Looking at the Clippers going into the playoffs, it was questionable whether they’d be able to hold their own in the playoffs, but after last night’s performance some people are wondering whether they’ve been holding out on us or if they’ll end up being the same ol’ Clippers.
- Blake Griffin was great in last night’s game, making headline worthy dunks on Baynes three times, but played the most minutes during the game, which could be a problem is Doc Rivers tries to depend on him too much.
- Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan held the court down for the Clippers, but the Spurs made a lot of mistakes, so they when (not if) they come out stronger, the Clippers current play might not be up to par.
- Clippers could have played better on defense, which against the Spurs is something that is really going to hold them back going forward. The Spurs are going to have to come out strong in Game 2, so the Clippers need to step it up if they want to defeat the defending champs.
- That being said, they still played one of the best defensive games of the season, and if this is the best, we can only assume they’re going to fall back to around their regular level as the series goes on.
- The Clippers also need to work on their weak bench problems. Rivers played all 5 backups at once in the first half after saying he wouldn’t, which could lead to problems going forward.
- Bench gets outscored when they play and that puts pressure on starters.
- The Spurs played less time individually than all the starters on the Clippers, with no one playing more than Kawhi Leonard’s 33 minutes, but Griffin played 42, Jordan played 38 and Paul played 37, so the Spurs have more rotation flexibility and this will play against the Clipper’s previously discussed bench problems
- JJ Reddick and Matt Barnes didn’t really contribute much in the last game, so if they don’t pick up slack
- Not a strong fan base to back them up or really lend to any home court advantage (not that the Clippers are used to it)
- Two days off gives Clipper’s starters resting time, but it also gives the Spurs a chance to come back hard with a fresh start.
It's A Small World, After All. 