The Clippers edged the Magic 107-102 in an overtime thriller. Our three ClipperBlog contributors discuss the drama in Orlando.

1. The three biggest plays of the game were…

 
Jovan Buha, ClipperBlog: (a) Glen Davis turns the ball over, leading to Caron Butler making a 3-pointer off a Chris Paul assist to put the Clippers up one with less than two minutes to go. The Clippers never trailed again after taking back the lead.

(b) Jason Richardson misses a 3-pointer, Ryan Anderson misses a tip-in lay-up and Chris Paul secures the rebound, gets fouled and makes both free throws. If either player scores, they could’ve been looking at another overtime (with a loss almost guarenteed with no centers available). Instead, Clips secure the win.

(c) Ryan Gomes and Butler grab offensive rebounds, leading to Mo Williams free throws (00:39 in OT, 105-102 Clippers). Gomes didn’t play much, but he had a crucial rebound.

Jordan Heimer, ClipperBlog: (a) Paul’s shot to put the Clips up three with a minute left in overtime. Who has been more clutch than Paul this season? Does anyone looked more comfortable and less rushed shooting with the shot-clock ticking down?

(b) and (c) Gomes and Butler’s offensive rebounds on the Clippers final full offensive possession. Welcome home, Ryan Gomes! I don’t know a Clippers fan who doesn’t want Gomes to turn his disappointing season around. His offensive rebound with 39 seconds left denied the Magic the chance to set up a good final shot, sending the game to its ice-it-at-the-free-throw-line phase.

Michael Shagrin, ClipperBlog: (a) Butler’s go-ahead 3-pointer. Down by two points in overtime, Williams took it down the floor (we all held our breath as he seemed to setup for a PUJIT), he dished it to Paul, who hurled a skip pass to Butler on the other side of the floor. Bingo. Clippers don’t give up the lead again.

(b) Paul’s baseline stepback on Dwight Howard. This happened immediately after Butler’s triple to extend the lead. Nobody is supposed to hit that shot over D12, particularly someone a foot shorter than him.

(c) Reggie Evans putback layup in overtime. The first basket for the Clips in OT came on a second-chance opportunity, after Evans rebounded his own point blank miss. This shot gave Evans his season high of seven points.

2. What happened in that first quarter when Orlando shot 68 percent?

 
Jovan Buha, ClipperBlog: The Magic spread the Clippers thin and dissected their defense possession by possesion. Sure, they were hot (68 percent is ridiculous), but most of their shots were chippies and high percentage attempts. Jordan was forced to leave to Howard to prevent perimeter penetration, which allowed Howard to get dunk and lay-up after dunk and lay-up. The Clippers need to figure out/improve their rotations to say the least.

Jordan Heimer, ClipperBlog: Part of it was just hot shooting — it seemed like the Magic were making everything they looked at from outside. More troubling was the Clippers’ pathetic defense against Howard. It wasn’t just that Howard was scoring, but how easily he was doing it. There was a lot of talk coming into this game about DeAndre Jordan’s improved defense, but tonight his tenancy to over pursue shot-blocks left him out of position more often than not.

Michael Shagrin, ClipperBlog: The Magic only made one shot from outside the key in the first quarter, with all 13 of Howard’s points coming from the painted area. The lack of interior defense by the Clippers showed a glaring Achilles heel with the the dominant big man scoring at will. There’s not really all that much Del Negro or the post defenders could have done to stop Howard, particularly in light of both the Clippers’ centers fouling out anyway.

3. How badly would a prolonged absence from Chauncey Billups — who injured his left Achilles’ tendon in the second half — hurt the Clippers?

 
Jovan Buha, ClipperBlog: It would definitely hurt them, but I’m not sure how much. At best, he’s their fourth or fifth most important player behind Paul, Blake, Butler and Jordan (you can throw Mo somewhere in there too). However, if Mo is forced to start, the bench takes a big hit production-wise with Bledsoe still out. If Foye starts? Well, you can fill in the blank. It won’t be pretty.

Jordan Heimer, ClipperBlog: If the Clippers are built to absorb any loss for a 3 weeks or a month, this might be it. Not the Clippers won’t miss Billups’ deadly shooting, but Williams is a former All-Star playing some of the best ball of his career, Eric Bledsoe is healthy again, and Randy Foye, well, Randy Foye was a lottery pick. The back court depth will allow Chauncey to take his time coming back.

Michael Shagrin, ClipperBlog: Between bad and very bad. The aspect of a long-term Billups injury that tilts towards being ordinarily bad is that there are plenty of backup guards on the Clippers who could nicely fit into the starting rotation, albeit with less talent and leadership. The way this injury could be very bad is if Vinny Del Negro can’t find a rotation that allows Williams to be the offensive spark with the second unit. Williams didn’t have a great game tonight, but his value is immeasurable amongst the offensively-challenged reserves.

The Clippers demolished the Wizards 107-81 to kick off their six-game road trip. Our two ClipperBlog writers — and guest contributor John Krolik — discuss what happened at the Verizon Center in Washington.

Most encouraging takeaway from the blowout win?

Jordan Heimer, ClipperBlog: The most encouraging takeaway from a blowout win? That it was indeed an emphatic, never-in-doubt, Wizard-destroying blowout win. The Clippers never took their collective foot off the gas, beating the Wiz by at least ten points in each of the first three quarters, and resisting the temptation up twenty to stop running the offense and start freelancing. Three quarters of dominating play earned the starters a fourth quarter on the bench cheering on the scrubs.

John Krolik, Cavs: The Blog:The Clippers’ offensive efficiency was off the charts. Ninety-five of the Clippers’ 107 points came from the paint, the free-throw line, or the 3-point line – the most efficient areas on the court. That’s not just a product of talent, it’s a product of discipline. Even with a comfortable lead, the Clips continually looked for high-percentage shots instead of relaxing and chucking up the first shot available.

Breene Murphy, ClipperBlog: Just that there was a blowout on the road. The ClipperBlog crew hung out tonight and the big question was: How many games has Ralph ever called like this in his 30+ years? 4? 5? Love seeing the starters getting rest at the start of a road-trip heavy month.

More impressive on Saturday night — Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan?

