Sandwiched between Orlando’s early 3-point onslaught and some untimely late game offensive failings were two of the best quarters the Clippers have played all year. Clippers fans are accustomed to narrowing in on glimpses of potential, but tonight they received an extended look at what a motivated and engaged team can do, particularly on the defensive end. Coming into tonight the team was in the top ten in terms of defensive efficiency, and by holding a championship caliber team like Orlando under 100 points they proved they’re worthy of being labeled as a good defensive club.
The Magic came out and executed their game plan perfectly in the first period. Their offense ran through Howard early, and when the defense sagged down to help on Howard he kicked out to one of the many three point threats the Magic employ. Impeccable ball movement teamed with great outside shooting ability is nearly impossible to stop, especially considering Marcus Camby’s susceptibility to stretch 4’s like Rashard Lewis. The Lewis assignment is a nightmare for Camby for multiple reasons. Camby’s two biggest strengths, help-side defense and defensive rebounding, are all but neutralized by Lewis and his three point shooting ability, since Camby simply can’t abandon Lewis on the perimeter. Lewis makes Camby pay for sagging off him early in the first by going 3-for-3 from deep, but once Camby adjusts Lewis is nothing more than a highly paid decoy the rest of the night. Baron Davis also loves to drop off his man and help (sometimes to a fault), and he’s punished in the first quarter for leaving Jason Williams, who hits 3 of 4 from the perimeter.
Like any good team would, the Clippers adjust accordingly after Orlando’s hot start. Unexpectedly, it’s Chris Kaman who sparks the defensive effort by causing three turnovers in the first three minutes of the period. The difference in the Clippers defensive strategy is notable; perimeter players began to make entry passes more difficult, post players became more active in denying the ball, and closeouts quickened significantly. The Clippers effort on the defensive end forced eight Orlando turnovers and 36.8 percent shooting for the period. It’s speculative, but perhaps last year this game gets out of hand after Orlando’s three point shooting barrage. Tonight though, bolstered by sound defensive play, the Clippers battle and cut the lead to six.
There are even more defensive coaching adjustments at halftime. The Clippers start staying home on all perimeter shooters, forcing Kaman or DeAndre to man up one on one against Howard. The strategy works wonderfully: Kaman and Jordan clobber Howard any time he gets near the rim, and Howard ends up with only five points on the quarter, all from the line. With the ball movement limited and the defense less stretched out, the Magic are held to an extremely low 31.6% shooting for the third quarter. On the other side of the ball, Eric Gordon asserted himself in a variety of different ways. It started with a deep three, then a drive to the hole, a face up jumper out of the post, and was finished off with another deep ball. Gordon’s offensive assault serves as a pleasant reminder of what he’s capable of doing with the ball in his hands.
Unfortunately for the Clippers, Stan Van Gundy is a good coach, and the Orlando Magic are a really good team. For as good as Dunleavy’s adjustments were midway through the game, Van Gundy’s are even better in the fourth period. Orlando’s defenders started hounding Gordon off the ball and seemingly dared anyone who wasn’t number 10 to take any open shot outside of 15 feet. With defenders clogging up the paint and shutting down all dribble penetration, the Clippers second unit struggled mightily. Here’s a quick look at the first six field goal attempts in the fourth quarter:
Chris Kaman missed 17 footer [11:26], Al Thornton missed 21 footer [11:11], Sebastian Telfair missed 19 footer [9:52], Al Thornton missed 19 footer [9:52], Chris Kaman missed 15 footer [8:33], Rasual Butler missed 27 footer [8:07]
Chris Kaman got practically every set ran for him in the fourth, which would be fine if he wasn’t marred in a serious slump and going up against an athletic freak like Dwight Howard. Howard had clearly bested Kaman all night, blocking his shots (Howard finished with 7 blocks) and altering his jumper on multiple occasions. Was Kaman going against Howard in the post the best matchup the Clippers could have tried to exploit down the stretch? Orlando did a fine job of denying Eric Gordon the ball, but zero shot attempts for your most dynamic offensive player with the game on the line is borderline unacceptable. Even Baron Davis, who did an exceptional job of posting up and drawing the defense in on him most of the night, didn’t receive a single touch in the post. It’s not the first time this year that the offense has felt monotonous in the fourth quarter. The limitations of Chris Kaman and the failure to recognize better matchups and exploit them effectively destroyed the chances of a huge upset.
