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.

• Bethlehem Shoals over at The Classical considers Kenyon Martin’s past and where he is now: “Martin has been inching into utter legitimacy for some time now. Though he came into the league brash, muscular, and quick to unleash a conqueror’s roar after every power dunk or swatted shot, Martin had morphed into the proverbial gritty vet, albeit one who still boasted the league’s most literal case of swagger.”

• My take on what Martin brings to the table over at ESPNLA.com. Here’s a question: Who do you think converted more of his shots at the rim — Blake Griffin this season, or Kenyon Martin last season?

• Ramona Shelburne over at ESPNLA.com does some nice reporting on Mo Williams and his potential as trade bait. Lots of interesting tidbits in this article, including some strategic quotes from Williams saying he has “no motivation to play for a losing team at all.” Wonder if Chauncey taught him that one.

• John Raffo at ClipsNation.com brings up an interesting point: Why haven’t the Clippers cut bait on any of their “failed” experiments so far? Outside of Willie Warren, the Clippers have kept everyone they’ve signed or drafted, for better or worse. I know we’re a little too hard on him, but ask yourself this: Is there any other contender that would have Brian Cook and his negative PER rating occupying a roster spot at this point?  I think the blame goes a little higher than Neil Olshey on this one.

• Will J.R. Smith join the Clippers and help them become Nuggets 2.0? There are a few things to consider here from Broderick Turner’s report for the LA Times, but he clears a lot up in his most recent work. The Clippers no longer have a mini-mid-level exception, so the best they could offer Smith would be the veteran’s minimum. The New York Knicks have their mini-mid-level exception and seem to be a better fit style-wise, but you never know.

Part 2

Kevin Arnovitz, Mark Shore, Breene Murphy, Jordan Heimer and John Krolik gather to discuss the Clippers win over the Wizards on Saturday night. John breaks out his impressions of the members of Inside the NBA.

Twitter: @kevinarnovitz, @markshore12, @BreeneMurphy, @clipperheimer, @JohnKrolik

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.

Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

The Kenyon Martin signing isn’t important because he’s going to replace all of the minutes that Solomon Jones or Brian Cook would play (while also taking away some minutes from Reggie Evans). It’s not significant because he’s one of the top free agents available. It’s not significant because he’s now the Clippers’ second-best offensive option down low.

It’s significant because he demonstrated his free will and chose the Clippers.

All season, the talk has been about change. How the Clippers are no longer a laughingstock franchise. How they have what it takes to make a deep run in the playoffs. How they’re the best team in Los Angeles. But nothing signifies change more than a valuable free agent, with a plethora of options from other contenders and more notable franchises, choosing to join your squad. That’s one of the true marks of a team making the next step to an elite franchise.

See, some may look to Caron Butler and Chris Paul joining the Clippers as the first signs of this change, but they’re wrong. And as we know, Chauncey Billups was picked up by the Clippers (to his dismay) and Reggie Evans, while a solid pick-up and a glimpse of change, lacks the talent and notoriety of Martin. I’m not saying Martin is that much of a game-changer — but I will say the move speaks volumes of how far the Clippers have come in the past couple months.

While Butler ultimately chose the Clippers over the New Jersey Nets and San Antonio Spurs, taking less money in the process, it wasn’t as impressive because his options were somewhat limited. As enticing as it was to suit up with Deron Williams and Brook Lopez, the Nets are far from a playoff team. They’re quite terrible, actually. Butler knew this. At this stage in his career, there’s no way he’d actually sign with the Nets unless he knew they were going to pull off the Dwight Howard trade.

Sure, he has publicly admitted he was very close to signing with the team, but the pre-CP3 Clippers were always the frontrunner. Most people expected them to be a playoff team, or at least have a great shot at making it, so it’s not as if he was joining a bottom-feeder. He saw a young team with potential, a big city, and a chance to be the main guy at small forward.

On the other hand, the Spurs are the ideal franchise – professional, elite and successful. How could he turn them down? Well, how about the fact that despite the rumors of amnestying him, the Spurs never officially released Richard Jefferson. Butler may be the better player, but Jefferson seems to fit the Spurs’ system better (at times) and they’d have ended up splitting minutes (although I may be overlooking the annual Manu Ginobili injury).

Of course, maybe if Butler joined the Spurs, they’d have let Jefferson go. But that’s beside the point. Hindsight is 20/20, and in retrospect, the Clippers were always Butler’s best option. He saw something we necessarily didn’t, and he capitalized on the situation.

Which brings us to Chris Paul. Some may also say he chose the Clippers, which is basically true. But he initially would have been just as happy to go to the other L.A. team or that confounding Knickerbocker squad. (Before people bring up the Lakers/Knicks’ problems, remember this happened in early December. People weren’t as low on those teams yet, and they definitely weren’t as high on the Clippers.)

The Lakers deal got vetoed (and appeared to be permanently dead) and the Knicks lacked the assets to acquire him without parting with Amar’e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony or newly acquired Tyson Chandler. Paul wanted to get out of New Orleans as soon as possible, and saw an intriguing situation with the Clippers. In retrospect, the Clippers were also clearly his best option. True, there was much risk involved, but not as much as staying with the Hornets.

Martin, on the other hand, chose the Clippers as a free agent. He had just as enticing options – anywhere he signed, he’d be the first big man off the bench (or possibly even a starter in some cases). There were numerous reasons for Martin to choose another team, yet he chose L.A. And not even the L.A. Lakers – everyone’s top free agent destination – but the L.A. Clippers.

This isn’t to undermine Butler or Paul joining the Clippers – technically, they both decided to come to Los Angeles. And there’s doubting that they are more vital to the Clippers than Martin is. But in reality, the Clippers were clearly their best situations. Their safest bets. It would’ve been foolish for them to not pick the Clippers.

For Martin? There’s a lot of risk involved. He could be making the wrong choice. He could probably play more with another team. He could fit better in another system. But instead, he chose the Clippers. He, as a veteran free agent hungry for a championship, used his free will and leverage to join the red, white and blue.

And that’s the biggest change this season.

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The Clippers and free-agent forward Kenyon Martin have agreed on a mini-midlevel deal that will be finalized as soon as Martin passes a physical, according to an NBA individual familiar with the negotiations.

Martin, who played for the Xinjiang Tigers in China and had been required to wait until their season was over before rejoining the NBA, was cleared to return to the NBA by FIBA, the international basketball federation, Thursday.

Martin is an 11-year NBA veteran who, at 6-foot-9, is expected to bolster the Clippers’ inside strength and rebounding performance. He averaged 13.5 points and 7.2 rebounds in his 11 seasons with the New Jersey Nets and Denver Nuggets.

Last season, Martin averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds in Denver. He is 34.

Martin has a home in Los Angeles and is a friend of Clippers guard Chauncey Billups, a teammate with the Nuggets.

Other teams that had been interested in Martin were the Lakers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks.

Follow @JovanBuha

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