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.
Archive for the ‘Recap’ Category
Clippers 103, Raptors 91: Let’s Get Physical
On January - 23 - 2012
Minnesota 101, Clippers 98: Playing With Fire
On January - 21 - 2012
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.
Three Questions: The Clippers victory over the Mavs
On January - 19 - 2012
ClipperBlog contributor Michael Shagrin answers three questions from last night.
Q: What really happened at the end of the 4th 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 Closer Look: The 16-0 Run
On January - 17 - 2012
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 4th quarter after failing to maintain a double-digit lead.
Clippers 102, Lakers 94: A New Hope
On January - 15 - 2012
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.