I never thought I would be able to sit through an entire Clippers - Warriors game. Yet here I am writing about one - on Christmas Night.
The game doesn't start for an hour and a half, so I'm killing time with the Bears - Packers football game and an extended pregame notes section (between pieces of pecan pie).
Pregame
Between the Clippers being "local" (games covered by regional FOX Sports channel) in Las Vegas and spending time in sports books, I'll probably see more Clippers games than Celtics this season. It was like that with the Thunder last season.
I don't have a strong rooting interest in college basketball (went to a bad basketball school), but have followed Temple and Wake Forest since high school, so I like to see them do well. That is a long way of saying I have followed Chris Paul since he went to Wake. I have written about Blake Griffin in this space before. So, the Clippers have two of my favorite non-Celtics.
The Warriors - I'm going to need to save my material for the game...
I'm curious if I can keep a decent commentary going; also coming up with a couple things to watch for.
When I watch a game, I see it from a different point of view than a casual fan who is being entertained. I know how the games should be played, what is happening during a sequence, and as long as it's on the tv screen. I can see what went right or wrong. That's why I like good analysts / former coaches who see the game from that perspective. People like Jon Gruden, Ron Jaworski, Chris Collinsworth, Jeff Van Gundy, Bob Knight - there are more, who explain the game well and detail what contributed to the result of the play.
For example: Chris Collinsworth just showed how the Bears running back did not engage Clay Matthews on the play that ended in a Matthews interception.
In the case of the Boston teams, I know their plays and tendencies, so I can guess what might happen from certain alignments or situations. That's just familiarity.
The Celtics lost 106-104 to the Knicks in the opening game of the season. All things considered, not a horrible performance. They got down early, came back to lead, and blew it in the end when Carmelo Anthony took over.
Good - Rondo, Brandon Bass (#30 was to be Len Bias' number), were competitive without Paul Pierce.
Bad - Bench (aside from Bass), center position, did not have good possessions at the end of the game, Anthony took over.
This regular season means very little to older teams like the Celtics, Lakers and Spurs - all of whom just want to be healthy and playing their best come playoff time (this assumes they make the playoffs as better than an 8 seed). These teams want to win another championship. To compete against the Mavs, Heat, Bulls and Thunder, they'll need to get into the tournament healthy and with a little bit of developed depth. Home court advantage for a round or two would be nice, but not at the expense of wearing out an older team.
Almost halftime. 14-3 Packers. I have the Bears +13.5.
There's a Clippers pregame show. Let's see what they have going on...
Talking about Caron Butler. Says knee is ok and he is in good shape. They needed a #3 and could have done a lot worse.
Another addition is Chauncey Billups. Says he and Chris Paul have been good friends for years. That is the initial answer to my question of how the two of them would coexist. Billups, of course, moves to the #2. Butler (injured in Dallas) and Billups have won championships.
Now they're talking about DeAndre Jordan's new contract. 4yrs./$40 or $43M. He just got paid, so now it's time to play. It's time for me to get another piece of pecan pie.
It took 60 seconds to be tired of listening to Michael Smith. He is wearing red pants with a blue sport jacket and tie. Smith uses many words to say very little. I'm a little biased because he was such a lousy Celtic. Was not happy when we drafted him and he turned into a huge bust.
Looks like the next segment highlights Griffin and Jordan's ability to wrap Christmas presents. Stellar...
Shot of Griffin and Jordan with assistant coach - looking at a laptop.
Now on to the gift wrapping. Blake has mini-scissors and is wrapping on an upside-down trash can. Jordan doesn't really know what he's doing. He just gave up and twisted the ends. Griffin did ok. Funny segment.
Packers 21 Bears 10, 3rd quarter. Thunder 85 Magic 68, 4th quarter. Pieces of pecan pie I've finished: 2.
Game starts in a few minutes, so lets get to the prediction. The Clippers are a top 4 team in the Western Conference. This team can host a playoff series and make it to the conference finals. None of that would surprise me. A catastrophic injury (Paul or Griffin) probably put them in the 6-8 seed range. Griffin probably hurts more because the Clips have guard depth.
Chris Paul could easily be an MVP candidate - along with all the usual suspects.
Basically, I like most everything the Clips have done. Would have been nice if they could have kept Eric Gordon, but aside from having a little more quality up front, this should be a very good team.
Update: Game pushed to 7:45 because of ESPN broadcast. I want to hear the local announcers (even if one of them is Michael Smith). The other guy is Ralph Lawler.
