Elton brand was 16 for 19! Positives for Clips in the game is that : Brand is unstoppable Cassell is still Cassell Negatives: turnovers and jumpers in the 4th Its not a bad game at all for the Clips. they'll be ok for the series.
nothing against baylor personally, but after all the years of sucking and after all the wasted lottery picks, it was only a matter of time before they finally got some luck and made some decent moves
The Clippers had both Shaun Livingston and Quinton Ross on the floor with Brand for a long stretch of time in the 4th quarter. Livingston is a poor jump shooter and Ross is a "defensive specialist" with no offensive game whatsoever. The Suns basically left them wide open at the perimeter and collapsed inside.
Cat's failure cost the Clippers big time. Both he and Radman need to make outside shots to make it easier for Sam. The other thing the team needs is perimeter defence against the Suns. If you can deny them penetration their shooters can become ineffective.
Yeah. That was a bad move. That said, I'd sure kill to have the Clippers backcourt rotation on the Rockets. We'd be unstoppable even with Juwan and Stro as our power forwards.
The Clippers have a pretty good track record in drafting talented players. I think their problem has never been Elgin Baylor as much as it's been Donald Sterling. Now that Sterling is letting Elgin play with some money, he's finally having some success.
hate to steal something from the Utah Jazz, but Sam and Brand could pick and roll this team to the ground like Stockton and Malone..without all the flopping!
I am sorry, one good year doesn't erase ten horrific/laughable/embarrassing years. Baylor, congratulations for not being the laughing stock of the NBA anymore.
I think the Clips will do fine in the series. They had a lot of success posting up Steve Nash in the second half of the game. Had they done it consistently since the first quarter, I think Nash might be in foul trouble or be too tired to dictate the game's tempo at the end of fourth quarter. Livingston should keep posting up on Nash, and when the double team comes, kick the ball out to Sam for a three or have Sam swing the ball to the other side to Brand for a quick mid-range jumper.
Didn't see the game. Just woke up. What a box score! I don't think the Clips have much of a chance if the games are in the 120s and 130s. They have decent firepower and have an unstoppable player in Brand, but they are playing right into Phoenix's hands. If they don't start getting back on defense and contesting easy layups and jumpers they are dead in the water. It won't matter how dominant Brand is on offense. The Clips should be ashamed of themselves for giving up 74 points in the 2nd half.
This Suns team is something else. As I said before, NO ONE is going to beat the Suns at their own game, only the Spurs can do that. The Clips need to defend the perimeter a lot better than they have so far, and they need to slow the game down and pound it in. I don't know why teams keeping getting baited into playing the Suns' game.
Coaching and team discipline. I fully expect the Clippers to adjust and Game 2 should be a lot different. If not, stick a fork in 'em. They should have adjusted sometime during Game 1. The fact they got wasted in the 2nd half doesn't speak well.
get a freaking TIVO. the game was close unil brand left the game and livingston turned the ball over too many times. Cassell kept the game close and the Clips had the lead. it wasnt their defense, it was their pace, livingston would pull the trigger too fast. Brand was on the bench too long for a rest and that was it. plus the suns made 11 3s. read the freaking summary before commenting on the game at least. its like you're commenting on pal's fiance based on her measurements. man she's hot cause she has large jugs. yet when you see here you realize she's 300 lbs.