To truly be competitive, guys are going to need to knock down open shots from beyond 15 feet, and outside of Gordon and “the good” Kaman, no regular player has shown they can do that with any sort of consistency. Can this be resolved with crisper execution, or will the acquisition of a new offensive threat become necessary? This is a question General Manager Dunleavy is going to have to ask Coach Dunleavy.
The transition from cellar dweller to playoff contender can’t happen overnight, so give the team credit for resolving many of the problems they’ve come across this year. In the preseason and early on this year, the Clippers were extremely turnover prone, and they’ve made improvements in that category as the year has progressed. The Clippers defensive rebounding, a serious problem much of the year, has largely improved as of late. The defense as a whole seems to get smarter and make better adjustments on a nightly basis as well. Tonight, the Clippers exhibit their improvements in these categories. The Clippers turn it over only 12 times, allow only 7 offensive rebounds, and hold the Magic under their season average for points and offensive efficiency.
It’s easy to be swayed from this conclusion because of the final score, but the Clippers truly are making significant strides in the right direction.
21 Responses
KA said “Howard had clearly bested Kaman all night” that would be beasted I think, and we are talking about an absolute powerhouse in Howard here, and a very good side to boot. In saying that though Gordon has to beat these tie down tags to be the super star we think he can become. As I did not see game, why was Carter so quiest, and was it our defence that limited his scoring?
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Posted on December 9th, 2009 at 4:03 am
KA
I could not agree more with you regarding the monotonous offense in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately, this inability to execute in the half court offense has been something that we’ve witnessed on many occasions over the past few years.
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rmb Reply:
December 9th, 2009 at 10:44 am
Dunleavy’s half-court offense is so predictable, even newbie coach of opposing team can beat it.
Just cutloose. Play the game with emotions and energy during 4th quarter while playing teams like Orlando. But Dunleavy still doesn’t get it. How many times Thornton and Gordon got touches? Kaman misfiring & Baron hitting the wall after wall!
We had no business losing this game. Dunleavy simply couldn’t shut his mouth and let players do their thing with free will. Control, control… that’s all Dunleavy does best.
Only run & gun tactic can work well if we cannot buy a basket. Why make it easy for opposing teams to set defense?
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Posted on December 9th, 2009 at 8:13 am
Well considering it was Howards birthday the Clippers chances of winning were slim. And as for the offense always going through Kaman that is simply Dunleavy not realizing he no longer has he who will not be named. When #42 was here and we had that one succesful year our defense was probably as good as it is right now. The difference is that #42 had Cassell who had a ridiculously good midrange shot and now we have Kaman who never does more than just average at rebounding and rather than him having Cassell he is stuck with Barons very shaky midrange and horrible three point shooting. Or another scenario where #42 had Corey Maggette Kaman is stuck with Al Thornton the difference Maggette was relentless and although it caused a couple of injuries here in there it also kept the Clippers in just about every game. Where #42 had Vladamir Radmanovic who was shooting lights out we have Rasual Butler who cant throw a pebble into the ocean right now….The only place where we have a slight advantage is Gordon-Mobley but Mobley savvyness made him a lot more effective than the reluctant Gordon…And finally where if #42 struggled offensively the Clippers would post Kaman now if Kaman struggles they have Marcus Camby who is no threat to have a 20pt game at best he is good for 14….So defense is not our problem but offense is and Dunleavy needs to realize he has to start playing some zone defense with Kaman and Camby down low making outlet passes to Davis or Telfair with Gordon and Thornton running endlessly. This team would be so much better off that way.
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Posted on December 9th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Right now, we’re a very easy team to guard. Crowd the paint and get out to Gordon, who is our only effective outside shooter. When Blake gets back, that won’t change much, though it will give us an agressive player to add to the rotation… Unless we get more outside shooting, we’ll still be very easy to defend.
Since Baron’s salary makes him tough to move, the answer seems obvious.
