Ditto, just can't see us continuing to play like **** for most of this series (the TOs are mostly careless and unforced and that is extremely troubling, and the Hacka routine almost worked last night) and win this series especially if Paul is well enough to return at even 50% we are doomed
I think there is about a 25% we beat the Clips this series We are just dumb and apparently forgot what defense is Clippers in 5
In a sense, we are basically fighting a right-handed guy with his right arm tied behind his back so losing game 1 and barely winning game 2 is concerning to say the least.
Except Chris Paul outscored Blake Griffen 124-3 in the MVP voting. Seems that most people think Chris Paul is the dominant hand.
I was hoping he would come back hobbled and actually ruin the Clippers chances with his less than stellar play while needing to come out of the game alot.
I give us a 30 percent chance of winning this series. The players and the coaching staff has got to come up to the challenge.
Off Topic: Did a Rockets media personnel really draw up a cartoon of a horse with a gun to its head with the caption: "Don't worry Mavs Fans, it will be over soon?" That's ****ed up on so many levels. I read this while trying to find info on Paul's return on the TopBuzz. http://clippers.topbuzz.com/PNphpBB2-viewtopic-t-12963.html#515127
I'm concerned with the Rockets effort through the first game and a half and Chris Paul likely coming back at some point. On the other hand, surely our threes have to start falling at least around 30+% at some point???
more like ambidextrous to be honest back on topic though I don't think we should look too much into Game 1 Remember when we blew out the Lakers twice without Yao Ming in 2009, but eventually lost the series anyway when they turned it up I think without a healthy CP we have a better chance of winning the series, I feel like in the playoffs talent eventually wins out in a 7 game series unless the match-up is extremely bad. Some teams play more inspired and with nothing to lose without their star player, and some teams get too complacent when the other team loses their star player. If we lose the series with CP being unhealthy, it means either we are the most mentally weak team in the NBA and we should blow it up, or our talent just sucks and we should blow it up
During the post game interviews of CP3 and close ups of him on the bench there's something you notice about Chris Paul right away. He has ****ing huge hands for a PG. No wonder he has such good control and can pull of those quick trick shots.
I really feel 50-50. I just keep thinking "can we play worse..." in the aspects of TOs, 3s, and FTs. EVEN IF one of those stays bad, will all 3 continue to be as bad as they have been? If 2 of those 3 are good (along with energy/defense obviously) then we can take this. The problem is we're inconsistent. So...so inconsistent. What did I like seeing? Harden coming back in in the 3rd after oddly going out, AND starting the 4th. I know why we rest him when we do, but I hate following tradition so blindly. At this point if things aren't working... you have to make a change. Its not necessarily about experimenting, you're not going to throw NJohnson out there for 20min (sorry, its true), but McHale has to be faster in his decisions and adjustments. I think Harden woke up. I think Howard has been our most consistent player. That block he had on Blake when he pushed/ran past Harden going in for the dunk? Man...Dwight is playing like a man. Other people have to start stepping up in some way or another. The names that stick out the most are Ariza and TJones. If those 2 can elevate their games for more than 3-4min... we can really do some damage. I just hope we can stop these bs 2nd quarters failings. Its 2 rounds in and its like every single game we let them team back in after taking a double digit lead. every game. goodness.
I honestly thought they win'd Game 1, lost. I honestly thought they'd lose Game 2, won. I don't know anymore.
If we come out of Los Angeles with a split, we have it. If we don't, then we're going to get knocked out in the second round this year. I hope that we can hold it down in Los Angeles and pull out the series, but the best I can say in terms of my personal sentiments, is that I'm cautiously optimistic.
I think the bad shooting ends next game. Ariza is so streaky, and seeing that he has shot like a dog's butthole these most recent games I think he turns it up.
I'm not saying the Clippers are better without CP3 but i'd take a CP3 midrange jumpshot over a BG post up which is automatic when Dwight isn't on him. Other than that the Clippers are even better when healthy.
We have the talent to compete and win the series. Question is mental fortitude. So far: lacking. But it is the tests like these where you can get it. So we'll see. 50:50.
As someone stated before, it depends on which team shows up. We probably have the most Jeckl and Hyde team I have ever seen. You would figure that we break out of the funk eventually. Even our win was a crappy game by our team.