R2D2, please record or watch the game or even watch the freaking inside the nba game before commenting. This game was close game til the very end. i'll do you a favor and give you a link to the summary page. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260508021 Suns use fourth-quarter run to pull away for victory PHOENIX (AP) -- The Los Angeles Clippers wanted to waltz. Phoenix came to boogie. In the end, the Suns had their way in a 130-123 victory, outscoring the Clippers 74-62 in the second half in the opener of their Western Conference semifinal series on Monday night. "Tempo wasn't exactly what we needed," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. Steve Nash, presented with the MVP trophy by commissioner David Stern before the game, had 31 points and 12 assists, and the Suns pulled away over a five-minute stretch of the fourth quarter. Shawn Marion had 20 points and 15 rebounds, including 10-of-10 free throws for the Suns, who were 24-of-25 at the line. Raja Bell added 22 points, Boris Diaw 19 and Leandro Barbosa 17 for a Phoenix team playing 48 hours after eliminating that other team from Los Angeles, the Lakers, in seven games. "We weren't tired," Bell said. "We felt good." Elton Brand scored 40 on 18-of-22 shooting, but scored only two in the final 8:33 for the Clippers, who hadn't played in a week since beating Denver in five games for their first playoff series triumph in 30 years. "It must be a difficult loss for Elton," Nash said. "He was phenomenal. I thought he was trying to get them to change the MVP at halftime." Sam Cassell added 28 points and Corey Maggette 20. Dunleavy said before the game that the score needed to be in the 90s for his team to win. Both teams had passed that by the end of the third quarter. Los Angeles shot 59 percent and still couldn't keep up with the Suns, who shot 55 percent. Phoenix has averaged 122 points in winning its last four playoff games after falling behind the Lakers 3-1. "To get the tempo in our favor, we really need to limit our quick shots," Brand said. "That is their game plan. It can't be fool's gold. We need to take it down and run our plays." Brand's dunk with 8:33 to go tied the game for the last time at 101. Diaw scored the next four on a driving layup and a running, 10-foot bank shot to trigger an 11-2 run that gave Phoenix a 112-103 lead on Nash's 17-footer with 5:35 remaining. Dunleavy gave Brand a minute on the bench early in the outburst, and neither the big forward nor his teammates could recover. "I was hoping he would be out a little longer," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Once in a while he has to catch his breath, I would hope, but he was terrific." The surge reached 19-6 on Nash's 3-pointer that made it 120-107 with 2:56 left. Cassell kept the Clippers in it, and his layup cut the lead to 122-115 with 1:45 to go. But Nash converted a three-point play with a minute left, and the game was over. The Clippers outscored the Suns 16-2 over the final four minutes of the first half to go up 61-56 at the break. Phoenix didn't have a field goal in the last 4:10 as its usually high-powered offense turned stagnant. Brand scored 23 in the first half on 10-for-13 shooting. The Suns scored nine in a row to go up 68-65 on Marion's stuff with 8:49 left in the third. Dunleavy called a timeout, and Cassell scored nine in a 13-2 run that put Los Angeles back on top, 78-70, with 6:18 to go in the quarter. The Suns rallied and Bell's 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds to go in the third put Phoenix ahead 93-91 entering the fourth quarter.
Whatever tinman. I admitted to not watching the game. "Tempo wasn't exactly what we needed," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. If this series is a track meet for 5 or maybe 6 games the Clippers don't have a chance. Dunleavy agrees. To beat the Suns the Clippers will have to focus focus focus on getting back on defense. 74 2nd half points tells me they didn't yesterday.
i saw the game. obviously the tempo wasnt the clippers pace, but they were WINNING THE GAME, until they sat out Brand in the 4th for a breather. Then Livingston and Ross showed their inexperience and took quick shots and had some bad turnovers. There was one turnover where Livingston tried to set up Sam for a 3, but his pass hit the bottom of the rim! There was also a breakaway dunk taken away because Magette took 5 steps. The point im trying to make is that you are just drawing conclusions without watching the game. so freaking easy for you to say 'focus on defense'. The game was extremely close and competetive, and the 'tempo' excuse was the status quo answer. but the real answer is that the Clippers choked. they went away from Cassell and Brand which helped establish the lead in the first place. The Suns also couldn't miss from the 3point line. So dont just draw conclusions that the Clips had a normal loss, the Clips had the Suns and they will make adjustments and do fine. Contrasting the Lakers game, where the Lakers were speeding up the tempo cause they were getting whipped by 30pts, this game WAS NOT like that.
