Los Angeles Clippers NBA News - Clippers Basketball Blog http://www.clipperslocker.com Los Angeles Clippers Wed, 16 May 2012 13:23:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Game #1: San Antonio Spurs 108, Los Angeles Clippers 92 http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/16/game-1-san-antonio-spurs-108-los-angeles-clippers-92/ http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/16/game-1-san-antonio-spurs-108-los-angeles-clippers-92/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 13:23:45 +0000 admin http://www.clipperslocker.com/?p=777 The Clippers got pushed around last night as the Spurs outrebounded them 47-34.  Eric Bledsoe led the way for the Clippers last night with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 blocked shot in 27 minutes off the bench.  Caron Butler (15 points, 2 rebounds and 1 blocked shot) and Blake Griffin (15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocked shots) also had solid games for the Clippers last night.  Nick Young pitched in with 13 points and 1 rebound in 20 minutes on the floor.  The Clippers are now down 1-0 to the Spurs in this series.

]]> http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/16/game-1-san-antonio-spurs-108-los-angeles-clippers-92/feed/ 0 (5) Los Angeles Clippers (4-3) vs. (1) San Antonio Spurs (4-0) http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/14/5-los-angeles-clippers-4-3-vs-1-san-antonio-spurs-4-0/ http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/14/5-los-angeles-clippers-4-3-vs-1-san-antonio-spurs-4-0/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 17:24:15 +0000 admin http://www.clipperslocker.com/?p=775 The Clippers and Spurs are two of the deepest and most talented teams in the NBA, so this is going to set up to be an outstanding series.  Here are a look at the matchups:

POINT GUARD:  Chris Paul is one of the best point guards on the planet and he’s a big game player.  Paul played in 7 games (all starts) for the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 38.9 minutes, 20.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 2.7 steals per game.

Tony Parker is also a big time, big game player, so it’s going to be fascinating to watch these two point guards duke it out in this series.  Parker played in 4 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 32.8 minutes, 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.

EDGE:  EVEN

SHOOTING GUARD:  Randy Foye did a solid job for the Clippers after Chauncey Billups went down to injury earlier this year.  He played in 7 games (all starts) for the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 26.4 minutes, 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.  The Clippers are going to need Foye to step up in this series.

Daniel Green came literally out of nowhere this year to earn big time P.T. for the Spurs in 2011-12.  Green played in 4 games (all starts) for the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 24.5 minutes, 8.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 blocked shot per game.

EDGE:  EVEN

SMALL FORWARD:  Caron Butler is a warrior.  He is playing with a broken left hand, that only caused him to miss one game.  Tale about tough guys.  Butler played in 6 games (all starts) for the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 27.0 minutes, 9.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.

Rookie Kawhi Leonard had a solid first year in the league and he looked solid in the first round of the playoffs.  Leonard played in 4 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 20.0 minutes, 7.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

EDGE:  SLIGHT FOR CLIPPERS

POWER FORWARD:  Blake Griffin needs to step up in this series if the Clippers are going to pull the upset.  Griffin played in 7 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 35.4 minutes, 18.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

Boris Diaw started in the first round of the playoffs at power forward.  Diaw played in 4 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 24.0 minutes, 5.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  He will be at a size disadvantage in this series.

EDGE:  HUGE FOR CLIPPERS

CENTER:  DeAndre Jordan’s game is defense rebounding.  But, he didn’t play too well in the first round of the playoffs.  Jordan played in 7 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 21.6 minutes, 3.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 0.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game.  The Clippers need Jordan to step up in this series.

Tim Duncan moved to center in the first round of the playoffs for the Spurs and he played well there.  Duncan played in 4 games (all starts) for the Spurs last year and he averaged 30.3 minutes, 14.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.8 blocked shots per game.

EDGE:  SPURS

BENCH:  The Clippers have a very versatile and deep bench.  PG/SG Mo Williams is an offensive force off the bench for the Clippers.  He played in 7 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 21.4 minutes, 9.7 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  SG/SF Nick Young also comes off of the bench shooting the rock.  Young played in 7 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 19.3 minutes, 8.1 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.3 assists per game.  Kenyon Martin and Reggie Evans provide muscle off the bench for the Clippers.  Martin played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 18.4 minutes, 4.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots per game.  Reggie Evans played in 7 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 22.3 minutes, 3.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 0.1 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Eric  Bledsoe has been giving Chris Paul a break here and there.  He has played in 7 games (0 starts) so far in the playoffs and he is averaging 13.9 minutes, 5.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  Bobby Simmons only played in 1 game in the first round of the playoffs, as he started in place of Caron Butler.  He scored 9 points and grabbed 1 rebound in 22 minutes in that game.