Jordan Heimer, ClipperBlog: DeAndre Jordan. Blake was good – DeAndre was perfect. 18 points on 9-11, 7 offensive rebounds, 3 blocks, and the dunk of the game. But honestly, picking one over the other misses the point. It was the tandem of Jordan and Griffin that was collectively unstoppable – the Wizards won’t be the last team on this road trip that simply lack the size, speed, and strength to match up with the Clips’ front court.

John Krolik, Cavs: The Blog: Call me spoiled by expectations, but I’m going to go with DeAndre. In a vacuum, Blake would probably get my pick, but DeAndre was the best possible version of himself, which you can’t say about Blake. 9-11 shooting from the field, one vicious dunk after another, and 7 offensive rebounds, all while shutting down the Wizards’ attempts to attack the rim.

Breene Murphy, ClipperBlog: Blake’s always more impressive. But if you’re going more relative on this, I would say DeAndre Jordan. DeAndre’s amazing dunk-rescue of Mo’s faith-based pass was the cherry on top of an incredibly efficient night.

3. Any advice to cure the Clippers’ free throw shooting woes?

Jordan Heimer, ClipperBlog: Um… shoot underhand? Hypnosis? A freak, but fortuitous ulna-break a la Rookie of the Year that results in perfect shooting form? Trolls on Clipper comment boards refer to Blake’s woes from the charity stripe as “free throw despair.” To his credit, Griffin continues to attack the rim regardless of the frustrations that await him at the line – but their ineptitude will inevitably cost them a game sooner rather than later.

John Krolik, Cavs: The Blog: I’m going to get cute and suggest that Blake and DeAndre work with Rick Barry this off-season and bring back the underhanded free throw, especially for DeAndre, whose arms and giant hands are going to make it tough for him to become a good “conventional” free throw shooter. Some of Blake’s free throw issues are mental, and I think he’ll get back to 60-65 percent when his confidence comes back, but I’d love to see him make the underhanded free throw cool again — I’d like to meet the fan or player who thinks that shooting free throws underhanded is more emasculating that being on the wrong end of one of Blake’s throwdowns.

Breene Murphy, ClipperBlog: Can we get Blake to take some rhythm dribbles? At least one? I like that he’s trying to “react” as much as possible in his free throws, but it’s not like he’s a good jump shooter to start with. DeAndre, however, will probably always be a bad free throw shooter. Maybe the rest of the Clippers just have to ignore Blake and DJ’s free throw mojo for now.

Let’s go back a bit.

Before Kendrick Perkins was sacrificed to the gods, the Clippers found themselves in a tight ballgame against the Thunder towards the end of the second half. Even though they had played near perfect basketball to that point, the Clippers saw their once seemingly insurmountable lead dwindle from 16 to 6. With all the momentum on their side, the league’s top team in the standings was looking like they’d go into the locker room thrilled to be where they were.

They almost made it.

How much damage can a team do with a 1:30 left on the clock? Let’s explore:

LAC 52, OKC 46

1:30: This is the subtle brilliance of Chris Paul. Daequan Cook is covering Paul, and he knows a pick is coming. He sees Reggie Evans charging at him from a mile away, so Cook wisely pushes Paul’s dribble away from the screener. Evans looks confused and temporarily slips the screen, only to remember that he’s Reggie Evans and has no interest in actually getting the ball. Just by using his dribble, Paul manipulates Cook by getting back to the middle of the floor to run him right off big Reggie’s chest. Paul gets a path to the paint, James Harden helps off Mo Williams to cut off the drive, and Paul finds Williams for an open 3 on the kickout. Bingo. LAC 55, OKC 46

1:12 Russell Westbrook is one of the most impressive athletes I’ve ever seen in my life, but sometimes, he’s too fast for his own good. Westbrook turns on the burners and leaves Mo Williams grasping for air on this possession, but he can’t put on the brakes before he slams into Reggie Evans. Russ tries to flip it to someone, but Williams is the only man in the vicinity. And this is why we don’t evaluate defensive performances by steals. Evans did all the work, Williams gets all the credit. Such is the life of a grinder.

1:05 Williams starts the break, but it’s a 2-on-2. He stops his dribble at the 3-point line, and kicks to Paul on his left, who is trailing the play. Chauncey Billups joins the action at the same time, and now the Clippers have a 4-on-3 secondary break as Cook gets back for the Thunder. Paul fires a skip pass to a wide open Billups on the wing, a shot Billups will hit with his feet set at an alarming rate. But Billups shows the benefits of having three point guards on the floor at the same time and makes a beautiful extra pass to an even more open (and hotter) Caron Butler in the corner. The floor spacing and passing is perfect, and so is Butler’s 3-ball. Bingo. LAC 58, OKC 46

:50 Westbrook brings the Thunder back up the floor, and they run a down-screen for James Harden on the wing. Harden fires up a deep, deep three in an attempt to answer, but it’s way off the mark. The Thunder have no one in position to rebound, and Evans easily pulls it in.

:37 Billups makes this play. It’s something I wanted Eric Gordon to do for years — if you’re not going to crash the boards, leak out on long misses. Billups gets behind the entire Thunder defense in transition, and James Harden has to sprint back to locate Billups in the corner. Williams fills the lane on the same side Chauncey cleared out, and Westbrook, still visibly upset from Harden’s shot attempt, fails to locate him. Williams giddily hops because he’s so wide open before Paul delivers the pass. With no one near him, Williams strokes the PUJIT, 3-point style. LAC 61, OKC 46

:33 At this point, the crowd is hysterical. The bench is all standing. Towels are being waved. Oklahoma City can’t get out of the half fast enough, but Williams’ quick 3-pointer sets the Clippers up for a 2-for-1.

:32 Caron Butler steals the inbounds pass so quickly that no camera catches it. Since it’s not on film anywhere, here’s my theory: Butler threw a bucket of confetti to temporarily blind the referee, then pulled the shorts down of Kevin Durant to reveal Mickey Mouse underwear, which amused Russell Westbrook so much that he decided to just give him the ball. Veteran move.

:31 More sharing. Butler dribbles out after the steal and passes up a corner 3. Now, normally, anyone who gets a backcourt steal gets a “get out of jail free” card. They earned it — they can fire up whatever shot they want. Butler instead swings it to Paul, who swings it over to Williams. Harden flies out on Williams and bites all over the pump fake. Instead of hitting the pull-up jumper he loves so much, Williams continues the love, takes one dribble, and kicks it back out to Billups who is spotted up and all by his lonesome. A fourth straight bingo falls. LAC 64, OKC 46

In back-to-back games, the Clippers have found a way to punish their opponent by going small. Give a lot of credit to Vinny Del Negro. Not only were his rotations better tonight, but his ability to recognize and exploit matchups on the floor was a wonderful sight to see.

