(Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
Before we get to the game and all, we must acknowledge Halloween…
All Truth was missing was the Stone City Band.
As far as hoops go on the court, the LA Clippers are 3-0 after beating the Phoenix Suns 116-98 to end the month of October. This was a complete defeat of the winless Suns. The Clippers shot better from the field, from three, and the free throw line. The Clippers tied the Suns in the rebounding battle despite shooting a better percentage than Phoenix, and the Clippers won the turnover battle as well.
The point guard matchup pitted Chris Paul against former Clipper Eric Bledsoe, who some of you still won’t get over him not being in LA anymore. Paul outplayed Bledsoe in this one:
The Clippers big men also dominated this game. C DeAndre Jordan dealt with a sprained thumb on his right hand from Sunday’s win vs the Jazz, but he was no worse for the wear against Tyson Chandler and the Suns. Jordan had 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field to go with 11 rebounds and 2 blocks; Chandler fouled out in just over 18 minutes.
PF Blake Griffin was always expected to go off against a Phoenix team starting another former Clipper in Jared Dudley at PF. Griffin ate the Suns up, scoring 21 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field. That’s the most points Griffin ever scored while taking fewer than 10 shots in a game, as he was aided by making 12-of-14 FTs (85.7 percent) and hitting his only three-point attempt of the season. Moreover, Griffin grabbed another 11 rebounds, marking the first time in his career that he has double-doubled in the first three games of a season.
The Clippers came into this game healthier than Phoenix, as SG Devin Booker (toe) was inactive. Phoenix started Brandon Knight in Booker’s place, and while Knight had a team-high 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, Knight also failed to add any rebounds, assists, or steals while compiling a game-worst -24 plus-minus.
Meanwhile, Clippers SG Jamal Crawford led all bench scorers with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, and the offense was at its best when Crawford took SF Luc Mbah a Moute’s spot in the lineup.
Clippers bench net rating in 2015-16: -0.5
Clippers bench net rating so far in 2016-17: 14.2
— Andrew Han (@andrewthehan) November 1, 2016
Austin’s finishing at the rim this year. For him to become an impact player on a nightly basis he needs to keep that up.
Once he proves he can finish at the rim consistently he’ll draw more fouls when he drives. And then he needs to start making at least 75% of his Free Throws.
Bad loss to the Thunder at home. Thunder are a good team. Lebron should have ditched Cleveland and joined Westbrook.
If you think the Thunder are a good team why is it a bad loss?
The Clippers don’t have a home-court advantage. They haven’t had one in the 19 years I’ve been a fan.
It doesn’t matter where the Clippers play their home games. They should be a traveling home team. Play a few home games in Los Angeles, a few in Las Vegas, a few in Anaheim, a few in Vancouver, a few in Seattle.
It doesn’t need to be an arena. A high school or college gym would do. The crowd noise and atmosphere would be basically the same.
By the way, for the trolls on here, that wasn’t a real suggestion.
My frustration with Clipper fans, especially those that show up at Staples Center, is real.
It’s more the traveling stuff rather than the fans.
The offense from the starting 5 has been putrid.
They aren’t setting good screens. They aren’t moving the ball. They aren’t moving bodies. Even when they do J.J. looks a step slow. Having Mbah a Moute and DJ on the floor together is a mess.
They had the #1 offense in the NBA two years in a row with Blake and DJ sharing the floor together. This is squarely put on Doc and CP for not getting their shit together in practice. And it’s put on Blake and DJ for their soft ass screens this year, especially Blake.
It seems like we’ll never see these two things as Clipper fans during the CP/BG era. One is Chris Paul being aggressive from the jump. The other one is Blake Griffin making quick decisions when he catches the ball.
Pingback: November 2, 2016: Thunder 85, Clippers 83 - Los Angeles Clippers Blog - News, Commentary for NBA Clipper FansLos Angeles Clippers Blog – News, Commentary for NBA Clipper Fans