There are a bunch of different things to talk about from tonight’s game, a hundred different moments worth reliving, and plenty of stats worth poring over. But the one thing I keep coming back to is an immeasurable, a subjective thing, something you can’t really pin down.It’s frustrating — I want to talk about the brilliance of Chris Paul, the dominating defense down the stretch, or even Caron Butler’s second half offensive explosion. But I can’t, because all I can think about is toughness.
Mental, physical, emotional — each and every kind of toughness. It was the unifying bond for the Clippers against the Heat, the one thing each player contributed in their own unique way. Maybe I’m conditioned from years of watching a revolving door of players get their empty-stats in the coldest of ways, but the Clippers, to a man, looked as tough as I can ever remember them.
Chris Paul displayed the very macho type of toughness. The confidence, the bravado, the belief that he was better than whoever it was lined up across from him. Paul’s toughness is giving up 8-inches, 60-pounds, a speed and legnth advantage, and simply not giving damn about it. It’s the move at the end of regulation against LeBron, the bringing the fight to Wade with full-court pressure, the drawing out of defenders on mismatches and dispatching them effortlessly. In Paul’s mind, he’s tougher than you because no one is tougher than him.
Chauncey Billups draws his toughness from experience. You know how you can’t beat your dad in arm-wrestling, even though he’s pushing 50? (No? Just me?) That’s Chauncey. It’s the confidence that he’s been there more times than you, that he has more reps, that he’s forgotten more tricks than you’ll ever know. You could tell something didn’t sit right when Wade tried to beat up on Billups in the post. When you get older, you’re forced to sacrifice things. For Billups, he was just making sure that he held on tight to the one of the few things he haa left.
Caron Butler gets his from stubbornness. Rain or shine, Butler will shoot. Against the best player on the planet or a defensive sieve, Butler will shoot. Whether he scored 20 points in the first half or 2 like he did against Miami, Butler will shoot. Even as everything else changes around him, Butler remains the constant. There’s a toughness in knowing exactly who you are, and never doubting it for a second.
Blake Griffin becomes more and more unrecognizable as he drifts further and further away from the basket. It’s cringe-worthy to watch him complain to referees and even more infuriating when he lets opposing players have free shots at the rim. Balancing it all — the skill and the finesse with the rugged build — is understandably a tricky process. But you know what? This was Blake’s most promising game from a growth standpoint, simply because he didn’t back down. He went after loose balls, he carved out space in the paint, he contested shots. He got dirty (and bloody) again. Blake’s game against Miami had something that was lacking in previous contests — heart.
“To those we wish to fail, thrust upon them great expectations.”
DeAndre Jordan is constantly saddled with the burden of potential. He’s already weathered a lot as a young man — unreasonable expectations, a “bust” label, yo-yo type minutes, and now the dollar amount attached to his worth. But there’s a certain relentlessness Jordan has developed to counter it all. When Miami attacked him, DeAndre stood tall until the very end when his team needed him the most.
The Clippers nearly died a thousand deaths last night at the end of regulation. There was the offensive rebound off the missed free throw and the save out of bounds, the booted turnover that wasn’t, and a bunch of other plays that very well would have killed a lesser team. But against the league’s best team on the big stage, the Clippers proved they’re tough enough to withstand just about anything.
37 Responses
Absolutely loved deandre down the stretch. The guy is really growing into a solid center and I see the immaturity leaving his game, ever so slowly
rich Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 6:46 am
Let’s hope nights like last night are more of the norm for DeAndre, rather than the exception…
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 6:40 am
Dj playe amazingly well. I hope blake goes back to his ways of dominating the paint or get new post moves becuz I think now its harder for him to get to the basket cuz he is instantly double teamed inside the paint and It bothers him some. Also a lot of bizzarre calls against the clips that could have put them away. It was like the refs were on the heat side. That the clips had no respect but if they didn’t have respect before they have surely earned that respect now. I hope blake continues to work on his shot and I hope he can become dominate and more hungry. Last year he was hungry this year he seems a little laid back at times. I think blake will get into beast mode soon he is due for another 30 plus game soon. Also blake needs to play some strong d. There are enough guys now that can score so its ok for him to play like that and be in foul trouble some games
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 7:39 am
Coaching Advice…Keep Cook away from the court and dont have your whole second unit in the game at the same time(second period for the Clips) and we will do even better….