You’ll remember Blake Griffin’s dunk, but the Clippers 12-0 run to end the first half behind some unselfish play was almost as fun.

Almost.

Part 1

ClipperBlog Live 1-29-12 pt. 1

Part 2

ClipperBlog Live 1-29-12 pt. 2

Jovan Buha, Breene Murphy and Nick Flynt (with the occasional appearance from Mark Shore) breakdown the Clippers’ 109-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets, how D.J. Foster is similar to Caron Butler and the different types of confidence Chauncey Billups may or may not have.

Twitter: @JovanBuha, @BreeneMurphy, @ClipperBlogNick, @markshore12, @fosterdj

Ed Note: I’ll spare you guys the Star Wars comparisons this time. You can hear me Jar Jar Binks the whole thing in the last segment of ClipperBlogLive. It was as awful as it sounds, but hopefully still entertaining. — D.J.

How you view this game largely depends on whether or not you’ve fully adapted to the new Clippers psyche. Let’s break this thing down with the two different viewpoints.

With Chris Paul back in the lineup, the Clippers lost 96-91.

Old Psyche: Sure, Chris Paul was back — but did he do anything? Paul was 2-for-8. He had 4 points. The majority of his assists came on the perimeter, not at the rim. The corpse of Derek Fisher outscored him, so you know he wasn’t himself. If he’s healthy, it’s a completely different story. Really, it’s promising the game was so tight without him playing well.

New Psyche: It doesn’t matter if Chris Paul wasn’t at full strength — he’s a better point guard than Fisher on one leg. It’s inexcusable that with all the talent on the perimeter, Andrew Goudelock put up more points than Paul and Billups combined. Why can’t the Clippers offense consistently create good looks? This is a coaching problem.

The Clippers shot 37-for-87 from the field (42.5 percent) for their 91 points.

OP: Hey, the Clippers are a jump-shooting team. Sometimes they just don’t fall. You know what’s great to take away from this game, though? The Clippers got up 21 more shots than the Lakers. They’re winning the possession battle just about every night because they’re rarely turning the ball over. If the backcourt doesn’t have an outlier of a night shooting the ball (11-for-41 between Paul, Billups, Williams and Foye), they probably win this game by 20.

NP: Relying on jumpers is not a sustainable way to win basketball games. What if they go cold for an entire week during the playoffs? Is that going to be the calling card for a Chris Paul/Blake Griffin led team? 19-foot jumpers? This is a coaching problem.

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol combined for 42 points on 15-for-24 shooting.

OP: There’s no shame in this. Gasol is one of the most skilled big men in the game, and Andrew Bynum is a load in the paint. Not to worry — we’ve seen this song and dance before. Bryant will go into takeover mode when he doesn’t have to, and Bynum and Gasol will become non-factors. Tonight, they just played like elite talents who were finally properly utilized.

NP: Why have so many other teams figured out how to slow down Pau Gasol, but not the Clippers?  He was just coming off an 8-point game against Indiana! Why didn’t they double down off Fisher or Barnes and make those guys beat them? Why was human foul and rebound machine Reggie Evans left on an island to handle Gasol all by himself in the second quarter? It’s a concern that Griffin and Jordan are getting ran over by good frontcourts. This is a coaching problem.

The defensive lapses down the stretch came up again, as the Lakers came from behind and stole the win. 

OP: Defensively, the effort was there. Caron Butler made Bryant work and got a hand up on most of his shots. Of course, Bryant getting buckets was inevitable and it’s understandable that Bynum and Metta were going to get away with some things once the game became even more physical. History says that Chris Paul’s team will be better than Kobe Bryant’s team in the game’s final minutes 9 times out of 10. Look — the Lakers were just better tonight.

NP: Nope — that’s too many games in row where the Clippers have yielded open looks when their defense is supposed to be getting tighter. The need for a wing defender is still a glaring one. The crusty old Lakers found a way to get blocked shots and steals towards the end of the game — why couldn’t the Clippers? The defensive rotations are slow and often unpredictable, and the closeouts are half-hearted at best. This Clippers are 23rd in defensive efficiency and can’t cook up ways not to rely so heavily on Billups and Butler to be fresh and active defenders on the perimeter. This is a coaching problem.

It’s crazy to think that we’ve arrived to the point where no loss is acceptable and there are no moral victories, but here we are. Which side do you stand on? Are the Clippers in trouble or not? Is it no longer okay, given all the talent, that the Clippers get outplayed by a championship contender?

Yours in the comments section.

Just like they did on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a week ago, the Clippers welcomed a last place team to Staples Center for a matinee.  With respect to all the potential piftalls of a team in their situation — “coming out sluggish,” suffering the “emotional letdown” following the last-second loss to Minnesota, and “looking forward to the next opponent,” the Lakers — the challenge was clear.

The Raptors, like the Nets, presented an opportunity for an ambitious Clippers team to flex its muscle and pad its cushion atop the Pacific Division.  And though they were able to do that against New Jersey, it wasn’t without a hard-fought finish borne out of poor offensive execution and absent defensive fundamentals down the stretch.

Against Toronto, they just used force.

It played out like a classic AAU game between teams that simply don’t match up physically.  The Clippers walk into the gym as the established group on the circuit, with an imposing front line of blue chippers, a stable of seasoned, uber-aggressive perimeter players, and a coach who asks only that they use their disproportionate athletic gifts to apply constant pressure to their opponent on both ends of the floor.

While not quite the best prospect of the group, DeAndre Jordan is the biggest, baddest guy out there.  His dominating performance in the first quarter — 10 points, 9 rebounds in just over 11 minutes — sends shockwaves throughout the gym.  He’s everywhere, it seems.

As the fans in the bleachers go wild with every monster jam, you see the college coaches whisper about about his potential to control the glass (four offensive rebounds) and anchor an NBA defense with this kind of inspired play.

