Only two games this week for the Clippers (Saturday vs. Orlando remaining). So let’s see what the interwebs are brewing:
A two-shot of Kevin Arnovitz: First, KA takes in last night’s victory over the Dallas Mavericks and the evolving narrative from lovable underdog to marquee headliner. Second, a look at #ATribeCalledBench, the Clippers’ killer lineup:
How it works offensively
Like a 10-cylinder sports car — not always the most practical vehicle, but an explosive one that can burn up the track at warp speed and is a whole lot of fun.It didn’t take long for Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro to carve out large portions of the second and fourth quarters for this lineup composed entirely of reserves, and it immediately paid dividends. The second unit took on the nickname “A Tribe Called Bench,” and it wasn’t long before you could hear “Scenario” during timeouts at Staples Center.
On ESPN Insider, Kevin Pelton ponders on whether Chris Paul can win the MVP this season:
Much of the difference between Paul’s per-game statistics and those of the typical MVP point guard can be explained by playing time, with pace of play also a factor. (Though the Clippers have pushed the tempo this season, they still have far fewer possessions per game than Johnson’s Showtime Lakers during a faster era, or Nash’s Seven Seconds or Less Suns.) During their MVP seasons, Johnson and Nash averaged 21.3 points, 11.0 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game, better than Paul’s 17.0 points, 9.3 assists and 3.6 rebounds. Adjusted to Paul’s pace and minutes, the stats of past MVP point guards look much more similar to his line. Johnson and Nash would average 18.5 points, 9.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds over an equivalent number of possessions.
For Freakonomics (via Huffington Post), David Berri wonders whether chemistry or coaching play a factor in the Clippers’ rise to contendership.
Zach Lowe, on Grantland, gives an honorable mention to the Clippers’ theoretical crunch time lineup (and also to DeAndre’s self alley-oops).
At GQ, Lang Whitaker has a Q&A with Jamal Crawford:
“When you have a guy like Chris Paul, who’s the best point guard in the world, saying I should be an All-Star, and other coaches and players coming up to me and saying I should be an All-Star, it’s an unbelievable compliment,” says Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford. “Because that wasn’t the goal heading into the season. The goal is to win a championship, but when you win and you play pretty well, and you start hearing ‘All-Star’ and ‘Sixth Man.’ That’s really unbelievable.”
Finally, a duo of Clippers content from Rob Mahoney of SI’s Point Forward. One on whether the Clippers can keep up their defense, and a second segment on how the Clippers feature both a hyper-fast and a painstakingly methodical offense.
Oh, and did you catch CP3′s new NBA commercial?