Move Thornton and Camby and get a SF who can really shoot to move into the starting lineup. Until we have at least two shooters on the perimeter who are a real threat (and can play enough D to earn their playing time) we’ll never be able to score in the fourth when defenses tighten up…
For those who haven’t noticed, we go into a lot of fourth quarter droughts. This is from a lack of balanced scoring and the fact that Dunleavy plays Baron too many minutes, leaving him with little left for the fourth quarter.
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Pedro Reply:
December 9th, 2009 at 9:30 am
I was at the game, and I gotta say it didn’t seem like Baron was getting worn down in the 4th. He had two or three ridiculous drives in the fourth, but couldn’t finish as the Orlando D collapsed on him, and either blocked his shot, or forced a turnover as he tried a mid-air kickout too. I know people have destroyed Baron for his shot selection in his tenure as a Clip, but I think we all gotta acknowledge how much it has improved… Last year, he was just jacking probably 5-10 horrendous shots a game. Now, and especially in the last couple weeks, it feels like we’re getting *maybe* one “I know that’s a horrible shot” per game.
I will agree that our lack of outside shooting is KILLING us. In my opinion, Rasual is the key. If Rasual doesn’t start hitting shots, he is basically worthless. If he is knocking down 3s(like he’s supposed to), we have a totally different offense. Other teams can’t collapse on the interior in the way that they have been. It has gotten to the point where he is just making BAD BAD plays. (the 3-pt foul on Lewis was especially egregious)
The other thing that has to be called out is the coaching, which is quickly becoming groundhog day. In the 4th quarter drought there were 4 or 5 possessions where the shot clock would be somewhere between 10-14 seconds before ANY motion off the ball began. And then it would be just a pick by Camby, Kaman, and one time Novak. Nothing earth shattering. As one might imagine, this stagnancy is a killer against a team like the Magic who have what seems like 8 guys with seven foot wingspans, and who can recover and rotate in the blink of an eye. Is it THAT hard to get some better plays in the playbook? Come on.
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Posted on December 9th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Can we all come to an agreement that Kaman should NOT be the center of our offense? Geez, his spin move is horrible, when he gets frustrated he just shoots 15ft jumpers that has no chance of going in, and last night’s game shows that he is not a top tier Center in the league. Also, Dunleavy needs to sit with his coaches and work on how to rotate players in and out of the game. Seriously, if Baron, Gordon, and Camby are the key players who brought us back into the game, play them in the start of the 4th to keep up the momentum. Taking them off the floor will just ruin it. This is why we win games against horrible teams and can’t keep up with the top teams in the league (except for the game against the Nuggets, I think that game was motivated by the pressure Dunleavy was getting from the media.).
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RL Reply:
December 9th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
In Kaman’s defense, that 15 footer is a part of his repertoire and he is a very good shot for a big man. If the opposing center gives him that shot, he should always take it. However… it would have been nice for the offense to focus a bit more on the hot hand for the game – which for last night’s game was EJ. He only took 12 shots and did not get his number called up too often down the stretch. There was a particular play where EJ was stationed underneath the basket and ran through a double screen off BD and DJ (leading to a made 3 from the wing) that I felt the Clips should have called a couple more times.
Oh well.. I thought it was a good game nonetheless. Our 4th quarter O stunk it up, but Orlando needs to be recognized for their stellar D.
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SamMays Reply:
December 9th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
I think the Clips did run some stuff for Gordon, but Orlando just switched all the picks and made sure they got out to him. They took away the looks he was getting in the third quarter with good defense.
They can get away with that because we have no other options from the outside. A guy like Kobe or Lebron can go into a high post and get the ball there. Then if the defense comes at him, he can hit open men. If they don’t come to double, he can make a move and go up over the defender. Gordon doesn’t have that in his game to he can’t take over the way Kobe and some others can… He’s easier to stop than a lot of number one options.
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RL Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 12:41 am
Well said Sam. I do, however, think that over time Gordon can be a true number one option, and he will eventually develop something of a low post game (remember summer league?). My gut feeling is Kaman is the temporary #1 option till Gordon develops. He’s had a couple of good experiences to learn from this season already: end of game of Suns matchup, 4th Q dominance on the Grizz.