Between Ed Davis (a top prospect himself, but a few years behind Jordan), Amir Johnson, Jamaal Magloire and Aaron Gray, the opponent has no match for his size and strength.  By the time Jordan heads to the bench for a breather with under a minute left in the first, they are demoralized and facing a 17-point deficit.  He would finish with the game with 16 points and 16 boards, two blocks and a steal, without having to play a minute past the 3:23 mark of the 3rd quarter.  At least statistically speaking, it’s his best game yet.

His teammates are clearly feeding off of his energy.  They have hands in passing lanes and nearly every Toronto shot is contested.  The Raptors — offensively-challenged to begin with and missing their best player, Andrea Bargnani — come in shooting just 42% from the field on the season, but the Clippers hold them to 25% in the first quarter and force seven turnovers to help build their lead.

In their last matinee game, the team’s most gifted player — without question the one all the scouts are here to see — shouldered much of the offensive load, but on this afternoon he makes his mark by diving on the floor and relentlessly attacking the basket.  Blake Griffin would get to the free throw line 10 times in the opening period, and though he only hit half of his attempts (continuing a season-long slump), his aggressiveness would help set the tone for the Clippers.

In the first half, their frontcourt trio of Jordan, Griffin and Caron Butler would outscore the Raptors’, 38-3 and outrebound it, 18-6.

But both teams are sloppy with the ball (remember, this is AAU).  The Clippers protect the ball better than any team in the league, but their aggressive approach today yields five turnovers in the 1st quarter, 20 in the game.  They make up for their mistakes by working to get good looks at the rim (you see them free up their big men with basic cross- and back-screens early on) and finish the 1st quarter shooting 50% from the floor against a Toronto team that hangs its hat on limiting opponents to only 41%  shooting — good for second in the league.

With inside presence established, it would be up to the Clippers’ perimeter weapons to take aim.  Entering the 2nd quarter down, 27-11, the Raptors turned to a 3/4 court trap and a zone to combat the Clippers’ barrage on the paint — an old AAU trick.  For the first 2:39 of the period, it worked to perfection.

With Courtney Fortson running the point, the Clippers struggled to adjust to the new defensive look.  Aside from a Blake Griffin dunk, they produced two missed, contested long jumpers, two turnovers and a shot clock violation to start the quarter.  On the other end, they committed four fouls, and just like that, the Raptors were within seven, 29-22.

But that was the closest they’d get.

Coach Vinny Del Negro called a timeout to end the run and inserted Chauncey Billups back into the game to replace Fortson.  Toronto would stay in the zone and the Clippers continued to hoist jumpers, but having a steady hand and an extra shooting threat helped stabilize the offense.  Although he went 0-6 from the floor, Billups became a playmaker and dished out 8 assists in just over 9 minutes in the 2nd quarter.

An up-and-down week for Billups — the high of hitting a game-winning three against the Mavs offset by some cold shooting nights (5-16, 3-12, 7-19) — would culminate in yet another off night from the floor (1-9, 1-7 from 3) but a +23 rating thanks to a whopping 14 assists.

The beneficiary of many of those dimes and the space created by Jordan and Griffin down low was, once again, the swingman, Caron Butler.  He carried the load during a portion of the 2nd quarter, going 5-7 from the floor by finding open spots in the zone, knocking down midrange jumpers and mixing in a couple sharp drives to the hoop.

Another veteran of the AAU circuit, Randy Foye, helped key a run out of halftime in which the Clippers went 5-5 to push the lead to 60-38 before Dwane Casey could call timeout.  Any chances of a 3rd quarter letdown had been put to rest.

And as if called from the bullpen to pitch the 9th inning, Mo Williams took it from there.

Always confident and coming off games of 26 and 25 points since returning from injury, this is the most most dangerous player of all: the lightning quick combo guard with the ultimate green light and no conscience whatsoever.  Williams allows Del Negro to rest every starter but Billups for the entire 4th quarter by simply providing the offense himself.  He goes off for 23 in the final period and winds up with 26 for the game, on 15 shots.

On an afternoon when the Clippers held the advantage in almost every area, Williams’ daggers just sealed the deal.

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Sooner or later the Clippers were going to get burned. It’s not that they’ve been playing poorly as a team, it’s just that their way of winning games felt a little unsustainable. To use our most recent popular term here (move over, glue guy!), the Clippers offensive performances without Chris Paul have been a little bit of “fool’s gold.”

The Clippers are a jump-shooting team. That’s their identity right now. According to HoopData.com, the Clippers lead the league in shot attempts beyond 16-feet. It’s what this roster is built to do. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it does put the team in an awkward position when the shots from the perimeter stop falling.

The shots didn’t stop falling tonight, at least not initially. Mo Williams remained virtually unstoppable for the second night in a row, going 7-for-7 from the field (again) in the first half. Williams tallied up 25 points on a series of tough jumpers and forays to the hole before Minnesota received some “help defense” in the form of an ejection at the 6:20 mark of the fourth quarter. With Williams tossed, the Clippers offense, and depth, would be tested even further. Already without Chris Paul, playmaking duties would be placed solely in the hands of Chauncey Billups.

Losing Williams ended up being the turning point in the game. His scoring was the steadying factor for the offense — something they could rely upon consistently. After Williams left, the Clippers offense turned to mush.

• In the last 6:20 of the fourth quarter, with the team nursing a four-point lead, the offense went 2-for-8 from the field and registered three turnovers.

• Billups and Griffin, somewhat predictably, were the only players to score in that timeframe.

In a vacuum, you can survive that kind of offensive output — so long as your defense steps up. As bad as the offense was without Williams, the fact remains that the Clippers were the ones with a lead. Get stops, and it doesn’t matter much what your offense does, so long as they get shots up (the Woody Allen offense) and don’t turn it over. The Clippers won with that formula against Miami. It’s the right formula. Something has to be consistent. Usually that will be Chris Paul — he’ll be the rock for this team. But without him, the Clippers desperately needed it to be their defense once Williams left the game.

Through three quarters, the defense was pretty decent. Ricky Rubio was held without a field goal, and Kevin Love had about 10 points. Darko Milicic (!) had 22 points on the night, which should never, ever happen, especially since DeAndre Jordan had been doing such a good job sitting on his opponent’s strong hand this season. Maybe Jordan didn’t know Darko was left-handed? Maybe he thought, for some asinine reason, that the double was coming from a certain way? Regardless, the Clippers were playing well enough defensively to win, even if they looked soft in the middle.

But then, all hell sort of broke loose in the game’s final minute.