JaySee Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 10:22 am
Play Thompkins! Also, no doubt VDN will continue his full 2nd unit nonsense trying to give rest and keep BG and DJ out of foul trouble. Hubie kept saying the 2nd unit has no post game. What about Gomes? Gomes can play a little post and should be the PF with Thompkins as the 3 on offense, then switch on D.
RAM Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 2:55 pm
What Happened to Thompkins!?! why is he not out there? watcking cook’s 3′s go in and out are killing me. please no more Gomes. he has a turnover for every min. he plays.
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 7:41 am
I hope dj play last night shuts up demote once and for all
ClipsFan4Life Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 8:30 am
lol completely agree!! DJ has made key defensive plays down the stretch and is playing great defense! My only gripe is that hes is always trying to block every single shot and it routinely leave him out of position to rebound. but other then that i love the way DJ is playing its time for demote to shut up already.
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 7:43 am
I mean, Caron’s nickname is “Tuff Juice.” He’s gotta be tough, right?
JaySee Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 10:24 am
Caron was a straight up gangster. He’s one of the few that could actually fight in the NBA. He looked like he was going to kill when he got taken down in the Blazers game.
Chris McD. Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 10:31 am
I compare him to “Crazy Eyes” in Mr. Deeds a lot, mostly because of his crazy eyes and partly because of his no-nonsense attitude.
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 7:59 am
NO MENTION OF THE GARGOYLE!!!! Come on Reggie is coming off the bench giving us attitude and heart!! im loving the way he is playing! And good for Caron! Hes really been a key cog for this team! Alot of peopled and writers, especially in here, did not like this pick up but i think hes starting to make them change there mind. What im loving is that this team is coming something they have never been before since ive been watching them and that is dare i say that this team is become resilient!
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 8:40 am
DJ you have waxed eloquently. I love this line: “In Paul’s mind, he’s tougher than you because no one is tougher than him”.
Yaroslav Korolev Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 9:26 am
Damn dj saved that game in my mind. To bad we have to wait 2 weeks for him to do it again but what a lucky win for LAC LeBrick gave us that win. Now time to slay the rape artist on sat.
griffin Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
Lebrick lol his new name
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 8:52 am
Blake had a couple balls that were in and out from 20 feet out. Tough break, but I see marked improvement from his jumper (how about the 3 pointer). If they’re going to leave him wide open, I say keep shooting Blake !
Neiru Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 10:49 am
It’s unsettling to see Blake settle for jumpers so much this season, but it’s part of his development. One day he will have the consistent jumper and the inside presence. I just don’t want him to lose his hustle and hunger. In the long run shooting these jumpers will help him. He will improve and grow more confident.
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 9:52 am
The Clippers are now the mentally toughest team in the league behind the Celtics. These Clippers don’t look satisfied or content with wins. As I watch every game, they look hungrier and scrappier. I see no egos or immature attitudes. All I see is growth.
This team is gonna be special.
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 10:04 am
I saw Reggie Evans playing better than DJ. DJ missed a few rebounds and was out of position at times. I don’t think he played that bad, but he’s not worth his salary. Him and Evans should get equal minutes.
Me Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 10:57 am
They are two completely different players… while Reggie Evans is a one trick pony (who is very good at his trick, mind you), DeAndre can change the momentum of a game with one of his ultra athletic blocks.
