(USAToday Sports)
Buzzer Reaction
 Los Angeles Clippers |
 Los Angeles Clippers |
MVP: Life without Chris Paul was GREAT for Portland PG Damian Lillard. The 2016 All-Star snub had a game-high 28 points to go with five rebounds and seven assists, while hitting 4-of-9 three-pointers. Games 5 and 6 marked the first time all series that Lillard scored 20+ points in back-to-back games, and Lillard made 9-of-19 threes in those Games. In Games 1-4, Lillard shot 37 percent from the field and made only 8-of-30 three-pointers (27 percent). Lillard also had a series-low one turnover in Game 6, after averaging 3.8 turnovers per game in Games 1-4.
That was … a boxing match: When Chris Paul exited the floor for the last time, the Clippers were down 58-52 in Game 4. They wound up losing that game by 14 points and Game 5 by ten points. They weren’t dead on arrival in Game 6. Austin Rivers took a shot to the eye in the first quarter, and he comes back and finishes the game with 11 stitches. The Clippers competed, as the Trail Blazers knew they could and as the Utah Jazz can attest to first hand. Like the March 31 game at Oklahoma City, the Clippers got huge games from Rivers (21 points, eight assists, no turnovers) and Jamal Crawford (32 points off the bench, most by a reserve in Clippers postseason franchise history). Like the game in Oklahoma City, the Clippers came up just short. Portland’s three-pointers (14-of-32, including 10-of-16 in 2nd half) kept them close, especially in a second half that saw the Clippers largely outplay Portland. The final margin of victory was three Mason Plumlee free throws, which came directly after the Clippers went on an 8-2 run while holding Portland without a FG over the last 2:16 of the game.
X factor: Shout out to that dude Maurice Harkless. The 15th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, Harkless was included in arguably the most ill-fated trade of the decade when the 76ers sent him to Orlando in the Andrew Bynum-Dwight Howard-Andre Iguodala tragedy. Harkless didn’t even score 500 points this season. But the young fella (will turn 23 years old next month) scored 11 of his 14 points in the 3rd quarter, and he hit a career-high (regular season or postseason) four threes in this game. That came on the heels of a 19-point Game 5 where he scored 17 points in the first half. This was the first time all season that Harkless made multiple threes in consecutive games.
Tweet(s) Of The Game
Doc Rivers on Austin Rivers: "He’s bleeding during every timeout. It looked like a boxing match. He’s a baller." pic.twitter.com/6u9OcVbnfT
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 30, 2016
Anybody who thinks Austin Rivers can only play for his dad is an idiot…incredible performance anytime; more so with one eye…
— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) April 30, 2016
Austin Rivers put some respek on his name tonight.
— Nate Jones (@JonesOnTheNBA) April 30, 2016
Every player walked up to Austin Rivers and showed him love after the game. #respect https://t.co/B223aWJGYE
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) April 30, 2016
austin rivers. 21 points, 11 stitches. 8 assists. 6 rebounds. 1.5 eyes. 0 turnovers. but keep hating, per usual.
never been more proud.
— Callie Rivers (@CallieRivers25) April 30, 2016
Kudos to Austin Rivers – lots of respect for what he did tonight. Small consolation prize for another lost Clippers season.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) April 30, 2016
Really was, these Doc coached teams have played hard w/ injuries his entire Clipper tenure. https://t.co/xl3lpeXbwc
— Haralabos Voulgaris (@haralabob) April 30, 2016
Series MVP: Mason Plumlee. No doubt. pic.twitter.com/S3otBkZmDF
— Blazer's Edge (@Blazersedge) April 30, 2016
Mason Plumlee: Series MVP for Portland: 8.0 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists.
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) April 30, 2016
Hope we made you guys proud, thank you for fighting with us until the end! #ClipperNation nothing but love & respect..
— Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) April 30, 2016
Check Your Messages
No More Roller Coasters in L.A.
A balmy late summer September day in Southern California made way for a band of new Clippers – scrimmaging and practicing drills in a college gym in Orange County. It is Day 2 of training camp. What is immediately apparent is a significant increase in sheer talent and depth on this roster. Over the past several years, the Clippers have faltered amongst the brightest of lights, falling short, with the preverbal finger squarely pointed at a shallow bench.
The Clippers began these initial phases of the season with premier confidence, knowing for once the starters can sit and a lead won’t subsequently dissipate. It is a luxury most contenders afford themselves and often a prerequisite of withstanding those grueling playoff runs.
A season in the NBA is often akin to a roller coaster and it wasn’t much different for this season’s version of the Clippers. We were blind-sighted by some of the dips, perhaps a bit unexpected, a little too steep. You build as the season moves into the brisk winter months, weather the 7-game road trips, and absorb some inevitable injury. But not much could have prepared the Clippers for the off-court drama and cascading injuries that smacked them from behind.
The talent on this roster is undeniable at its core and yet premature playoff exits speak volumes regardless of the reason. Moving forward into the unknown triggers an uncomfortable aura. Maybe the ride was just a little too rough this time.
– Kaveh Jam
Morality and Mortality
There’s a scene in the film Up in the Air where George Clooney asks J.K. Simmons why kids love athletes. The answer: kids love them because they follow their dreams.
As sports fans, growing from seedling to teenager to adult, there is an idolization of the heights of what athletes are capable of at their peak. This idolization at times also acts as a gatekeeper, hindering the acknowledgement of the player further down on the bench for not appearing as transcendent as the stars of the game.