1:00, 4th Q: With a four-point lead, Blake Griffin steps up to the line to shoot two. He’s had a good night at the line up to this point (7-for-9), so Milicic’s mauling of Griffin doesn’t look terribly smart. However, despite his good night, Griffin misses both of his freebies. The second miss is terribly short, and serves as a reminder that Griffin’s free-throw form is still broken. It’s everything a free-throw shouldn’t be. It’s not smooth. It’s not one motion. Griffin bends his knees initially, but then locks them way before he releases the ball. It’s all upper body, and once fatigue sets in, that will lead to short misses.

:51, 4th Q: Even with Griffin’s missed free-throws, it’s still a two-possession game. The Wolves enter the ball off the timeout to Kevin Love at the elbow extended, and run an off-ball double-screen on the opposite side for Luke Ridnour, who is sitting in the corner. Ryan Gomes recognizes the play quickly, and switches men with Chauncey Billups to thwart the Wolves shot at getting an open 3. So far, so good.

The Wolves enter their secondary action, as Rubio curls up to the wing to receive the hand-off from Love at the elbow. As Rubio looks to turn the corner, Love sets a nice big screen (he’s still one of the best in the game at this, despite the weight loss) and takes out a trailing Randy Foye. Although he correctly fights under the screen, Foye is off-balance at this point and overplays Rubio to his right hand. Rubio recognizes it and goes to one of his pet moves — the spin back to his left hand. As he slithers through the area created by the screen, Rubio gets to the rim, but is wisely fouled by DeAndre Jordan to prevent the easy two. Rubio hits one of two, and makes it a one possession game.

:49, 4th Q: The Clippers go to their bread-and-butter, as they should, on their ensuing offensive possession. They’re in a tough spot. They need to run clock, but getting a score and pushing the lead back to two possessions is even more important.

As Blake Griffin comes to set the high ball-screen for Billups at the top of the three-point line, Rubio avoids the screen altogether and chooses instead to trail Billups. Although Billups is a threat to draw a foul with a man on his hip, he temporarily aborts his drive to rub Rubio off Griffin, who has reset above the foul line. They catch Rubio on this one, and Kevin Love is forced to come over and completely leave Griffin to halt Chauncey’s penetration. Chauncey wheels and fires to Griffin at the top of the key, who is momentarily alone. Ryan Gomes’ man, Wayne Ellington, rotates out on to Griffin, but only jabs at him. Griffin swings the ball to Gomes, now wide open in the corner, and Gomes catches the ball with Ellington in a full blown closeout. Gomes puts the ball and the floor and fires up an open mid-range jumper from about 20-feet that misses and bounces long.

It’s a good shot off good basketball plays by both Billups and Griffin. You live with it, mainly because that’s the type of look you’ve been living with this entire season.

:27, 4th Q: The Wolves race the ball back up the floor, down 98-95. Ridnour runs a quick pick-and-roll on the left elbow with Love, and Billups gets completely wiped out by the screen. Jordan, perhaps weary of allowing Love to hit the 3 on the pop, ignores Ridnour and lets him drive unimpeded to the hole. Gomes, in the corner guarding Ellington, does the same.

Now it gets ugly. A two doesn’t hurt you here. There is less than 24 seconds on the clock, so Minnesota would still have to foul. You make your two free throws (Billups and Foye are both around 90 percent from the line) and you’re right back where you were before the layup — just with less time on the clock.

But for whatever reason, Griffin decides that now is the time he wants to contest a shot at the rim. As everyone else stays home, Griffin abandons Derrick Williams at the 3-point line. For Ridnour, the decision is easy. He kicks the ball to Griffin’s man, Williams, who has spotted up and is wide open. Randy Foye rotates from the corner on to Williams — the right thing to do at this point. By this time, Chauncey Billups theoretically should have had enough time to recover. But on the final rotation, the Clippers defense breaks down. Billups is seen jogging, and as Williams swings it to a wide-open Rubio in the corner, he doesn’t closeout or even get a hand up. You don’t need Mark Jackson to tell you what happened. Rubio nails the corner 3, his first make of the night, and now it’s a tie ballgame.

:20, 4th Q: The stage is set for another Chauncey Billups redemption. Tie game, 20 seconds left. The Clippers should at least get the last shot. They don’t. As Billups idles from about 35-feet away, Griffin comes to set the high screen at about the 8 second mark, but it’s a fake. The Clippers have just vacated the right side of the floor, save for Gomes, who is spotting up in the right corner. Billups doesn’t do anything fancy in isolation — he just puts his head down and goes right, hoping to use his body to separate from Rubio or draw the foul. Rubio, to his credit, plays it pretty well. He avoids the contact initially but challenges the ball up top with his long arms. The driving layup is a little too hard, and Kevin Love collects the defensive rebound easily and calls timeout.

The only problem with this play? Billups went too early. The refs put 1.5 seconds back on the clock — more than enough time for a catch and shoot.

:1.5 seconds, 4th Q: De ja vu all over again. Rick Adelman draws up a great sideline out-of-bounds play here, and the young Wolves run it to perfection. The play started with a staggered stack at the free-throw line. The back man in the stack, Derrick Williams, curled off the screens towards the inbounder, and Blake Griffin trailed him.

By design, the curl was (mostly) a decoy. As Williams curled, all eyes were on him. DeAndre Jordan actually turned his head for a split-second to see if he needed to drop back from the free throw line and protect the rim.

That was all the time and distraction Kevin Love needed. As Ricky Rubio and Wayne Ellington pinched together and pass blocked like two All-Pro linemen, Love slipped out of the stack and popped to the three-point line. Knowing that they’d never be called for it in a million years, Rubio and Ellington cling on to Jordan and the other Clippers as they desperately try to get out to Love, but it’s too late. Love has a clean release, and the shot falls through. Bingo. Minnesota wins.

As easy at it would be to blame Jordan for not popping out with Love, it’s not that simple. Defense is never a one-person job — just ask Tyson Chandler in New York. There were many breakdowns that led to this play. Everyone is at fault.

