Watching the postseason over the past couple of weeks has offered a reminder that the NBA, at its essence, is a game of exploiting mismatches in the halfcourt. Good teams do this effectively when their offenses are humming.  The standout defensive teams? They’re the ones who can recover from, [...]

This is an exciting time for those trying to find new and compelling ways to understand basketball through analytical means.  The sphere of advanced statistical analytics is experiencing a golden era, and I was fortunate enough to be at ground zero this past weekend — the MIT Sloan Sports Anal[...]

In many respects, today is a lousy moment to discuss what Al Thornton means to the Los Angeles Clippers in the long term.  For one, making wholesale evaluations of a team or a player following a game like last night’s win over Boston is always dangerous due to the lightning-in-a-bottle quality[...]

It’s been a long while since we had a reason to take a close look at the final few minutes of a game between the Clippers and an elite opponent.  When you consider that the Clips feature Fred Jones and Mardy Collins at the wings for virtually the entire second half, it’s incredible they&[...]

When Mike Dunleavy was asked prior to Saturday night’s game whether he had plans to use Steve Novak more, he smiled at the room of reporters. “If you can help me figure out how to get him more shots, I’m on board.”  Dunleavy’s wry response speaks to the difficulty of hi[...]

Tonight, the Clippers convert points on only one of their first seven possessions.  As analytic exercises go, documenting these fruitless offensive sets almost seems cruel.   Here at Clipperblog, we’re gluttons for punishment: [1st, 11:25]  The ball runs through Camby at the top of the circle.[...]

It seems ridiculous to sanctify grown men for doing their jobs, but the Clippers’ few remaining healthy bodies play a gutsy game this afternoon.  “Clippers Point Guard” is now the NBA’s equivalent of “Spinal Tap Drummer.”  Today’s spontaneous combustion?  Fr[...]

There are some unfortunate and inescapable truths about Mardy Collins, and they can be seen in numbers like these: In his nine games as a Los Angeles Clipper, Collins has taken 29 shot attempts from the floor.  Only ten of them have been successful, while 13 of the 29 haven’t drawn iron.  Desp[...]