The lone overseas Clipper, Sofoklis Schortsanitis, (or for the sake of my spell check, Big Sofo) is currently playing in the Greek A-1 League Finals with the rest of his Olympiakos teammates. In the video below you’ll see a little bit of what Sofo can do on the court, and get a peek at a former NBA player that’s out there on the market. Hint: It’s the guy with the giant afro.
But what you’ll mostly see is a huge reason for Sofo to finally make his way overseas. Yes, the crowds in Staples aren’t nearly as supportive, but foam fingers are a lot less dangerous than what transpired in this particular game. Check out the video below:
The newly renovated Clippers.com released their top ten plays of the season today. Did they miss any big time plays? Did they get number one right? Watch below, and then let’s hear it in the comments section:
I can tell the morale around these parts is a little low…getting blown out by the Warriors will certainly do that to you. I think I’ve got something that might cheer you all up though. Courtesy of Citizen Ming over at ClipsNation, here’s a ten minute montage of our favorite Greek center absolutely wrecking house. Don’t have time for the whole thing? Skip ahead to about the 8:30 mark and have yourself a good laugh. Go ahead. You deserve it.
The Houston Rockets are without Kevin Martin and Shane Battier Thursday night, but their primary offensive strategies remain constant:
They exploit any opportunity to beat you early, before the defense can get set, even after made buckets on the other end.
They move the ball within the confines of their corner offense until the defense is sufficiently scrambled, at which point they work you off the dribble.
In a fast-paced first quarter, the Clippers’ defense isn’t particularly adept at combating either strategy. After Rasual Butler drains a 3-pointer, the Clippers allow Aaron Brooks and Chase Budinger to streak down the floor into the gut of the lane where Brooks hits him for an easy slam (1st, 9:49). Against the Rockets’ 3-man game, the Clippers fail to communicate defensively and make it far too easy for Houston, as Kyle Lowry slips right past Butler en route to the hoop where Chuck Hayes hits him with a bounce pass from the left elbow (1st, 3:10).
On the other end of the floor, the Rockets deploy a zone against the Clippers, similar to what the Mavericks executed Tuesday night in Dallas. Though the Clippers score only 19 points on 24 possessions, they get a steady diet of good looks in the period, but just can’t hit. The Clips also establish their dominance on the glass. Drew Gooden corrals five offensive rebounds alone in the first quarter. Both of his field goals in the period are putbacks (1st, 7:50; 1st, 7:17).
Despite the comparatively open shots from the perimeter and Gooden’s work on the boards, the Clippers aren’t successful executing their inside game early. Kaman, a big man who likes to generate space on step-outs and against traditional pick-and-roll defensive schemes, can’t get into rhythm against Houston’s zone. Except for an awkward runner in transition (1st, 1:30), Baron Davis isn’t able to take advantage of a bigger Chase Budinger at the top of the defense with penetration, as Houston’s back line is ready. As previously mentioned, Gordon and Butler can’t find the basket with a GPS.
That changes in the second quarter. The Clippers begin to move the ball from side to side. We see it at the (2nd, 6:22) mark when the Clips initiate a Gordon-Craig Smith pick-and-roll on the right sideline with Kaman situated on the right block. This scheme draws the Rockets to the strong side, all the while Baron sets up along the arc in front of the Clippers’ bench with not a Rocket in proximity.
Watch how the ball beats the Houston defense to the weak side:
Then, with the crafty help of Baron, the Clips are finally able to get the ball to Kaman against the zone. Watch how the Rockets defense again shifts to the far side of the court. With Trevor Ariza now responsible for Kaman, Chris is able to seal off the small forward along the baseline. A zippy pass by Baron finds Kaman for an easy layup:
The true catalyst for the Clippers Thursday night is Craig Smith, who finishes with 25 points (10-13 FGs, 5-10 FTs) and 10 rebounds. Rhino is able to mine the soft spot in the middle of the Rockets’ zone in the second and third quarters before the Rockets adjust with a man-to-man defense.
Watch Smith flash unmanned:
The Clippers’ adjustment is admirable. But the smart pass in the last sequence from Gordon is especially encouraging for a guy whose playmaking hasn’t improved measurably in his second season.
Down the stretch, the Clippers play an inspired brand of basketball. For a team that’s been beleaguered and, at times, clueless on the defensive end of the floor, the Clippers body up. Gordon doesn’t have a statistically impressive night, but here are a couple of possessions (4th, 6:22; 4th, 4:48) where he shows his mettle — the first on the defensive end against Ariza (he gets some help from DeAndre Jordan), the second in transition:
On both ends, we see Gordon’s steady balance — both physically and emotionally. Does his expression change after he converts that bucket on the break and draws the foul? Not a bit.
The best set of the night comes at the (4th, 3:12) mark with the Clippers gradually taking control of the game, leading by five. Watch how the respective skills of Gordon and Smith commingle:
So much works about this set:
The Clippers go to their strength: Craig Smith on the block. It ain’t predictable until the opponent can stop it.
Baron feeds Smith the entry pass, then clears, deferring to Eric Gordon — a more potent threat from the perimeter.
The Clips force Ariza to make a difficult choice. Does he double the irrepressible, othersized one in the mid-post or does he crowd Gordon on the perimeter?
Ariza ultimately decides to close on Eric. Rather than shoot a contested 3-pointer, Eric puts the ball on the floor and breezes past Ariza.
By forcing the action, Eric draws the attention of Smith’s man, Chuck Hayes, who leaves Smith to help on the drive.
With the defense collapsing on Eric, he keeps Rhino in his sights as he drives.
Eric then threads the needle to Smith, who now has a clear path to the rim. He seals off the baseline then goes in for the reverse layup.
I can’t recall a smarter set the Clips have run over the past six weeks, can you?
The power forwards put up the gaudy stats for the Clips, but Baron Davis plays a heady game, protects the basketball, makes some sharp passes and ices the game late with a couple of big shots. Houstonian DeAndre Jordan causes trouble in the middle and works the glass.
Beating teams on the road demands execution. It requires a recognition of your strengths and your opponent’s vulnerabilities. The Clippers achieve all those things tonight against a team that’s dominated them in recent years.
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.