It’s not so much that these players are incapable as much as it is a denial of mortality; these are the professionals who are supposed to do the things we only hoped to be able to do. Perhaps that’s why the broken fingers can weigh a fan down if it was from their own hand, or why the hamstrings and the sore left heels of a roster’s elite feel like burdens that are shared.
Looking up from the clutter, however, can allow focus on the resolute, and it’s in these moments that we as an audience can perhaps see facets of a person that we never had the opportunity or the willingness to acknowledge before. Watching as Austin Rivers found the basket time after time in that astounding third quarter, laughing in the face of every Trail Blazer three-point attempt that would not miss, it’s hard not to appreciate that his boastfulness — as foolhardy as it seems from an outsider’s view — is perhaps what pushed him to perform the way he did tonight, refusing to be stopped by better talent, an opposing floor, or even an eye that refused to stop bleeding throughout the game. It’s not just that he had what might be his best playoff performance ever, but how he had it.
It may have come in a loss, and with the expectations of what this Clippers team was meant to achieve, it’s difficult for many to put stock in moral victories. That said, it’s performances like these that help change a narrative, and looking around Twitter after the game in reaction to Austin’s performance tonight, it’s not hard to see the page begin to turn.
– Brandon Tomyoy
Curtain Call
Thank you, Chris. Thank you, Blake. Thank you, DeAndre. Thank you, JJ. Thank you, Jamal.
Thank you, Austin. Thank you, Paul. Thank you, Luc. Thank you, Wes. Thank you, Cole. Thank you, Jeff. Thank you, Pablo. Thank you, CJ. Thank you, Lance. Thank you, Josh. Thank you, Branden. Thank you, Alex. Thank you, Jeff (2). Thank you, Doc. Thank you, Ralph. Thank you, Mike. Thank you, Kyle, Don, Kristina, Mark, and Corey. Thank you, Brian. Thank you, Steve. Thank you, Chuck.
See (some of) you next year.
And thank you, Brandon, Law, Andrew, Fred, Kaveh, Ben, Roscoe, Kevin, and anyone and everyone who read this nonsense for 88 games. I appreciate you all so much. It’s been a lot of things, but above all, it’s been fun. That’s all I could have asked for.
Good night, have a good summer, and if you’re in L.A. this summer, come on down to the Drew League and say hi. Drew Aid on me.
LOVE ALL YOU GUYS
– Aaron Williams
Yes, like i said yesterday. A Rivers has great heart, good attitude. Played up to his potential yesterday. But like Jake said, can’t pass good enough or shoot good enough. I wouldn’t mind him as the 9th guy off the bench, but not as my back up point guard for a title contending team.
It was a gritty game for Austin Rivers, no doubt about that. A surge of adrenaline often does that to athletes. It’s similar to a baseball player who gets knocked down by a pitch then getting up and hitting a home run. Sometimes they give athletes IVs of sugar water or other things in the locker room when they have a physical issue like that and still want to go back out and play. That usually gives them a big boost of energy too. I definitely give him credit for his grit and his attitude.
His actual performance should be kept in perspective. He was 8-19 from the field, which is 42%. That isn’t real bad but it isn’t real good either. Mainly he just took more shots than anybody except Crawford and he made a mediocre percentage of them. Most of the shots he made were close in.. He was 1-6 from three range.
Again, I do give him credit for what he did with his injured eye.
Considering Crawford was playing so bad, it’s a good thing he was taking the shots. The other thing to consider is the Clippers did lose. It’s not like he led them to victory.
About the two big injuries, which I really hated because I’m a huge fan of both Paul and Griffin, it’s good to keep in mind that these things happen a lot in the NBA. It’s not because of “the Clipper Curse”. They happen to other teams too, and in the recent past the Clippers have benefited from injuries to other teams. The main reason they got out of the first round the last two seasons was because Golden State and San Antonio had multiple serious injuries to key players. Also, the reason they didn’t play Memphis in the first round this year is because Memphis had season ending injuries to Marc Gasol and Mike Conley. They were looking forward to playing Golden State in the second round this year because Curry would be out with an injury. This stuff just happens..
Would you give up on BG because of his injury history? There’s a good chance the injury will happen again.
Only problem is I think his trade value is too low right now.
I agree the Clippers won’t get full value for Griffin this off season because of the injury, so I think they should keep him and hope for a good year next season, which could happen.
So the only asset the Clippers have is DeAndre. He’s gotta go.
Pierce is 50/50 on retirement
okay were do the clippers go from here same team with jj redick jamal cp3 and baby rivers or do you upgrade at the guard positions also do you trade my fav player blake for other players, do you sit dj down in most games because he is inept at the free throw line there as 2 be a difference in attack plus teams improve every year clippers cannot keep doing the same things and want a different result one important thing I don’t see enough protecting a teammate they say they are close but you find out in challenging games what a player is all about not enough tough guys on this team lastly cp3 should not be the focal point of this team 2 slow and small 4 defense and offense period
The question is how to upgrade the backup guard positions, while at the same time upgrading the SF.
Portland underscored a weakness the Clippers have inside. Mason Plumlee had some of the best games of his career against the Clippers in the playoffs. Opposing teams’ centers having some of their best games against the Clippers has been an ongoing problem. The Portland coach said they learned how to beat the Clippers after game 2. That does seem to be what happened, and a lot of it had to do with exploiting the Clippers weakness inside.
Plumlee was 0-7 today against the warriors.