This Clippers-Spurs first round series of the NBA Playoffs is only going exactly as advertised and expected through the first five games from a competitive standpoint. We knew that this was the 3-seed versus 6-seed match up from hell because of what these two teams bring to the table, and for both the Clippers and the Spurs, this first round gauntlet has presented an enormous initial test.
For the Spurs, it’s the recurring challenge of overcoming the lack of prolific individual talent and relying on their execution and a balanced attack to outweigh the offensive firepower of the Clippers.
For the Clippers, it’s about capitalizing on their athletic advantages and more importantly trying to harness the discipline that it takes to lay waste to the defending champions who never say die.
Despite what felt like a deciding Game 5 loss this past Tuesday night, the Clippers have shown that they have the means to simply dominate the defending champs. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have been running amok on the Spurs. In Game 1 they combined for 58 points, 19 rebounds and 12 assists, leading the Clippers to a 107-92 win. Despite losing Game 2 by four points and costly turnovers from Blake Griffin at the end of regulation and overtime, Paul and Griffin combined for 50 points on 50 percent shooting (20-for-40 FG). Griffin had his first playoff triple-double: 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. The Clippers dropped Game 3 in San Antonio, but in a most crucial Game 4 response, Chris Paul went into unstoppable mode with 34 points and 7 assists. Blake Griffin had 20 points and 19 rebounds. The Clippers won 114-105.
My point of emphasis lies in the fact that the Clippers have proved that their best players can be better than the Spurs’ best players. That alone would be good enough to beat another team in a series. It’s been good enough to win the Clippers two games in this series so far. But if the Clippers are going to respond and force a Game 7 back at Staples Center, it’s coming down to their sheer fortitude.
The Game 5 refs were atrocious. The Spurs didn’t let it bother them, but the Clips did (like always) and it had a big effect on the game.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) April 29, 2015
I didn’t recognize these Clippers in Games 1-4, because I saw a team that was playing through calls and focusing on the next play. It was the kind of fortitude that manifested through Chris Paul and their bench in Game 4 when the Clippers avoided a 3-1 deficit, and the kind of fortitude that put unwanted pressure on my Spurs in 7 pick. But as Bill Simmons made reference to, it all came rushing back with technical fouls, frustration plays, and overall poor judgment when the going got tough against the level-headed Spurs in a pivotal Game 5.
There are a few discouraging notes for the Clippers right now. It’s discouraging that their starters are having to carry heavy duty and their bench is no match for what the Spurs put on the floor (with exception to Game 4). It’s discouraging that their three-point shooting has gotten worse each game since shooting 10-for-18 in Game 1.
But still, the Clippers have to understand that they lost Game 5 by four points while shooting 1-for-14 (7.1 percent) from the three-point line and the Spurs made 11 of 22. It was the lowest three-point percentage for the Clippers in a playoff game in franchise history when attempting more than five threes. Their best three-point shooter, J.J. Redick, shot 6-for-10 from the field but didn’t take one of the Clippers’ 14 attempts from three in Game 5 (it was Redick’s first game of his nine-year career without shooting one three-pointer). These should be some of the encouraging notes for the Clippers, because with the right mindset and fortitude, shots will fall in Game 6.
The San Antonio Spurs are trustworthy. They know and have what it takes to at least put themselves in the position to win every time, and they did so brilliantly in Game 5. Even so, by now the Clippers must know that it’s not impossible to beat this team. They’ve dominated them through certain stretches, in transition, in the pick-and-roll, and in the paint, but when it comes right down to it, the Clippers find ways to beat themselves. The only way the Clippers can respond in Game 6 and force Game 7 is by exhibiting the kind of fortitude they showed early in this series, which is the most important trait needed to knock off the Spurs entirely.
“We’ll be ready. Whether it needs to be said or I need to put on ‘The Sandlot’ or something, we’ll see,” Rivers joked. “But we’ll be ready for the game. I think our guys have been very resilient all year, and I would be very surprised if we weren’t ready to play a great Game 6.”