Manu Ginobili didn’t have to play much in the first round of the playoffs, but I look for that to change in this round.  He played in 4 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 24.8 minutes, 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  SG/SF Stephen Jackson is also going to bring instant offense off the bench for the Spurs in this series.  Jackson played in 4 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 24.5 minutes, 10.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  DeJuan Blair will likely get to play more in this series than he did against the Jazz.  Blair played in 4 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 11.5 minutes, 5.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  SG/PG Gary Neal also will bring offense off the bench for the Spurs in this game.  Neal played in 4 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 13.0 minutes, 8.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  Power forward Matt Bonner can really shoot for a big man.  He played in 4 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 16.0 minutes, 4.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  Center Tiago Splitter is going to help out with some muscle off the bench.  Splitter played in 3 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 15.3 minutes, 8.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Patrick Mills could also help out off the bench.  He played in 3 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 5.7 minutes, 3.0 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

EDGE:  EVEN

COACHING:  45-year old head coach Vinny Del Negro did a solid job in the first round of the playoffs, getting his Clippers to prevail in 7 hard fought games.  Del Negro is 8-11 (42.1%) in the post-season as a NBA head coach.

63-year old head coach Gregg Popovich is one of the better coaches in NBA history.  He got his Spurs to make short work of the Jazz in four straight games in the first round of the playoffs.  Popovich is now 112-73 (60.5%) in the playoffs in his NBA career and he has led the Spurs to four NBA Championships so far in his career.

PREDICTION:  CLIPPERS IN SEVEN GAMES

]]> http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/14/5-los-angeles-clippers-4-3-vs-1-san-antonio-spurs-4-0/feed/ 0 Game #7: Los Angeles Clippers 82, Memphis Grizzlies 72 http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/14/game-7-los-angeles-clippers-82-memphis-grizzlies-72/ http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/14/game-7-los-angeles-clippers-82-memphis-grizzlies-72/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 13:13:56 +0000 admin http://www.clipperslocker.com/?p=773 The Clippers played great D yesterday as they held the Grizzlies to 32.5% shooting from the floor, which was a huge reason for the gigantic road win.  They outscored the Grizzlies 27-16 in the 4th quarter to pull away in this game.  Chris Paul led the way for the Clippers in this game with 19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.  Nick Young (13 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist) and Kenyon Martin (11 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocked shots) also had big games for the Clippers.  The Clippers win this series 4-3 and they will now take on the San Antonio Spurs.

]]> http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/14/game-7-los-angeles-clippers-82-memphis-grizzlies-72/feed/ 0 Game #6: Memphis Grizzlies 90, Los Angeles Clippers 88 http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/12/game-6-memphis-grizzlies-90-los-angeles-clippers-88/ http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/12/game-6-memphis-grizzlies-90-los-angeles-clippers-88/#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 13:46:08 +0000 admin http://www.clipperslocker.com/?p=771 The Clippers got outrebounded 48-32 last night and it hurt them badly in the end.  Blake Griffin led the way for the Clippers last night with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals.  Eric Bledsoe (14 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal) and Chris Paul (11 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals) also had solid games for the Clippers.  Caron Butler (10 points) and Kenyon Martin (10 points) also pitched in for the Clippers in this game.  The Clippers are now tied up 3 games apiece, setting up a winner take all Game #7 in Memphis.

]]> http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/12/game-6-memphis-grizzlies-90-los-angeles-clippers-88/feed/ 0 Game #5: Memphis Grizzlies 92, Los Angeles Clippers 80 http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/11/game-5-memphis-grizzlies-92-los-angeles-clippers-80/ http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/11/game-5-memphis-grizzlies-92-los-angeles-clippers-80/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 11:42:44 +0000 admin http://www.clipperslocker.com/?p=769 The Clippers only shot 37.1% from the floor and they were outrebounded 42-35 on Wednesday Night and it did them in.  Mo Williams (20 points and 1 assist) and Chris Paul (19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 1 blocked shot) led the way for the Clippers in this game.  Blake Griffin also had a solid game with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals.  Randy Foye pitched in with 11 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in this game.  The Clippers are still up 3-2 in this series.

