Series is set, just waiting on HCA. Clippers can clinch HCA with a win tomorrow over New York. This seems like a pretty good series. Good match up. Game 1 - Sun April 29, L.A. Clippers at Memphis, 9:30 p.m., TNT Game 2 - Wed May 2, L.A. Clippers at Memphis, 9:30 p.m., TNT Game 3 - Sat May 5, Memphis at L.A. Clippers, 4:30 p.m., ESPN Game 4 - Mon May 7, Memphis at L.A. Clippers, TBD Game 5 * Wed May 9, L.A. Clippers at Memphis, TBD Game 6 * Fri May 11, Memphis at L.A. Clippers, TBD Game 7 * Sun May 13, L.A. Clippers at Memphis, TBD *if necessary
While it is true of pretty much every team in the league except the top top ones, the Clippers and Grizzlies are both much much much better at home. Especially the Grizzlies. I anticipate HCA to play a big role. The Grizzlies are playing great ball, but the Clippers are as well, and Randolph doesn't seem fully recovered / integrated this season yet. I think it depends on HCA and Randolph. He doesn't have to start or dominate, but he needs to come off the bench and play at a high-level, efficient and give them 25+ minutes, including closing out the game. If that happens, I go with the Grizzlies, but not voting in the poll until HCA is determined.
Bigs: Gasol/Randolph/Speights > Griffin/DJ/Martin Wings: Gay/Mayo/Allen > Butler/Foye/Young PG: Conley/Arenas < CP3/Williams/Blesoe Hollins > VDN The only advantage the Clippers have is at PG, Memphis should win easily...
Good analysis. Grizzlies in 5. Very bad matchup for the Clippers. CP3's flopping and whining doesn't work in the playoffs. For the Clippers to have a chance, Caron Butler has to play like he has something in the tank. If he comes up close to empty, this will be a sweep. Grizzlies/Spurs in the 2nd round should be interesting.
Grizzlies in 7. I think people forget how good Chris Paul is. He has carried some mediocre teams in the playoffs and he has a lot more to work with. In the end though the Grizz will be better coached and are more tested and will win this one in 7 I feel.
My unbiased opinion: 1. the clippers have one major advantage on the grizzlies. It is that Chris Paul takes away one of the grizzlies major weapons, steals. This is significant when you consider that the grizzlies are #1 in the league in steals the last 2 years running. The grizzlies use steals to ignite our transition game, if we don't have it we turn into a half-court team, which the grizzlies can play, but we prefer not to. The grizzlies are #1 in turnover differential as well, but in the 3 games with the clippers. The clippers were better at this: game 1: 17 grizz to/to 16 for the clips. game 2: 16 grizz to/ to 11 for the clips game 3: 18 grizz to/ to 10 for the clips Since the grizzlies AND the clips like to get out in transition, whoever protects the basketball better has a good chance of taking this series. A lot of this is going to rest on the battle between Mike Conley and Chris Paul. One of the grizzlies big weaknesses is depth at the pg spot. If Conley can't defend Paul without fouling, we are going to be in trouble, as the grizzlies don't have another reliable ballhandler on the team besides Conley. If Paul takes Conley out of the game, they can get steals and get out and mount runs. In the 2 games the grizzlies lost, this exact thing happened. Conley fouled out of the first game we lost. In the second loss, he only played 22 minutes and had 4 fouls. One of the strategies that Hollins will surely employ is to put Conley on Mo Williams and let Allen guard Paul. As you can see, Chris Paul causes all kinds of problems for the grizzlies. If the grizzlies can limit turnovers, even if we don't turn the clippers over we have a better shot at them because the grizzlies are by far the superior half-court team. 2. the grizzlies are going to have to limit the clippers from getting to the ft line which they do a ridiculous amount. The clippers can't shoot themselves out of a paper bag, they have no post players with any moves that scare the grizzlies. But what they do do is flop and try to get to the ft line. If the refs allow this antics to go on, it is going to be a difficult series. If it is about straight up shooting, the grizzlies win. The grizzlies have a well balanced team, but the clippers have Chris Paul and the ft game and the refs. We wont win if Mike Conley, point blank does man up against chris paul.
