The Clippers get everything they want offensively Friday night:
- Craig Smith dominates in isolation, taking Phoenix defenders at will on strong dribble-drives to the rack. Smith also plays the pick and roll, running a beautiful set with Eric Gordon at (2nd, 9:54). It’s nice to see Eric making plays, because he’s had a hellacious couple of months handling the ball.
- Gordon gets himself going with a couple of aggressive drives early, two of them in transition (1st, 9:12; 1st, 7:53), then stretches his game out to the arc, as Phoenix is unwilling to chase shooters off the line.
- Travis Outlaw also takes advantage of the Suns’ generosity on the perimeter. He drains a 3-pointer in the second quarter when the Suns inexplicably overload on a Steve Blake-Craig Smith screen/roll, even after Blake has reversed the ball away from the action (2nd, 7:29). This leaves Jason Richardson accountable for both Baron Davis and Travis Outlaw. Richardson is slow to close and Travis drains his first of four 3-pointers on the night. Outlaw picks up another bomb from beyond the arc in transition a couple of minutes later.
- Drew Gooden has some offensive skills, which shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise when you look at his career efficiency numbers. He can run the pick-and-pop (though he doesn’t tonight), has a good enough handle to put the ball on the floor and drive (2nd, 8:50; 4th, 10:42), and though he’s not the master Marcus Camby is, Gooden will get his share of tip-ins at the rim (3rd, 5:58).
Despite putting up an efficiency number of 115.5, the Clippers hemorrhage at the defensive end, surrendering 125 points in 97 possessions to Phoenix (128.9/100). As is often the case with bad defensive efforts, the Clippers cannot defend the Suns’ pick-and-roll, a problem made worse once Kaman is ejected at the beginning of the third quarter for excessive kvetching:
The Clippers aren’t unique here. There isn’t a defense in the league that’s consistently and effectively taken away this part of the Suns’ game. Play Nash straight up (as in the first clip), and he’ll find the angle on the roll. Trap him (as the Clippers do in the second possession above) and you better rotate more quickly than the Clippers do on Friday night. If Amare Stoudemire pops off the screen (the fourth possession above), you have an awful choice to make: Step out on Stoudemire, and he’ll put the ball on the deck and drive past you; play off Stoudemire to protect against the drive, and he’ll drain that face-up jumper from 20 feet.
And here’s the kicker. Once you adjust against the pick-and-roll by sending weak side help, the Suns will swing the ball to the open man vacated by the help. Take a look:
The bloodletting can’t be blamed entirely on pick-and-roll defense. The Clippers give up far too many baskets in transition to a team that finishes the break as well as any. The Suns convert 22 of 25 shots at the basket Friday night, many of them courtesy of run-outs. Whether it’s Jared Dudley’s trailing tip-in at the third quarter buzzer off Goran Dragic’s missed layup, or Grant Hill beating the Clippers’ transition defense down the floor to receive Steve Nash’s gorgeous 30-foot outlet pass for a layup, the Suns find easy baskets all night amid the chaos.
20 Responses
Why can’t WE play like the Suns? Baron runs the point like Nash, Gooden like Stoudemire, Kaman can try to be, or BETTER than Lopez, and EJ stays on the wings with Rasual. Baron drive and kick.
It works with the Suns. Why doesn’t it work for us? I really want to trade away Kaman now.
Clipped Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 8:58 am
Dunleavy is deeply attached to Kaman. He should have traded him to Pistons for Tayshaun Prince.
Chris McD Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
Kaman IS better than Lopez. Lopez just had a freakishly good night. It’s one of the best of his career. No one could seem to stop him.
Ian Reply:
February 28th, 2010 at 12:11 am
I don’t agree to that. Why? How come all these non-big names always tend to have big nights against Kaman? Ain’t it because of his awesome defense? No one could seem to stop these players from getting on fire when playing against our Clips.
Chris McD Reply:
February 28th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Lopez kept doing the same thing after Kaman was gone mid game. Did you watch the game? He was making a lot of ridiculous shots. The Clippers announcers were amazed at how good he was doing.
I’m actually not defending Kaman. He definitely has his flaws. But using Lopez as an excuse to cap on the guy, especially since he only played a little more than HALF THE GAME, is lame.