JaySee Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 11:52 am
You and Demote seem to fail at understanding rebounding. DJ is out of position because he is helping or trying to block shots. You can’t box out your man when you have to leave him to help someone or block a shot. Do you see how high he jumps to block a shot? It takes time for him to land from so high, then get in box out position. There was an article a while back explaining why Zach Randolf is such a good rebounder, but a horrible defender. Z-Bo NEVER leaves his man. He sticks to him like glue no matter what. He never helps, which is why he’s a horrible defender. It’s also the reason why he gets so many damn rebounds. He’s always next to his man, so it’s easy for him to box out and get rebounds. You never see Evans jump for a block and he’s not a center patrolling the paint. He’s ALWAYS at the PF spot. When he’s in with Blake, BG is the center. When he’s in with Cook, sadly, Cook is the center.
RAM Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 3:18 pm
Did anyone see Mo W. throw that lob up to Evens? He was looking around for Blake or DJ. he had no clue that was for him. Why Mo couldn’t throw that up to Blake against Portland. I seen Blake pointing up like a dozen times and no one could get him the ball.
Clips4 Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 4:10 pm
I agree that DJ is not worth his salary as a player, but in terms of stabilizing the core of the Clippers which is something that hasn’t happened in recent years, his contract is worth it to keep Blake Griffin a Clipper. DJ protects the rim, which is something Evans doesn’t do. Although Evans is a better rebounder, you have to attribute to Evans’ feel for the game because Evans is a below the rim player and must rely on IQ over athleticism. DJ purely relies on his athleticism.
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 10:26 am
Looks like Demote DeAndre changed his name to FD.
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 10:56 am
I like having DeAndre on the team. I don’t dislike him as much as Dump Davis, but the Clippers would be better if he wasn’t playing over 30 min a game.
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 11:48 am
Yeah DJ looked great, he doesnt goof off as much like he did last year. I noticed in the Portland game that DJ wasnt getting alot of rebounds because he was tipping and bobbling the ball instead of just securing it. Against the Heat his positioning was alot better and he held his ground against Bosh. Keep playing like this DJ! Oh and Reggie is a beast I’m scared of him and his beard.
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 11:52 am
It means Fire DeAndre
FD Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
I wouldn’t kick him of the team. He’s good like the bird man was/is for Denver
griffin Reply:
January 13th, 2012 at 12:45 am
It means fire dunleavy but you wouldn’t know that right bandwagon
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 11:54 am
When did anyone ever say DeAndre was a bust? He’s always over performed for a 2nd round pick. The issue is that he’s not a 35-40 min a game center. He can start sure, but this team’s six man needs to be a 4-5 who can cover for him.
Clips4 Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 4:12 pm
We should ask Demote DeAndre who he would rather have. Kwame or DJ? Kwame can only wish he was half as good as DJ.
griffin Reply:
January 13th, 2012 at 12:46 am
10 thumps of if I could do it. Dj was a steal in the second round. He should have been at least top 20
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 12:56 pm
Please please please tell Blake to stop taking those jumpers. I have no idea why he is NO WHERE near the paint anymore. Pretty frustrating to watch.
Clips4 Reply:
January 12th, 2012 at 4:16 pm
I agree. Even if he is proficient at knocking down those jumpers, He should only be taking those to keep the defense honest and remind them that he’s unstoppable. Otherwise, I would have him beasting more on the low block 75% of the time while stepping out to hit those shots the other 25%.
ck Reply:
January 13th, 2012 at 9:45 am
Blake needs to take the jumpers whenever they give it to him. This, more than anything else, will pull the defender closer to him so he can blow by him next time.
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 4:12 pm
Blake is too indecisive right now. He’s trying to be too many things on offense. The point of a pick and pop is to shoot. Not to hold the ball for an hour and then shoot. That’s just one example.
Defensively he’s atrocious and lazy. Still, its only his second year so we should keep that in mind.
griffin Reply:
January 13th, 2012 at 12:50 am
Great point we think this is his 5th year. Blake isn’t a finish player yet. His ceiling is higher then you think and you say he has a higher ceiling and you think of a higher one and its proably 50 percent more higher then that
Posted on January 12th, 2012 at 5:26 pm
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