Mike Breen and JVG are doing their second game of the day for ESPN. Also there to see the coaching debut of their former partner Mark Jackson. Chris Mullin takes over for Jackson. Mullin played for Warriors, and with Jackson at St. Johns.
Stephen Curry is coming off a sprained ankle. Mark Jackson is the new Warriors coach.
1st Quarter
Clips have red unis and green socks.
11:35 - Andris Biedrins (aka "Drago") opens up the scoring for GS.
11:00 - 3 for Billups.
10:28 - 3 for Paul.
10:00 - Back to back swats by Jordan and Drago. Good up and down action. 6-6.
Jordan blocks his second shot.
Clips allowing too many offensive rebounds and not settled on offense. Bad possessions and not handeling defensive boards.
7:11 - Timeout Clippers. 12-6 Golden State.
Poor offensive sets. Bad 3's. Poor defense and defensive rebounding. Vinny Del Flame Flame has plenty to yell about.
7:05 - Billups scores out of the TO.
What I think is that the Clips are believing their own hype and wanted to come out and run the Warriors out of the gym. They forgot to defend, rebound and run some sets.
Griffin scores at the front of the rim.
Klay Thompson (rookie from Washington State) in for GS. He can shoot.
4:48 - Jordan blocks shot #3.
4:35 - Mo Williams in for Billups. The Clippers have serious guard depth with Williams and when Eric Bledsoe returns from injury.
Not much movement in the Clips offense. It's more like one pass and shoot.
Defense leads to fast break layup by Griffin. 9-2 run.
Butler lobs it up to Jordan on the break. Dunk. 19-16 Clippers. Was going to try to do a dunk counter, but already abandoned that idea.
The Clippers have finally applied some defensive ball pressure and are letting the defense and rebounding lead to transition. Took them a while to settle in.
Ish Smith in for GS. Another Wake point guard. Ex-Celtic Ryan Gomes in for Clips. He is a solid bench guy. Randy Foye knocked down a 3. Clippers have depth that will serve them well with the compacted schedule.
0:02 - Monta Ellis abuses a Clips defender and dunks. He and Curry have been quiet. Ellis is 2-7, Curry 1-2. Six points between them is not going to keep them in a lot of games. Drago played well for GS and the Clippers started poorly.
24-20 Clippers
2nd Quarter
Paul and Griffin on the bench.
11:44 - And-1 put-back for Ryan Gomes. Michael Smith makes the point I did earlier. Gomes is a good bench guy who will be better than a lot of other teams second strings. One of the things I like about the Clips. Their second-team shouldn't take them out of a lot of games.
They are going small. Should be able to pull that off against teams without a Dwight Howard type. Smith talks a lot, but makes some good points. Just wish he would do it in fewer words.
10:45 - 26-22 after a David Lee jump-hook.
10:16 - Randy Foye travels and takes a hit on the break. Grabbed wrist.
Mo Williams was probably the second best player on one or two of the LeBron James Cavaliers teams. And now he is a back-up in LA. Says a lot about why the Clips have so much hype. And why James is in Miami...
8:50 - Billups, nice dish to Gomes for the lay in. I have absolutely no idea why Rick Pitino shipped Billups out of town 50 games into his rookie season. Well I do have an idea, but loathed every second Pitino was in charge in Boston. F**k Rick Pitino.
Ellis continues to lay bricks. 3-9.
Not going to like the announcers referring to Brian Cook as "Cookie".
Cookie hits two free throws. Ellis was tired of throwing up bricks, so now he's taking it to the basket. Nice spin move and lay in.
Timeout. Clippers 36 GSW 30 5:58 in 2nd Quarter.
Clippers have spread out the shots and the scoring. All nine guys who have played have scored. Billups is 2-8 (opened with a 3), so he and Monta have not shot all that well.
4:40 - Warriors have scored a few in a row to make it 36-35.
Oakland fans are chanting "Beat LA". That's the Celtics - Lakers chant. People say the Warriors have great fans and a definite home court advantage. Sounds like it.
3:44 - Ellis lay-up gives Warriors the lead 37-36.
Blake misses two at the line. Gets two more after he and Paul do not convert at the front of the rim.
Clippers not shooting well - thanks to the sideline reporter for noting Clips have missed 13 shots in a row.
Blake makes 1-2 free throws. Tie at 37-37.illups hits a 15 footer. 39-37. He won't stop shooting.
Jordan block #4. He will put up some fantasy numbers. Only 2 pts. / 2 reb. but he will be a decent fantasy basketball guy.
Jordan block #5. As I was saying. I don't play fantasy sports anymore, but I'd build a team around winning rebounds, blocks, assists, free throw %, and 3's - and win the league without any of the top scorers.
