confrence semifinals = 2nd round. Been in the 2nd round couple of times but never in the confrence finals u mean?
Interesting post-game comments here. CP3's rep definitely takes a hit. His game 5 meltdown will haunt him until he wins a championship. I still believe he's the best PG in the NBA but there is room for debate. Before the season, there was no real basis for discussion IMO. Blake raised his game to another level and should be proud of his season. We'll find out if he has another gear. I think he does. Will he pass CP3 next year to become their best player? Doc had them playing at a very high level late in the season but it didn't carry over to the playoffs. Going forward, the Clippers have reasons to be optimistic but this season feels like a huge missed opportunity. It wouldn't surprise me if they finally broke the door down next year and made the Finals but the West will be tough again. I think the DTS mess may have knocked them off course a bit but oh well. Crying doesn't clean up spilled milk.
failed. WCF was probably the expectation. the team had a great coach, players were clicking, had best benhc in nba, griffin playing at mvp-level. i find that the problem was defense for this team as well. couldn't stop okc when they turned it up. okc is athletic enough to cover for its offensive and defensive problems. such an advantage.
yo cp3 is an amazing guard - he is a pass first guy, but sometims he realizes that he has to take over. and he DOES have to take over when their offense is stagnant. still top pg in my books no matter what. my only criticism is he has to tak ehis scoring to another level when his team needs it most. at points they couldn't score.
I really don't see the failure here. They lost to the Thunder, man. Once upon a time in the west things used to tough. The Rockets, Jazz, Suns, Spurs and Sonics were all always in contention for a finals appearance. There were a few cases of paper/rock/scissors. You had to play hard and wait for the tiniest window to open. The Clippers are fine. They just need to stick to the plan and wait for their opportunity. It took Stockton & Malone years. Houston avoided Seattle. Barkley had an incredible MVP year. Role players stepped up in Houston. And the Spurs? They failed to make it to the finals. I don't think the Clippers will be the Spurs, but ultimately, that's not failure. That's tough cookies. *By the time the Spurs did win a title and launch their quasi-dynasty (the Lakers literally had a dynasty inside the Spurs' 'dynasty', c'mon) the era I'm referring to was over.
CP3 has never been to a conference championship. This season was an utter failed for the Clippers. Griffin grows into a monster Jordan plays like a DPOTY CP3 Granger, Dudley and Reddick additions Crawford wins 6th man Destination team of the year. Can't get past the second round. The Clipper were seen as contenders last summer, the Rockets weren't. How can our season be a failure and the Clippers season be a success?
Lots of ways to answer that but the simplest - we lost to a team that was seeded lower than us. LAC did not.
I'd understand if seeding reflected overall record but in our case it didn't. Blazers and Rockets both had the same record. Btw, what about the Clippers needing a game 7 to beat a team 10+ Loses worse than them?
Weren't the Clippers preseason favorite to be the #1 seed in the NBA? While the Rockets were ranked around 5th or 6th in the West?
The Rockets and Clippers had similar seasons as far as matching expectations. The Clippers added a supposed elite coach (Rivers) and high quality role players. Griffin made a major step forward and Jordan was the most consistent of his career. Many people viewed them as a WCF or NBAF team. They edged the 6th seed Warriors in 7 games then were lost 4 out 5 to the Thunder after blowing out the Thunder in game 1. The Clippers had poor coaching down the stretch and their best player (Paul) played poorly. Ultimately the Clippers ended up with 1 more win than last year, and only as far as Vinny Del Negro had them 2 years ago. When it is all said and done the Clippers and Rockets both failed to meet their goals. Should Rivers be replaced? Of course not. The Clippers are cap strapped, the Rockets have the ability to add a max player.
Last year in the PO, they lost to Memphis in the 1st round while having home court advantage. After winning the first 2, they lost 4 in a rows (game 3 through 6) by double digits in all 4. This year in the PO, they lost to OK in the 2nd round while NOT having home court advantage. They lost G2, G3 and G5, G6. One lost is by 1 pt and the other two by 6 pts each. I said they are much better this year than last year. They showed much improvement and just gotten beaten by a better team that is one of the favorite to win it all. Definitely not even close to a total failure in the PO like the Rockets this year. So if you are comparing coaches, Rivers isn't a failure. McHale is a huge failure in the PO.
They lost for the primary reason they brought Doc Rivers in for: defense. That alone would make it a failed season. I'm sure the Stirling situation will take a ton of heat of the Clips, and probably so. But if you watch the Clippers all year (or just half of their games), their inability to get stops, esp. vs top tier guys was ridiculously bad. CP3's rep already got knocked down 2 notches b/c of the choke. But their defense was the main reason they lost this series, and couldn't get a higher seed in the reg. season. ESPN had a stat: their defensive rating prior to game 6 was 110+. That's not just below average. That means you suck.
Two years ago Del Negro BEAT the Grizzlies in the first round ... Got just as far as the Clippers got this year... Looks like they are treading water.
They would have lost to Golden State with Vinny. Having to play either OKC or the Spurs in the 2nd round is tough. This just wasn't their year and I don't blame Doc that OKC and the Spurs are better than the Clippers. Blake seriously upped his game. Deandre Jordan played at a level over the long 82 that I didn't think was possible for him. He actually earned my respect. IMO, Clippers look very good for next season. I expect them to be better. That is small consolation for fans crying in their towels right now.
That Bill Simmons article should have been about the Clippers and their injury prone, 29 year old PG.
Yes, Clippers are cap strapped, but you forgot to mention that the Clippers are significantly better than Rockets right now. Even after they add a max player, there is no guarantee that the Rockets will be in a better position than the Clippers especially with McFail as HC.
