The Two Remaining Horsemen In A System Reboot -Official LA Clippers '24 off season thread

[pete clemenza]

Another 3 days to gameplan against Orlando. Then the next set of games are on every other day for 2 weeks.

Russ has been Great for the team and adds a new element, and shooting better as well with the highest +/- on the team since his arrival.

I know everyone doesn't like Morris, but he honestly needs to start, just play him fewer minutes. That way he'll come through for the Clippers in playoff time.

Kawhi is the ONE guy that has a chance in stopping Giannis, and he's back to being T-1000.

I hope you guys notice that everything is lining up very nicely for the 4 seed, maybe even 3 seed.

And they got the deepest team in the league hands down.

 

[pete clemenza]

LOS ANGELES — Stephen Curry, the transcendent star of the Golden State Warriors’ (36-34) dynastic ecosystem, did what he’s capable of doing — author one of the greatest displays of efficient scoring prowess this NBA season will see.

But it wasn’t enough as the LA Clippers (37-33) survived every Curry explosion to push back and notch the team’s fourth-straight victory to continue chugging towards a potential playoff berth in a muddled Western Conference.

“We tried to blitz, we tried to fire,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said after the game.

“He split it, he dribbled around it, made some tough shots, some scoop shots falling down, like, so he had it going tonight.”

The Clippers relied upon 30 points from Kawhi Leonard, as well as eight rebounds and five assists. Leonard’s running mate Paul George dropped 24 points and seven assists, as well.

Despite what the stars did, help was sorely needed. And that aid arrived in a multitude of ways.

Eric Gordon, who the Clippers acquired at the trade deadline in exchange for Luke Kennard, got the start in the second half for forward Marcus Morris Sr. after Morris was ejected late in the second quarter for a Flagrant 2 foul against Golden State’s Draymond Green.

Gordon didn’t disappoint, pouring home 16 in the second half, including 14 in the third as he helped the Clippers keep pace with Curry and the Warriors in an exhilarating quarter that saw Curry put up 21 of his game-high 50.

“It was a good spark for us,” Gordon said postgame when asked about him making more threes in that third quarter than Curry did.

“And the ball was coming my way and you’ve just got to take advantage of the opportunities and it was good to capitalize on.”

Gordon has found his rhythm in his second stint with the Clippers. In the last five games, Gordon has averaged 14.6 points on 55.3 percent shooting overall and 46.7 percent on threes. Those five games have coincided with the absence of Norman Powell.

Ivica Zubac has had trouble staying on the floor at times in the past against the Warriors due to their ability to play traditional big men off the court, but that wasn’t the case on Wednesday night as the Croatian dominated, putting up 19 points and 16 rebounds in his 30 minutes.

“I feel like, you know, just when they go small, I can, I can punish them on the boards, in the post, duck-ins and all that kind of stuff,” said Zubac. “But like, I’m way better than I used to be before, so, you know, I can, I can affect the game both ways.”

It was the best game Zubac has ever had against Golden State, and the Clippers needed every bit of it. The 19 points and 16 rebounds were each the most Zubac has ever had against the Warriors in a single game, and the 30 minutes against them were the most he’s seen against Golden State since Christmas 2018 when he was still with the cross-hall Los Angeles Lakers.

“Usually when they go small, teams try to go small with them and sometimes it could be a death trap because now they're driving to the paint,” Lue remarked after the game. “You have no shot blocking and no rim protection.

“I thought Zu did a great job, like I said, on the glass, finishing around the basket, getting to the free throw line and he was huge for us tonight.”

When the Clippers played the Warriors in Golden State earlier in March, the Warriors put Draymond Green on Russell Westbrook and had Green sag off of Westbrook to stifle the Clippers’ spacing.

While the Warriors won the game that night, and did so in blowout fashion thanks to a 38-8 third quarter run, the Clippers thought they did some good things offensively, notably in that first half.

Wednesday night saw the Warriors apply that same strategy when Westbrook was on the floor, but this time the Clippers had something up their sleeve.

Opting to go to more dribble hand offs with Westbrook at the elbow, the Clippers used the Warriors’ own strategy against them, using the extra space to their advantage to free up guys like Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in the mid-range or three-point area.

Westbrook finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in 27 minutes while also not turning the ball over a single time. It’s only the third time in Westbrook’s career he’s ever had a game of at least 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists with zero turnovers, and the first time since March 2016.

The veteran guard took advantage of Golden State paying him zero attention as he attacked the offensive glass with reckless abandon, as did the Clippers’ team as a whole. Westbrook tallied four offensive boards that led to nine points. In total, the 16 offensive rebounds by the Clippers contributed to 27 second chance points, the most the Clippers have had in a game this season and the most they’ve had in a regular season game since Feb. 7, 2021 when they also had 27 against the Sacramento Kings.

Terance Mann supplied 17 points and four rebounds, three on the offensive end, in his 25 minutes, and the Clippers found a way to move to 37-33 on the season as they now get a few more days off before they play the Orlando Magic (28-41) on Saturday afternoon.

The Magic will not be an easy opponent. Since starting 5-20, Orlando has gone 23-21 which is the 11th-best winning percentage in the league since Dec. 7.

Coincidentally, Orlando’s turnaround started with a game against the Clippers when the Magic triumphed 116-111 in overtime.

The Clippers now find themselves fifth in a tight Western Conference, only a game back in the loss column of the fourth-place Phoenix Suns (37-32), but still only three games up in that same loss column of the 12th-place New Orleans Pelicans (33-36).