Halftime. Warriors 43, Clippers 41.
I mentioned in my 30 teams post, the Warriors should trade Monta Ellis. I'd be shopping him because he has a lot of value, and I don't see the team going far the way they are constructed. Maybe some team gives you a quality big man and a draft pick for a black hole who does not play much defense - but can fill it up. They aren't going anywhere with him, maybe trading him could improve the team. Anyways, I'd move Ellis or Curry in the right deal, and I doubt Curry is going anywhere.
Not the first half the Clippers wanted. Sloppy beginning, poor shooting. Against a better opponent, they'd be down 15+. Warriors lousy shooting has helped keep the game close. Clippers seemed rushed on offense when they need to settle down and run plays in the half court. Play better defense, rebound better, and let that lead to transition opportunities.
33% shooting. Out-rebounded 30-20.
3rd Quarter
Billups opens with another miss. He won't stop shooting.
Jordan block #6 leads to Griffin dunk at the other end. Jordan just took the ball away from David Lee and Griffin finishes with the dunk.
9:10 - 47-45 Clippers.
Clips announcers point out that refs will not allow for continuation on shooting fouls where the player realizes he's being fouled and just chucks it at the basket to get free throws. I like to call that the "Paul Pierce Rule". Billups threw one up, but did not get the "in the act of shooting" foul.
6:49 - Highlight reel shot by Caron Butler. Fouled as he's throwing it up from behind the backboard. Will be on SportsCenter.
6:07 - 3 by Billups. 59-51 Clippers. Timeout. David Lee is a human double-double. Has 15 pts-11 reb.
5:36 - But Lee now has 4 fouls. Griffin to the line for two. Makes one. Don't like the hitch in his free throw motion. That's something that generally gets fixed in the off-season.
4:21 - Paul 1-2 free throws make it 64-55.
13-23 from the line is not good. Can see the Clippers being hurt by some off nights at the line.
3:33 - Ish Smith gets run over by Jordan and called for a foul. Jordan misses two more at the line, gets the rebound, gets fouled again by Smith, makes 1-2. Jordan is 2-8 from the line.
3:20 - Block #7 by Jordan. Gets Ish Smith lay-up attempt. Smith fouls Jordan. Jordan hits 1-2 at the line.
2:48 - First "Hack a Shaq" reference, as I was writing it here. Jordan gets fouled and will go to the line for two more.
Timeout. 67-60 Clippers.
Jordan hits the first, air-balls the second. Ryan Gomes replaces Jordan.
1:00 - Finally, some up and down action. Golden State is getting the better of it. 71-67 Clippers.
Paul tries for a 2-1, but picks up a charge for his 4th foul. Goes to the bench, but returns when the Clippers get one more possession. Paul jumper at 0:02 extends the Clippers lead.
End of 3. 75-68 Clippers.
4th Quarter
The Warriors have a talent problem - not enough of it. They'll play hard for Mark Jackson and improve their defense. But they just don't have a lot of talent. Lee and Drago up front. Ellis and Curry in the backcourt. The rest is roster filler. Ish Smith and Klay Thompson will stick, but probably won't be any more than decent role players.
9:55 - Meanwhile GS is defending well and cut the lead to 78-74.
9:31 - Brandon Rush 3 makes it a one point game.
Lee picks up foul #5, and will stay in for the last nine minutes.
8:15 - Klay Thompson tips one in. I agree with Michael Smith that the Clips need to practice boxing out. 80-79 Clippers. 9-2 Warriors run. Timeout.
Block #8 by Jordan after the break.
6:44 - Drago from Thompson.
6:04 - Klay Thompson has looked good for a rookie...as he sinks one but gets called for the offensive foul. Then Billups scores on him at the other end. Thompson reminds me of Landry Fields. Less rounded game, but a better shooter.
5:37 - 87-81 Clippers. Timeout.
Billups taking over - up and down action.
4:01 - Rush to the line, hits two 91-84 Clippers.
Paul jumper good, Paul jumper good, Paul jumper good. 97-84. 2:38 remaining.
Griffin jumper. This one is over. Another basket 101-84.
The final score will look better than the game actually was; the Clippers had a 4th quarter run and did what they had to do against an inferior opponent.
Need to control their defensive boards a lot better. Let their defense and rebounding create transition opportunities. Shooting slumps are going to happen, but they should at least happen when they run the offense and get good opportunities. Would like to see more passes into Griffin in the post. The second half was a lot better in all regards. This is a good basketball team.
Final Score: Clippers 105, Warriors 86.
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