• Blake Griffin didn’t play close enough to Derrick Williams at the outset of the play. You could actually see every member of the coaching staff begging their players to get closer to their men before the whistle blows and the ball is inbounded. Williams being temporarily open on his curl sets everything up. If Griffin closes that gap initially, the distraction isn’t as effective.
• Chauncey Billups fails horribly at his job of defending the inbound passer. Instead of tracing the ball with his hands, he acts like the wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man. It’s a terrible defensive effort for the second possession in a row. Nevermind the turnovers or quick shots offensively — defense is where Billups hurt the Clippers the most in the fourth quarter.
• Randy Foye forgets the most basic principle of defense: Man and Ball. Foye never even looks at Ridnour the whole time he’s inbounding, so he literally has no idea what’s going on in the play. Even if Jordan yelled switch (not sure if he did), Foye would have no idea where to go because he was staring longingly into Ricky Rubio’s puppy dog eyes. I realize he just hit you for a 3, but don’t you think, in a stack out-of-bounds play, that there might be some screening going on? Shouldn’t you at least know where the ball is?
• Gomes is equally lost, and never even makes a move towards Love. There’s 1.5 seconds left. That’s enough for a shot — not a pass, and not a putback. Just a shot. Gomes gets caught dancing between going to the rim, boxing out, and closing out, and in effect, ends up doing nothing.

This was a crazy game in a crazy season. Darko Milicic scored 22 points tonight — crazy.  Is it the end of the world that the Clippers have had a few defensive breakdowns down the stretch in consecutive games? No. As it stands now, Chris Paul’s play is what defines this team. He is the identity. It’s hard to properly assess a coach, or a team, without him.

You can’t rest on your laurels, but remember, they beat the Heat and the Lakers. If Paul comes back healthy and collapses like this keep happening again and again? Then maybe it’s time to pull the fire alarm. But it’s not that time now.

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ClipperBlog contributor Michael Shagrin answers three questions from last night.

Q: What really happened at the end of the 4^th Quarter?

Chauncey Billups brings me to hell and back. So he made the final shot of the game in the last second and confirmed his role as “Mr. Big Shot.” What about his play during the prior 55 seconds of the game’s final minute? He turns the ball over. He takes a bad shot. He turns the ball over again. What was going on with him? These issues could be a product of a few things:

a. Chauncey is not trustworthy with the ball in late game situations? No.

b. Chauncey is used to Chris Paul running the offense in late game situations? Maybe.

c. Chauncey has yet to be informed of an offensive system for late game situations? Likely.

With 40 seconds left, the Clippers had the ball and a five-point lead. Usually this is when the Clippers give the ball to Chris Paul and he darts around the halfcourt before either stepping back for a midrange jumper or snaking his way to a layup. Why would the Clippers have an offensive scheme applicable to late-game scenarios? Chris Paul is on the team. That’s your scheme.

With Paul cringing on the bench through what felt like hours of referee’s reviews, Jason Terry hit consecutive threes, giving the Mavericks an 89-88 lead with five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Then Mr. Big Shot arrived. After inbounding it to Blake Griffin, Chauncey found an opening behind Blake’s screen and drilled the triple. It was a nicely designed play. It almost looked like Rick Adelman’s Bibby/Webber special from the 2002 Western Conference Finals against the Lakers. Kudos to Del Negro.

Q: Does Vinny Del Negro really deserve kudos?

Well, no. I guess I’m going to need that kudos back. Del Negro did an atrocious job of preparing his team defensively on the play directly preceding Chauncey’s vindication. The Clippers defense was baffled by the dynamics of a basic screen, which Hubie Brown mentioned the need to prepare for during the broadcast. When Jason Terry came off a screen, DeAndre Jordan showed, but didn’t stay on him, leaving Terry wide open. This is a communication breakdown because DeAndre’s duty in a pick-and-roll should be abundantly clear to him.

The other coaching error on this play was the lack of a defensive substitute for Mo Williams. While his offensive contributions were extraordinary, he is unequivocally a defensive liability. Not to take him out with all that time to think about it during the review was puzzling. What was more puzzling was his defensive assignment in Jason Terry. You know, the guy who drilled a 3 to give Dallas the lead.

Q: What fueled DeAndre Jordan’s big night?

Dirk Nowitzki and Brendan Haywood are both old and slow. Dirk is actually having problems bending his knee (you think he knows any German doctors?) In fact, they seem like an inverted image of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. You know how Blake and DeAndre always get dominated in the paint by hardworking, smart bigs? The Mavericks have a similar problem with fast, athletic bigs.

Initially, their defensive sets focused on doubling Blake when he got into the low post, which the young man parlayed into seven assists. But when Mo Williams decided to go all Human Torch in the first quarter, Carlisle had to reposition his bigs up closer to the free throw line. Last night proved that when DeAndre has a path to slip under the basket and the distributors around him recognize it, we will be consistently reminded of why the Lob City was thrust upon this team. Jordan dropped 19 points on 9-13 from the field (or I should say, paint—from where all 13 of his shots came). He also pulled in six offensive rebounds, helping overcome the second-chance point deficit that plagued the Clippers in the first half.

I think this could end up being a big game for DeAndre mentally because he experienced a certain type of defense that just can’t stop him. It should remind him not to be discouraged if a crowded lane hinders his offensive production. On those nights, he should earn his keep on the defensive end like he did against the Heat. If this team wants to go deep in the playoffs, the Clippers are going to consistently need performances like those from DeAndre Jordan and Mo Williams.

ClipperBlog contributor Michael Shagrin takes a look at the 16-0 run that fueled a Clippers victory last night against the Nets. Read on:

There was a lot to be happy about and a lot to groan about in yesterday’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day victory over the less than impressive Nets. Without their anchoring post-presence Brook Lopez, the Clippers still managed to let New Jersey tie the game up in the 4^th quarter after failing to maintain a double-digit lead.

Many of yesterday’s problems can be written off as consequences of the two injured All-Star PGs sitting on the Clippers bench, so in that spirit, I’d like to focus on how this team can function successfully without these two players on the floor. The key today was turning defensive pressure into points on offense. We saw a clinic in this aggressive style during the middle of the 1^st quarter when the Clippers went on a 16-0 run.

11-10. Clippers lead.

7:10: After an unproductive possession, the Clippers get bailed out with a Defensive 3 in the Key call. Chauncey hits from the stripe. On the possession, Foye drives to the hoop for a strong but contested lay-up, and he doesn’t get it to fall.

6:50: Humphries gets blocked by Griffin. The most hated man in the NBA manages to get the ball back, but DeAndre has come in for support and completely roofs Humphries to the delight of the Los Angeles/Kardashian-crowd. The play turned into a breakaway with DJ finding an unhindered lane to the hoop. Caron throws an errant alley-oop pass that gets deflected by Mehmet Okur. Turnover Clippers.

