession game with limited time remaining.
Baron has yet to, and maybe never will, live up to many fans expectations, but tonight he’s finally the closer the Clippers have desperately needed.
- The New Al Thornton – Al has had a rough go of it this season, but tonight he was very important in keeping the game alive for the Clippers. Now fighting for playing time and some respect, Al has shown a new willingness to use his athleticism on the offensive glass, and tonight he records three big offensive boards in the final period. Along with his new found hunger for offensive rebounding, Al seemingly has reverted back to what his game should be centered around: Attacking the basket and getting to the line. All 7 of Al Thornton’s made buckets tonight come via dunk or layup. The shot chart may not be pretty, but it gives you a nice idea of where Al should be spending his time.
- Chris Kaman – Is the Kaman love getting old yet? Tonight, Kareem Rush and Steve Novak combine to play42 minutes with the sole purpose of stretching the floor for Kaman and giving him room to operate. Rush incidentally plays some nice defense to go along with his 9 points, but ultimately he’s able to be on the floor because of the attention Kaman draws. Chris went for his suddenly standard 25 points on a very efficient 10-15 from the field. Kaman’s trade value around the league is higher than it’s ever been, but I doubt Dunleavy is fielding any offers. The Clippers offense would be nothing without him.
- A little luck - Sometimes, the difference in a close game can boil down to who makes their shots. The quality of looks in the fourth period tonight weren’t overwhelmingly better than they’ve been during the three game losing streak, but the looks fall. Can Scotty Brooks live with Marcus Camby shooting a contested jumper from 18 feet? Probably, but it’s one of the shots that tipped the scale for the Clippers. Maybe the Thunder shouldn’t have been in this game in the first place. With that said, the Clippers should feel pretty lucky that they escaped with a win, especially considering how hot Durant was.
If those shots by Baron and Camby don’t fall, there’s an entirely different outlook on this game. Dunleavy’s head is called for, Baron’s leadership qualities are questioned, and the ESPN trade machine is fired up with all sorts of scenarios to get rid of the Butlers and Thorntons of the world. The fact that the Clippers allowed 18 offensive rebounds is likely pored over. The stat that shows the Clippers have shot better from the field than their opponents in 7 out of 11 games this season, yet still have a losing record, is dissected. Winning can sometimes be the ultimate concealer.
While it’s a much needed win for team and fan base alike, it’s still troubling that the Clippers are making a habit of wasting too many possessions. Turnovers (29th in the league in turnover ratio) and poor defensive rebounding (26th in the league in defensive rebounding rate) can’t continue to be issues if this team has real playoff aspirations. The Clippers simply shouldn’t have needed those big shots down the stretch to put away the Thunder; the game should have been locked up and over long before them.
Regardless of the pessimism, a revenge win on the road, without Gordon and Griffin no less, is truly impressive.
The Clippers will try again to avenge another early season loss when they travel to New Orleans on Tuesday.
16 Responses
Great article DJ with the perfect amount of pessimism at the end. I was so happy last night after the win but in reality it shouldn’t have been that close. That being said, payback is a b*tch and with Chris Paul out NOH is ready to get slapped. Yes it could’ve been a long streak of 6 out of 7 wins for us, but for how bad this team played last year & without Gordon & Griffin I will only settle for 3 in a row now. Anything other than that and it’s off with Dunleavy’s head.
[Reply]
Posted on November 16th, 2009 at 5:39 am
Vintage Baron: Before the last minute 3 by Baron he had shot 1-5 from beyond the arc. No way the game should have even been that close to have to depend on a 3 from Baron. I’m glad it finally went in, but if he missed his shot & Jeff Green had made his 3 in the end this would’ve been a completely different ending. It was a step in the right direction but leaves a lot of room for improvement.
[Reply]
Posted on November 16th, 2009 at 5:57 am
nice recap. I agree with what you said about Al. Pure vintage Al. He needs to do away with his jumpers and just attack the rim and rebound like you said. Also he looked better on D than usual. Ralph made a comment that he came into camp out of shape, he looks like he is back in it. They also have been running some nice and crisp screens off the ball for al and hes been getting the ball and converting down low. The clips offense is so much improved this year, the great equalizer in the nba is the fact that it is 82 games, l get the feeling that the clips are a lot better than there early season record indicates.