Posted on February 27th, 2010 at 1:59 am
Why did Clippers signed Baron Davis for 65mil/5yrs?
Dumbest move ever by Dunleavy. Now we have to put up with this circus.
There’s no doubt Baron means good but he’s doing it as his job and he’s getting paid for being here. But this team is hurting because of his bad back.
Dunleavy ruined his coaching career because of Baron. Now KIM HUGHES is also about to see the same fate.
Why not SEND BARON HOME? Why not test this team with Steve Blake running the team? We lost only 7 games more than #8 seed Portland. And the season is not over yet.
Instead of playing Collins & Blake to start the 4th quarter, Hughes asked Baron to start!
This ridiculous decision by Kim Hughes made it easy for Suns to win the game.
Beard The Curse Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 11:00 am
Steve Blake is an excellent BACKUP point guard. Back up. I absolutely detest nba “fans” who think backups are somehow being held back. Watch the f’n games. If you think Steve Blake is the answer at point, there are 30 (including Portland) teams that have disagreed with you for the length of his career.
Old Joe Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
You forget that Blake came to the Blazers as a back up to Sebsatian Telfair and won the starting job after ten or so games. George Karl traded for Blake from Milwaukee. Blake started for the rest of the season and in the play-offs. Steve was again signed by Portland to back up Jack. It was less than a month before Blake was again the starter. The Blazers went from 32 to 41 to 54 wins with Blake as the starting pg. He’s not flashy, but he is effective.
Clipped Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Can you name a worthy back-up PG who fooled NBA and got $65 mil. contract from hapless Clippers in recent years?
Yes, I can. His name is Baron Davis. How many times he took his team to playoffs.
Again, if you can win 38 games with JEFF McCINNIS, you can do better with Steve Blake.
PG should be an extention of a Coach; who’s smart enough to run the team and make his teammates look good & win. Last nite Blake had 9 assists in 24 minutes. And he has been consistant.
jgroove Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Jeff McInnis was a better offensive player than Steve Blake. Listen, I like Blake’s game too, but he cannot create his own shot. He’s a great facilitator and has great basketball IQ, but he cannot be a starting point guard. He’s in the Anthony Johnson mold. Very, very good point guard, but not someone who can start for a winning team over an entire season.
I think everyone is disappointed with Baron’s numbers, but to be fair — do you really want him scoring 20 a game? Why can’t he have numbers like he does now? Shouldn’t we be happier with 15, 8 and 5 and a winning record? The issue is his defense. When Griffin and whoever else is on the team next year comes along, we want them getting shots because Baron’s willing to pass the ball. Seriously, we want Baron to PASS THE BALL. That was one of his biggest issues in Golden State and what got Nellie so mad. The issue with this team is not offense. It’s defense. We need to harp on Baron’s D. Shoot, we need to harp on Gordon’s D, because it’s not up to par yet.
I find it intriguing that Gordon’s uneven game gets glossed over by Clipper fans who just assume his faults will magically go away. He’s a great kid, but he’s not a No. 2 option or even a No. 3. He can’t finish at the rim (how many missed layups does this guy have?), he still hasn’t developed a consistent post up game (that Duneleavy promised he’d have), he’s turnover prone and his height makes him a liability on D at his position even with all his hustle. Can you remember the last time Gordon blocked a shot? Really? Once? I can remember Baron blocking one before Gordon.
My point is the Clips are uneven all over the place. Griffin is going to be a big boost, but I really don’t think the issue is Baron (and shoot, I’m not a huge fan). He’s just a convenient whipping boy (and seriously, can we let this $65 million B.S. go? There are tons of other players way more overpaid then him). We need a major upgrade at the 2 and 3. Travis Outlaw is a nice player, but he’s a bench player. It’s clear Portland let him go because he doesn’t go to the hole. He pulls up for a jumper as much as possible. I love Butler, but he also has issues creating his own shot at times. We need someone at the 2-3 that teams HAVE to focus their defense on. Nobody thinks the Clips are going to beat them from the wing. Ever.
As for last night’s game, considering how well Phoenix plays at home and the contenders they’ve beaten there, I’ll take a moral victory. 1-7 for Nash? I’ll take that.