6:28: DJ shows off his soccer moves with a kickball. This is where the Clippers decide they’re going to start playing the gritty D that they know could absolutely smother a weak team like the Nets. Strong D off the out of bounds leads to a Marshon Brooks airball.

6:00: After an awful possession of emotionless pick and rolls and nothing more than gestures at driving to the hoop, Chauncey launches an off-balance fadeaway from just inside the 3 point line as the shot clock winds down. DJ manages to save the possession by getting right up into Kris Humphries and forcing him to tip it out of bounds. This is DJ’s second disruptive play in the last minute.

5:35: Some quality ball movement leading to a Blake feed to DJ on which he gets fouled. DJ makes the first, then has his second roll around before popping out. First substitution for the Clippers is Ryan Gomes for Chauncey Billups.

13-10

5:15: Deron Williams is trying his best to create offense out of a motionless Nets but Randy Foye is staying right up in his grill, not giving him an inch of space. Williams ends up kicking it out to the foolishly confident DeShawn Stevenson. His 3-point attempts bounces off the right side of the rim, only to be redirected toward the sideline by DeAndre Jordan. Blake takes off wildly towards the sideline, then flings himself in the air towards the ball in the air and while, floating out of bounds, he manages to grab the ball and toss it accurately to Randy Foye near halfcourt. Foye heaves the ball to Caron Butler standing all alone under the rim. Caron slams it home. That’s a gritty basket.

15-10

4:50: Morrow misses an open spot up off a good screen. Bad perimeter defense by the Clips. Blake takes advantage of the long rebound and goes all the way to the other end himself, scooping up a layup and easily absorbing Anthony Morrow’s attempt at bear hug foul in the process. He misses the free throw.

17-10

4:30: Williams, guarded hard by Foye again, tries to drive the lane but can’t with the strong help D by Caron. DWill goes for an ill-advised (on all levels) chest pass to Stevenson, which Caron is able to tap towards halfcourt. Off to the races and Caron gets another breakaway hoop. Timeout New Jersey.

19-10

4:10: Johan Petro is forced to awkwardly travel by DeAndre. DJ stepped out and played strong perimeter D when Petro wasn’t expecting it. Clippers ball. Randy Foye playing the point dribbles around near the top of the key until Caron steps out for an open 18-footer on the left side. Foye dishes, Caron pulls the trigger.

21-10

3:45: Williams makes it to the basket but has to keep his dribble, lest he be smothered by DeAndre. DWill barely gets the ball to Morrow in the corner who tries to take it to the rim himself but meets the familiar 6-foot, 11-inch leaping obstacle. Morrow manages to dish it to an open Shawne Williams on the baseline. Airball. Randy brings the ball up the court and with the shot clock getting to single digits, delivers the ball to BG in a weak post-position. Blake manages to force his defender all the way down to the low block when the defense collapses. Blake makes a heady pass out to an open Caron on the perimeter, who drills the 3.

24-10

3:00: Just as Mike Smith announces to the world that the Nets really need a hoop from Deron Williams, the elite PG feels the moment and drives an open lane. DeAndre Jordan wasn’t watching the broadcast and decided he didn’t feel like letting DWill score. We were then treated to another one of DJ’s classic swats. After a crisp outlet pass from Ryan Gomes (yes, he did play a role in this offensive run), Randy decides that he should just let Caron keep doing what he’s doing. Randy gets the ball to an open Caron behind the 3-point line. Another transition basket. New Jersey timeout.

27-10

STATS DURING THE RUN:

FGs: 6-7

FTs: 2-4

3PT: 2-2

BLK: 3

STL: 2

TO: 1

Misc. Forced TO: 2 (DeAndre Jordan)

Looking at the stats, the field goal percentage isn’t the only number that stands out. The ability to shoot this well from the field was facilitated by the intense play on the defensive end. The defensive pressure led to some very easy baskets as well as opening up mid and long range opportunities when the defense overplayed the transition game. Due to Caron’s ability to hit open spot-up jumpers, he benefited immensely from the quickened pace off of turnovers and swift possession changes, going 5-for-5 during this stretch.

Every guy on the court was trying to make an impact on both the offensive and defensive end. I’m most impressed with the plucky play of Randy Foye against Deron Williams and his unselfish play at the Point when Chauncey was given some rest. DJ and Blake also deserve a lot of credit for really taking it upon themselves to wrestle control of the paint on defense and prevent easy baskets.

If the Clippers could have sustained this level of intensity throughout the game, it would have been a cakewalk, but the aggression fell off. It was this type of defense-into-offense that kept the Clippers in the game against the fastbreaking Heat, while also giving the Clippers the clear the edge against the aging legs of the Lakers. When we’re playing a deeper, more talented opponent than the Nets, the Clippers need to have this high level of intensity turned on the entire game, regardless of whether the league’s best point guard is on the floor.

The setting is modern day Los Angeles, inside a building begrudgingly shared by diametrically opposed basketball teams.

Exposition:

After playing three games in four nights, the Los Angeles Lakers are a bit weary. They are carried into the game by their aging yet rejuvenated superstar, Kobe Bryant, who has scored at least 40-points in three straight contests and has looked dominant doing it. Their opponent — the Los Angeles Clippers — are on a streak of their own after defeating the league’s best team in the Miami Heat. Even without sharpshooter Mo Williams, morale runs high leading up to the battle for Los Angeles.

Rising Action:

Our protagonists (Blake Griffin and Chris Paul) come out absolutely on fire. Griffin displays his versatility in the Clippers’ first two scoring possessions by striking from distance with a jumper and then by attacking the paint with a sweeping, jumping righty hook over Pau Gasol on the very next play. Griffin and Paul continue to alternate control for the quarter (they assist on or score every bucket except one), but not before Griffin makes a statement of sorts on the defensive end. As Lakers rookie point guard Darius Morris flies in for a dead-ball dunk after a foul on the perimeter by Paul, Griffin stands near the hoop waiting. He’s taken exception to teams shooting in dead-ball spots this year (he’s our Kevin Garnett, just face it already) and so when Morris soars in for the dunk, Griffin gives him a little shove in the ribs. Sort of like a “what are you doing, rook?” push, nothing malicious, but enough to make Lakers coach Mike Brown wig out and almost get tossed from the game.