The race in the Western Conference is going to come down to the wire, but if the Clippers continue to play basketball the way they’ve done so in the last 10 days then perhaps the malaise that surrounded this team in their first 66 games could clear up just in time to make a potential lengthy playoff push.

Surviving an explosion from a superstar that has tormented them in the past was a step in the right direction for the Clippers. Now they just need to continue putting one foot in front of the other without tripping.

Source: Justin Russo | creating Basketball Articles, Videos, and Analysis | Patreon

Good game from Russ last night

 

[MyApps]

Now that the Clippers have some chemistry, who would be their ideal 1st round matchup?

I actually like the Clippers over the Suns with a healthy KD. Clippers have a lot more depth and versatility.

I would prefer that they do NOT play against the Warriors at all, let alone the 1st round.

 

[KFBF]

Good game from Russ last night

I think Russ can succeed in a limited role. My concern is whether Ty Lue can stick with it.

Now that the Clippers have some chemistry, who would be their ideal 1st round matchup?

I actually like the Clippers over the Suns with a healthy KD. Clippers have a lot more depth and versatility.

I would prefer that they do NOT play against the Warriors at all, let alone the 1st round.

I'd like to play Minny.

 

[MyApps]

I think Russ can succeed in a limited role. My concern is whether Ty Lue can stick with it.

I'd like to play Minny.

I think you are misunderstanding something.

Sure Russ can succeed in a limited role. But that's the same for EVERYONE save for Kawhi and PG.

No matter how much you like Mann or Norm, they not gonna be playing 33 minutes. In fact, they will play less minutes than Russ most nights.

But that's the whole point of having a team with versatility and flexibility. And that doesn't take away from the fact that Russ is the 3rd and sometimes 2nd most important player on the team.

Lue will stick with whatever is working or providing a spark at the time which is what he should be doing.

 

[KFBF]

I'm not misunderstanding anything. Russ has limitations on both sides of the ball that other players do not have.

Russ did play well. The key for him to continue playing well is minimizing his role imo.

 

[pete clemenza]

Kawhi f*cked up at the end big time. WTF was he thinking? F*ck those refs with three techs in five seconds and Mann getting ejected. How long is PG out for? That injury looked nasty. Batum, RoCo, Morris all washed. This season is a complete f*cking mess! Play the kids man as none of these old heads can step up at all. What a joke

 

[MyApps]

Kawhi f*cked up at the end big time. WTF was he thinking? F*ck those refs with three techs in five seconds and Mann getting ejected. How long is PG out for? That injury looked nasty. Batum, RoCo, Morris all washed. This season is a complete f*cking mess! Play the kids man as none of these old heads can step up at all. What a joke

Kawhi malfunctioned for sure. But Morris didn't help with that shytty screen he gave.

No PG means ROCO gets minutes. Just sucks because he was still playing well.

Mann needs to step up and Gordon too. This wasn't the game to sit Russ in the 2nd half. Gotta use him when he's hot and matchup was in his favor too.

 

[TheGregReaper]

Hopefully that sleeve PG wears on his leg kept shyt in place enough to keep from completely tearing....but that looked terrible.

 

[El Jefe]

Daaamn ty lue washed.. Wtf was eric Gordan doin guarding SGA okay after play when I watched

 

[pete clemenza]

Daaamn ty lue washed.. Wtf was eric Gordan doin guarding SGA okay after play when I watched

And he had Morris play center in the 4th instead of Zu or Plumlee. Didn't rip into the refs for calling three techs in five seconds and ejecting Mann. I was a Ty Lue supporter too but now he's looking funny in the light

 

[pete clemenza]

Kawhi malfunctioned for sure. But Morris didn't help with that shytty screen he gave.

No PG means ROCO gets minutes. Just sucks because he was still playing well.

Mann needs to step up and Gordon too. This wasn't the game to sit Russ in the 2nd half. Gotta use him when he's hot and matchup was in his favor too.

Of course Morris was going to f*ck up but he can't be the scapegoat when the face of the team can't get a shot off with 20+ seconds to go in the game and we're only down one point. How do you not even get a shot attempt off in regulation is completely baffling and unreal! Too many washed dudes on the team in Batum, Morris, and even RoCo and Gordon. More than likely Lue won't play any youth but I don't see the vet role players capable of stepping up at all in place of PG who sadly might be done for the season

 

[MyApps]

Of course Morris was going to f*ck up but he can't be the scapegoat when the face of the team can't get a shot off with 20+ seconds to go in the game and we're only down one point. How do you not even get a shot attempt off in regulation is completely baffling and unreal! Too many washed dudes on the team in Batum, Morris, and even RoCo and Gordon. More than likely Lue won't play any youth but I don't see the vet role players capable of stepping up at all in place of PG who sadly might be done for the season

Well, if PG is done for the season, there's no worry about how Norm will get his minutes.

And don't forget, PG has some horrible TOs too. He gets away with it with streaky scoring sprees.

Defense will suffer, but offense should be more team oriented and focus less on isos.

I don't know, man. These next games are interesting again.

 

[El Jefe]

yall aint playin hyland at all ??

he outta the rotation in both denver and here interestin

 

[Devil Plisken…CMS]

yall aint playin hyland at all ??

he outta the rotation in both denver and here interestin

Timr to give him & Coffee some over due playing time