Hello clutchfans! I used to post here but realized what a waste of time it was to argue with douchebug and his kobe love parade. However, now that my team is finally relevant for one series at least, I thought I'd chime in. This is going to be a good series and it will probably come down to HCA, which will be determined tomorrow. Most everyone think that the Grizzlies will win regardless because there is a lot of "flop city" hate and the Grizz had a nice run last year, but the truth is that the Clippers matchup very well with the Grizzlies and this is actually a good draw for them (vs the Fakers, Mavs, or Suns). One reason is, as 'what' mentioned, how the Grizzlies thrive off turnovers and the Clippers don't turn the ball over much. Another is that the Clippers main weakness is defending three point shooters, and that isn't a strength of the Grizzlies. There are some misconceptions about the Clippers. They get some bogus flop calls for sure but they hardly get ref favoritism, or else Griffin wold get to the line a lot more and they wouldn't be among the bottom of the FT differential stat. They are not a bad shooting team and when guys like Foye and Butler are on, they are very difficult to beat. They beat the Grizz 2-1, the Thunder 3-1, the Nuggets 3-1, and should have been 2-1 against the Spurs but somehow lost a game when they were up three with the ball with five seconds left. So this team generally does well against good teams. The biggest weakness of the team is FT shooting and it will definitely cost them games. Aside from just the points, it affects the team down the stretch because the bigs don't want the ball. So the 4th q offense in close games is a lot of Paul iso, and if the Grizz can stop that with their excellent perimeter defenders, that will be crucial, especially if Foye, Young, and Butler are unproductive. But Paul is a gamer who has had some big time playoff moments so he could certainly make a huge impact. The biggest concern right now is that the Clippers are fatigued and somewhat injured but can't rest because every game is so important. Losing HCA in the last game after having it all year long would be devastating, both mentally and physically since it would basically extend the current road trip. Regardless, even if the go out in the first round it has been a successful season since we Clipper fans so rarely get to taste the postseason. I expect it to be a good series and I hope both teams are as healthy as possible.
I expect Blake Griffin to miss some game-losing free throws down the stretch, probably within the last 10 seconds. He will be labeled as a choker.
The clippers have a lot of holes on that team: you guys don't really have a go to player in the post, you guys don't defend without fouling, ft shooting, giving up too many points in paint. Your team's one saving grace is that Chris Paul is a beast with the ball in his hands (he doesn't turn the ball over) and he causes turnovers for the other team. I do think you have tunnel vision here, because you guys have nobody that can match Randolph, Spieghts, Marc and Rudy. Our front line is so much better and once we start throwing the ball inside: if griffin and jordan get in foul trouble, which they are apt to do, and can't stay on the court the advantage in the paint for the grizzlies is going to be enormous. Also the grizzlies bench is enormous advantage. We have defense and scoring on our bench, the likes of which the clippers can't come close to it. The grizzlies have concerns in this matchup like I mentioned paul and protecting the ball, but the clippers (make no misktake) have HUGE concerns against the grizzlies. It's also a misconception on your part to think that your team has an advantage in the fourth quarter against the grizzlies. Zach Lowe brought up a stat the other day that said that the grizzlies are The Grizzlies are an absurd 28-of-47 (60%) from field in the last 2 minutes of games w/ scoring margin 2 or fewer, per http://NBA.com The grizzlies have mismatches against the clippers all over the court, and if we are up in a game, it won't be the grizzlies folding in the last 2:00 to Chris Paul. It will be Paul running into our players trying to get fouled because he has nobody to throw it to to get a score.
You are in for a rude awakening. Clippers are a much better team with CP3 and Blake and Deandre are getting better. But they simply aren't there. Those two bigs foul way too much. They will wind up in foul trouble most of the time. And then they bring Reggie Evans in off the bench and he is a fouling machine. Gasol, Zach, and Speights are going to eat them up collecting foul count. The Clippers have no back-to-the-basket post-up options at all. Memphis is going to walk away from the Clippers in 5 or 6 games. Maybe next year.
Well, we'll see. But assuming Paul is healthy ( had a groin strain last game), I'm not sure why everyone is underestimating them aside from just hating on this overhyped flopping angle. Consider: 1) they have shown that they can beat the Grizzlies, 2) they have been playing their best basketball the last month, especially defensively, 3) Paul is the single biggest mismatch of the series. Personally, I think it will come down to HCA and right now IMO that favors the Grizz, unless NYK tries to tank tonight. But I expect a great series either way. If you look at it objectively the way these two teams have played each other and are playing currently, I don't see how you can reach another conclusion.
Probably because the clippers win with dirty tactics and not sound basketball play. Your team isn't going to lob city its way to a series win, at some point you are going to have to show you got real basketball moves in ya. Deandre Jordan is a limited iq player; Blake is athletic but he can't pull up and make a shot when it counts. You have some good, decent shooters (mo williams, nick young). But this team is all about Chris Paul. Once you stop Paul, it's game over. Period. Blake isn't half the player Randolph or Gay is. And Deandre isn't close to Marc. Add in Spieghts, Cunningham, OJ Mayo, Hibachi. It's just too much. Hollins is going to have an answer for Paul.
This is a ridiculous, homer take. Classifying the Clippers as "lob city" (or the more disparging "flop city") is just buying into the media hype and acting like a casual fan, and I know you're better than that. The Clippers matched up with the Grizzlies great this year, with Paul, and last year, without Paul. To say that Blake "isn't half the player Randolph and Gay is" is just absurd. The guy is putting up 22/11 on 55% and has a much more versatile offensive game than just dunking, but I guess you'll have to wait until the series to understand that. You make it sound like the Clippers are Paul and a bunch of scrubs and that couldn't be further from the truth. I think Hollins is a marvelous coach and I do expect him to have an answer for Paul. But the Clippers are a heck of a lot more than just the Cp3 show. They would have been a good team this year without him.