[Reply]
Newtybar Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 9:52 am
He needs to shoot the jumpers on occasion to keep defenses honest.
[Reply]
RT Reply:
November 17th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Slight correction:
He needs to make the jumpers on occasion to keep defenses honest.
[Reply]
Posted on November 16th, 2009 at 6:17 am
I agree with the comment about the Clippers being better than their record indicates; although
we were saying the same thing last year too.
I look at the Suns game and how LA for the most part dominated that game. We had low expectations for the Suns team. They are 8-2 or 7-2 , They’ve beat boston at Boston, and if it was’nt for Steve Nash going insane in the closing minutes of the fourth, LA would have won by 10 or more points.
It looks like the Clippers need to protect the ball – less turn overs , more focus and energy.
If and when EG and BG return , I expect LA to play ridiculous basketball. I expect them to come into every game with swagger and attitude. Like yeah we’re gonna kick your ass tonight.
[Reply]
Posted on November 16th, 2009 at 8:04 am
[...] ClipperBlog: “If those shots by Baron and Camby don’t fall, there’s an entirely different outlook on this game. Dunleavy’s head is called for, Baron’s leadership qualities are questioned, and the ESPN trade machine is fired up with all sorts of scenarios to get rid of the Butlers and Thorntons of the world. The fact that the Clippers allowed 18 offensive rebounds is likely pored over. The stat that shows the Clippers have shot better from the field than their opponents in 7 out of 11 games this season, yet still have a losing record, is dissected. Winning can sometimes be the ultimate concealer.” [...]
Posted on November 16th, 2009 at 8:32 am
[...] ClipperBlog: “If those shots by Baron and Camby don’t fall, there’s an entirely different outlook on this game. Dunleavy’s head is called for, Baron’s leadership qualities are questioned, and the ESPN trade machine is fired up with all sorts of scenarios to get rid of the Butlers and Thorntons of the world. The fact that the Clippers allowed 18 offensive rebounds is likely pored over. The stat that shows the Clippers have shot better from the field than their opponents in 7 out of 11 games this season, yet still have a losing record, is dissected. Winning can sometimes be the ultimate concealer.” [...]
Posted on November 16th, 2009 at 8:32 am
What’s the answer for overcoming the terrible defensive rebounding rate? Looking up and down the roster, we have great rebounders at the 1, 4 and 5 and a rejuvinated rebounder at the 3… is it a personnel issue or an issue with their defensive system?
[Reply]
D.J. Foster Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Great question Pez – I’ll be putting up a post soon to address that problem.
[Reply]
Posted on November 16th, 2009 at 10:42 am
Honestly, just getting a win without Gordon is impressive.
[Reply]
Posted on November 16th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
I won’t go so far as to praise the Clippers for eeking out another win that should have been easier. The best part was I got so caught up in the Patriots-Colts game that I completely forgot the Clips were playing and didn’t get a bet down. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than smart. I’m sure there will be a juicy opportunity to lay a few shillings down in the coming weeks. BTW, Kobe has a strained groin muscle and he says he won’t miss any games. I’m not calling anyone soft, I’m just reporting the information. So, any idea if Blake or Eric ever plan to suit up again? It’s not like the entire season is slipping away or anything.
[Reply]
Posted on November 16th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
I don’t understand something. Why, if most teams shoot below 50 percent on any given night, do offensive players always just break up the court when someone puts up an outside shot instead of busting towards the rim to get the inevitable rebound? I can understand sending one or two guys back for insurance, but every time one of the Clipper puts up a 20 foot brick (Baron) you don’t see even one white uniform waiting to get the rebound for a second chance. This drives me crazy.
[Reply]
Posted on November 16th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
As always D.J., your observations are well thought-out and astute. Do you know who in the Clipper organization reads your comments? If so, how regularly?
[Reply]
D.J. Foster Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Thanks for the kind words Robert! To be completely honest with you, I’m not sure who inside the organization reads Clipperblog. It’s definitely interesting to think about who might though.
[Reply]
Posted on November 16th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
[...] Clippers 101, Oklahoma City 93 – Clipperblog.com [...]
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Add A Comment