]]> http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/11/game-5-memphis-grizzlies-92-los-angeles-clippers-80/feed/ 0 Game #4: Los Angeles Clippers 101, Memphis Grizzlies 97 in O.T. http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/08/game-4-los-angeles-clippers-101-memphis-grizzlies-97-in-o-t/ http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/08/game-4-los-angeles-clippers-101-memphis-grizzlies-97-in-o-t/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 19:18:11 +0000 admin http://www.clipperslocker.com/?p=766 The Clippers were outrebounded 47-36 last night but they outscored the Grizzlies 14-10 in overtime to beat them anyway.  Blake Griffin (30 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal) and Chris Paul (27 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists) led the way for the Clippers in this game.  Caron Butler pitched in with 14 points, 1 rebound and 1 steal last night.  The Clippers are now up 3-1 in this series.

]]> http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/08/game-4-los-angeles-clippers-101-memphis-grizzlies-97-in-o-t/feed/ 0 Game #3: Los Angeles Clippers 87, Memphis Grizzlies 86 http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/06/game-3-los-angeles-clippers-87-memphis-grizzlies-86/ http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/06/game-3-los-angeles-clippers-87-memphis-grizzlies-86/#comments Sun, 06 May 2012 17:48:39 +0000 admin http://www.clipperslocker.com/?p=764 The Clippers outscored the Grizzlies 23-15 in the 4th quarter to nip them yesterday at the Staples Center.  Chris Paul led the way for the Clippers last night with 24 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists and 4 steals.  Blake Griffin (17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal) and Randy Foye (16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) also had solid games for the Clippers last night.  The Clippers are now up 2-1 on the Grizzlies in this series.

]]> http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/06/game-3-los-angeles-clippers-87-memphis-grizzlies-86/feed/ 0 Chris Paul is stepping up for the Los Angeles Clippers http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/05/chris-paul-is-stepping-up-for-the-los-angeles-clippers/ http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/05/chris-paul-is-stepping-up-for-the-los-angeles-clippers/#comments Sat, 05 May 2012 12:57:57 +0000 admin http://www.clipperslocker.com/?p=762 26-year old point guard Chris Paul is turning into a real leader for the Clippers in the playoffs.  He has played in 2 games (both starts) against the Grizzlies so far and he is averaging 39.0 minutes, 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game.  Paul is shooting 51.7% from the floor, 50% from three point range and 90% from the free throw line so far in this series.  The Clippers need Paul to keep dominating in this series if they are going to knock the Grizzlies out of the playoffs.

]]> http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/05/chris-paul-is-stepping-up-for-the-los-angeles-clippers/feed/ 0 Game #2: Memphis Grizzlies 105, Los Angeles Clippers 98 http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/03/game-2-memphis-grizzlies-105-los-angeles-clippers-98/ http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/03/game-2-memphis-grizzlies-105-los-angeles-clippers-98/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 14:22:29 +0000 admin http://www.clipperslocker.com/?p=760 The Clippers shot 56.7% from the floor last night but they were outrebounded 37-28 and it hurt them.  Chris Paul led the way for the Clippers last night with 29 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals.  Blake Griffin also had a rock solid game with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.  Mo Williams  and Nick Young pitched in with 11 points apiece in the game last night.  The Clippers and Grizzlies are tied up at 1 game apiece with the series shifting to the Staples Center.

]]> http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/05/03/game-2-memphis-grizzlies-105-los-angeles-clippers-98/feed/ 0 The Los Angeles Clippers lose Caron Butler for the next four to six weeks http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/04/30/the-los-angeles-clippers-lose-caron-butler-for-the-next-four-to-six-weeks/ http://www.clipperslocker.com/2012/04/30/the-los-angeles-clippers-lose-caron-butler-for-the-next-four-to-six-weeks/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:08:38 +0000 admin http://www.clipperslocker.com/?p=758 The Clippers will be without 32-year old starting small forward Caron Butler for the next 4-6 weeks due to a fractured left hand.  Butler played 23 minutes in the first game of the series against the Grizzlies last night and he finished up with 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.  Butler played in 63 games (all starts) during the regular season for the Clippers this year and he averaged 29.7 minutes, 12.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.  The Clippers are going to miss Butler’s all-around play while he is out of action.  Look for 26-year old Nick Young to see a bump in P.T. until Butler returns to action.  Young played 24 minutes in the opening game of the Grizzlies’ series and he finished up with 19 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot.

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