Clipped Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
It’s easy to divert the issue by pointing fingers at someone else instead of dealing with the issue head-on.
Let’s look at this: How many starting PG’s of those 16 winning teams get paid $15 mil. per year?
Second, how many PG’s of losing teams get paid $15 mil. a year?
Once we get all the statistics, we’ll decide what to do with Baron.
Clipped Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
And thanks for comparing 9-yr veteran to a second yr rookie.
God Bless.
Q.D. Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 11:37 pm
I agree everyone has a right to be frustrated and we point the finger at the guy who makes the most on the team, but Everyone is responsible.
We all love EJ, but he’s like a saint. His only negative complaint is he doesn’t get the ball enough. However, he doesn’t fights through screens, he doesn’t block out, he loves to jump with no where to go.
Steve Blake is refreshing, but I see him has as backup PG, a very good one.
Posted on February 27th, 2010 at 9:11 am
From the PDX:
You’ve got to understand what your getting with Blake and Outlaw. They are both high level role players. Pieces to a larger puzzle. Portland had too many pieces at g/sg/sf, and nothing at center…. so the trade was necessary to keep the franchise moving forward. Portland did not “give up” on either of these guys. It’s business.
From the outside looking in, (with the relative exception of the Brand years) LAC has always sufferred from a lack of a true #1 option. Some seasons you have had several 2s or 3s, but no leader, no maturity. Right now you have #1 talent in Baron, but the dude is too inconsistant into be a #1… i.e. person production, personal effort, ability to elevate teammates play. End of the day he is not a leader of men. More like a smaller version of Rasheed Wallace.
Posted on February 27th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
The more we surround Baron, Gordon, and (our potential #1 option) Blake Griffin with high quality role players, more wins (and more assists for BD) will follow. It’s amazing how much better this team is when there are always 3 guys on the floor who can make 3′s at all times. . .until now i’ve never seen a Clipper squad with this ability. Opens the game up for everybody, and this should be the model going forward- a true inside/out game. Baron never had an inside option @ Golden State, and until this recent trade he never had many outside options with the Clips. Along with defense, this is how top teams like Magic, Cavs, Lakers etc dominate. I know, those teams also have mega stars but we may have one in Griffin or land one this summer.
Posted on February 27th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
Did anyone actually watch this game? They almost scored 40 points in the 1st quarter. We have huge defensive issues starting with Kaman’s inability to body up players in the post and guards that sag way off and beg good 3 point shooters to destroy us. I can’t count the times the 3 ball has been the difference this season. It’s not rocket science that phoenix lives and dies by the 3 and yet we gave them about 20 wide open attempts. Something has to change defensively for us, our bench got us back in this one only for the starters to blow it once again, I say we rethink our starters.
Chris McD Reply:
February 28th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
I agree with you and I did watch the game, but even the top tier teams have had trouble defending against Phoenix. That’s why they’re on a remarkable run. I’m surprised that the Clippers held their own throughout most of the game.
Honestly I’m happy that we finally started putting up the O. It made for an exciting game. A lot of Clipper games seem to end under 100 points for both teams. Now we can work on the D.
clippafan4life Reply:
February 28th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
That was my biggest thing most season was the offense, and I agree it is coming along a lot better. But phoenix usually wants a shooting contest because that favors them the majority of the time. Our team doesn’t have an identity yet and most games we get caught up playing the other teams style. Until we establish something we are actually good at we are gonna continue to see lots of unique players focused on their own stats and angry fans sorting out why we lost when its really quite obvious that we don’t play as a team. I mean what are we good at as a team? Most teams do at least one thing collectively well so when the game is on the line they know to rely on whatever that is. Maybe whoever our new coach will be can figure it out but its painful watching loss after loss with no thought to invent some sort of team effort on at least one specific concept that gives us an advantage over someone else.
Posted on February 27th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
it shouldnt be that hard to defend a play where all you gotta do is stick with your man
jesus christ
Clipped Reply:
February 28th, 2010 at 7:51 am
What IF that MAN turns out to be the wrong ONE?
Posted on February 28th, 2010 at 3:32 am
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