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Posted on December 9th, 2009 at 9:13 am
I’ve never really bought into this “Dunleavy ia a terrible coach” thing until last night. The 4th quarter offense is terrible, no one can hit a shot. Call a freakin’ timeout and instruct your team to run isolations for Gordon or post Davis or isolations for Thorton. Exploit your (slim) advantages and get stuff going to the hoop. How hard is that? Give your team some simple instruction about what is working and what isn’t. The game was a winnable game, the coach let us down.
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Posted on December 9th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Also… how BAD has Kaman been of late. Wow. I can’t recall the last time he hit a couple jumpers in a row, whereas in the first 2 weeks, he NEVER missed.
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Posted on December 9th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Imo this was an excellent game despite the loss. Our defensive game was stellar last night. Against an Orlando team you have to play near perfection in order to win. The thing that cost us was Kaman’s proficiency was terrible; he took way too many jumpers. Similarly, it’s evident that Jordan’s presence is a threat, but he makes too many mistakes.
I like how Butler started from mid range and worked his way back to the 3pt line. It just sucked seeing his shot not sink in the 4th. If he made some of those 4th quarter threes, we’d be singing a different tune. That’s the thing Dunleavy needs to keep preaching to his team. If the shot isn’t falling, attack the basket, get in close, and work your way out.
This was a winnable game, it’s just the 4th quarter offense flat-lined. I don’t know what they could have done to convert, but if this team wants to win they need to figure out to keep the momentum flowing throughout the entire game.
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Posted on December 9th, 2009 at 9:59 am
I thought the game was lost basically because of Dunleavy’s coaching. Going into the 4th, the Clips were down by 4. But Dunleavy leaves his best offensive weapon Gordon as well as Baron on the bench until the team is down by 12. That’s when the offense flat-lined. The Clips needed someone to create and besides Kamen (sometimes) Gordon and Baron are the only Clippers who can do that. The next game isn’t until Sunday, and Gordon is only like 20 – he could’ve played the entire 4th quarter.
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Posted on December 9th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
back to moral victories eh? when are some of the fans going to get real? were the same damn team. years past we had enuf moral victories. a loss is a LOSS. this was winnable they blew it
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Posted on December 9th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Making significant progress? D.J. you must be kidding. It’s the same old same old with predictable results. Good coach v. terrible coach. If Van Gundy is coaching the Clips they win. They will not be successful until our loser is gone.
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Curtis Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
You have to give credit to the Clippers the other night. We are talking about the Orlando Magic. It’s the Eastern Conference champs with the addition of Vince Carter against the Clippers.
If we were to play the Magic 10 times this year, I don’t see us winning more than two games regardless of who’s coaching. They’re an extremely tough team and they locked buckled down on D in the fourth.
As well, I remembering reading KA making the win prediction to be around the 35 win mark. This team is a vast improvement over last year and you can’t deny that they’re making strides
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Posted on December 9th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Bad freaking coach….bad freaking coach……
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Posted on December 9th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
white chocolate made a fool of us. I want revenge!!!!!!
p.s. thornton is badass
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Posted on December 10th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
I think around the 6 min mark of the 4th, Dun should have subbed DeAndre for Kaman and gone for contact at the rim. We needed to stop the clock and get high percentage buckets that werent jumpshots.
I was actually wishing we had Corey back for that 4th quarter, hed have flailed at the bucket and stopped the clock and given us a chance to come back from the line. He kind of specialized in those moments.
Instead we opted for jumpers and no contact. We also let the clock wind down on each possession. We were out of the game completely by the 4 minute mark and nothing was falling. This was a heartbreaker because we played with poise for 3.5 quarters.
This team is only aggressive at the rim when the second unit is out on the floor. I wish the first unit played as aggressively.
If Kaman could love dunking as much as he liked guns, we’d be a scary team to play.
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Posted on December 10th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
KEVIN…Given Sterlings age and the fact he has no children in line to follow him as a hands-on team owner, doesn’t it make sense for him to offer Lebron a 20 percent interest in the team with an option to become majority owner after Sterling passes? Why not secure the one player who can help you attain a banner or two or five and then rest easy knowing this same player will guide the team forward for the next four or five decades? This will be Sterlings last great opportunity to garner the thing he wants most and to stick a fork into the neck of his fiercest rival…Dr. Buss/Kobe/Lakers.
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Posted on December 11th, 2009 at 11:15 am
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