With the intensity raised a notch, Chris Paul restores order in the quarter’s closing seconds by connecting with a running, fadeaway bank off the glass, plus the harm. Just as the Clippers have seized control, Morris rips it right back with a heave from behind half-court that falls in. 31-24, Clippers after one.

Comedic Relief:

Sensing the audience needed things lightened up a bit, the Lakers and Clippers let their benches take the floor. Although many others contend for the laughs, no one steals the show quite like Brian Cook. After hearing boos upon his arrival, Cook’s improbable rise to prominence comes in the form of a big ol’ swat on Pau Gasol’s fingeroll. Sadly, his fifteen minutes of fame wouldn’t last nearly that long, as one minute later he rocketed a 3-point attempt off the front iron. Perhaps sensing his time in the limelight was coming to a close, Cook went for the glory and drove baseline from the perimeter (yes, this happened), attempting an acrobatic, highly difficult reverse layup in the trees. Blake Griffin was at the scorer’s table before the ball made it’s descent back into this solar system, and just like that, Brian Cook’s brief, hilarious yet saddening performance was done.

Buildup:

As Chauncey Billups rained in shots (4-for-6 from deep), Reggie Evans hauled in offensive rebounds (6 offensive boards) and Caron Butler played lockdown defense (11 points on 3-for-12 shooting for Bryant in the first half), the Clippers lead grew to double-digits with a minute remaining before the half. And just like the first quarter, Griffin found himself yet again in the middle of the fray. After blowing an easy putback chance, Matt Barnes picked up a technical foul for complaining about a push from Griffin that wasn’t called. Chris Paul once again immediately seized control of the game following the technical by nailing a jumper to give the Clippers a 55-42 lead at the break. Only in the movies does a 6-foot-10 monster of a man pick the fights, then let a 6-foot-nothing, tiny little guy settle the score for him.

Conflict:

Red Panda (AKA Bowl Flipping Lady) was not the halftime act.

Of course, there would be no drama if the protagonists weren’t confronted by an antagonist. Awesome montages can only last so long. Matt Barnes, while incredibly annoying, was not threatening enough to fill the role. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are large and talented, but weren’t believable enough as villains. No — only one man would suffice.

You may be familiar with the work of Kobe Bryant. He routinely makes shots that are simply unfair — terrible looks that no player with a conscience should take. Ah, but that’s what makes Bryant so villainous — he has no conscience. He is ruthless, unbending, and at times, unstoppable.

As Bryant starts pouring in off-balance jumpers in the third quarter, the Clippers have no answer. Their stars (Griffin and Paul) can’t guard him. Caron Butler looks exhausted from chasing Bryant and can only do so much. The only answer is…

Randy Foye?

As Foye comes in to try and check Bryant, Kobe’s eyes get big and his jaw widens. The Blake Mamba has a mouse in the house, and it’s feeding time.

Butler checks out with 2:13 left in the period. Foye is left all alone with Kobe. So alone. So cold.

Kobe quickly rattles off 9 of his 21 third quarter points on Foye, and all of the sudden, the Clippers once seemingly insurmountable lead is down to four, 76-72.

Climax:

Kobe remains in the game — and so does Foye. Our protagonists (through no real fault of their own) look like they’re in an awful lot of trouble.

But then a funny thing happens. Reggie Evans chases down an offensive rebound (that’s not unusual) after a Randy Foye airball (that’s not unusual) and gives the ball to Paul with only a few seconds remaining on the shot clock. Most players probably don’t realize the situation, but this is Chris Paul. The Clippers have not had a single shot clock violation to this point in the season, and Paul doesn’t let them start now.

It’s a heave. Paul even does this funny leg kick, mainly because he’s chucking it from 34-feet. It’s just a prayer that Reggie Evans will run over three people and collect the miss off the rim or Blake Griffin will dive into the 17th row to save it and…

Splash.

It was a moment. Staples Center erupts, and the camera catches Paul turning to the opposite baseline, pointing and saying something. I have no idea what he’s actually saying, but I sat there wishing it’s like a kung-fu movie with terrible tracking and he’s saying, “I got this. Thanks for being patient. We’re not losing.”

Falling Action:

From that moment on, everything magically starts to click. Vinny Del Negro makes a great adjustment and has Foye front Bryant all the way around the court. When Bryant does receive the pass, the Clippers immediately double on the catch. Bryant, after all, is the adversary who still needs dispatching.

Tonight though, Bryant is not the hero — Paul is. When Paul gets switched up defensively and finds himself guarding Bryant in the corner on one possession, he puts his chest right into Kobe. He is going nowhere. He is all the same things Kobe is: relentlessly competitive and fearless. But what Bryant and Paul don’t share is the same tragic flaw. Instead of deferring or trusting anyone else to make a play, Bryant decides to do it himself by lowering his shoulder down and moving Paul out of his way. Offensive foul.

Right on cue, Paul delivers the dagger with a 3-pointer on the very next possession.

Of course, since Bryant is a vampire (blood transfusion in eastern Europe? Yeah, okay.) he needs a wooden stake drove through his heart, not a dagger. Bryant retaliates with another series of jumpers, but Paul and Griffin do the work on their end and finally put Bryant and the Lakers away for good.

Resolution:

Although he escapes as the winner, Paul doesn’t leave the battle with Bryant unscathed. He sits out the last few minutes with a pulled hamstring, but doesn’t leave the court until he knows the job is done.

Griffin, meanwhile, miraculously avoids another dust-up with the Lakers and finishes the night without feinting (45 minutes played). He proves yet again to be the perfect complement to Paul, carrying the Clippers offense with energy (22 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists) for the majority of the game, allowing Paul to do what he does best in end of quarter situations.

The Clippers win over the Lakers has plenty of significance, but it wouldn’t be Hollywood if this rivalry wasn’t “to be continued.” In fact, I bet they’ll make this a trilogy. And you know what? The Empire will probably Strike Back. Maybe Kobe will recruit a new adversary and the Clippers will have to scour the galaxy for more Reggie Evans ewoks.

Regardless of all that though, the Clippers (and their fans) deserve to celebrate. They struck a decisive blow tonight. No — the Clippers will never have the rings and money and banners and everything else the Lakers have, but what the Clippers do have is a new hope.