Clippers game report
Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 8:17 am
Well, Austin Rivers summed it up best..."they were Wolves, we were not". So much fun to see our energy level so much higher than our opponents'. We got every contested rebound (the 50-36 board average was a 2:1 advantage until late in the game), and most 50/50 balls. Everyone played hard for the Wolves, and the Clippers (and especially Blake Griffin) just didn't show up. I think our smash mouth start had a lot to do with taking the wind out of their sails. Regardless, it was a game we had to win. After a brief departure in San Antonio, Thibs returned to his winning formula...play Tyus Jones and play his bench as much or more than our opponent...and again it worked. By Jove, I think he's got it!.
One thing that bothers me about Thibs is this...he seems to make his best decisions when he is forced to make them. Yesterday Q pointed out that Mbah a Moute was a bad match up for Wig, and he was right...Wig missed all of his early shots and was scoreless until Moute went to the bench (Rivers still doesn't play him that many minutes because of his offensive challenges). But I replied that putting their SF on our SG forced Redick to guard our SF, and suggested that it was a perfect time to give Muhammad more minutes. Well, it wouldn't have happened without Rush's illness, but it worked well. Bazz didn't have his best scoring or rebounding game (when he's out there with Wig and KAT, he's going to be a third option and just won't score as prolifically as he does with the reserves, but he bullied Redick the entire game...JJ simply wasn't strong enough to keep him off the offensive boards. Muhammad was only credited with 3 offensive rebounds, but I noticed 5-6 times where his relentlessness and strength advantage kept the ball alive and allowed G or KAT to grab an offensive rebound. And his constant movement on offense seemed to wear Redick out...JJ was relatively ineffective on offense when matched up against Bazz. Necessity is sometimes the mother of invention, and Thibs' starting lineup resulted in a quick start and wire to wire win...I just wish he would have figured it out on his own.
Stephenson is a joy to watch. Yes, he was bad in the second half, but it was impossible to keep your eyes off him in the first half. Aggressive, disruptive defense, and incredible offensive vision and passing skills...all combined with an intensity sometimes missing in this club. He has been a great addition to this roster.
What can you say about KAT? He's physically outmatched by Jordan, and yet he still won the battle. He was 13-16 from inside the line, and used an array of moves to get to the basket in a manner more typical of a PG than a center. It was frustrating to me that he had moments when he seemed to drift out to the 3-point line, but in all fairness, I think he just needed a break at times from battling Jordan...he's just so physical.
Many of us have maligned this team's toughness at times, but not last night. Against one of the chippiest, most physical teams in the league, we matched them blow for blow. Our second team is as tough as it gets, especially with the return of Stephenson. The only modification I would make would be to play Aldrich more. Sure, he's clumsy on offense, but he scored efficiently with the Clippers last year. And you can't dispute his toughness...good things happen when he is on the court. Last night he grabbed 2 rebounds in his 3 minutes, and inflicted a little pain too. I'd really like to see Thibs give our local boy more run.
Ricky continues to play with a joy we all enjoyed in his early year. Such vision and abandon. Nobody plays off of him daring him to shoot more than Chris Paul, and he needs to make more than one of those 5 open threes. Still, I loved his game last night. He was on his way to his second consecutive triple double until foul trouble stalled him at 6 rebounds.
All in all, a great way to start this series of three consecutive home games I will be attending. The Warriors lost at home last night and continue to struggle with Patrick McCaw in the starting lineup instead of Durant. If Thibs doesn't panic and sticks with the winning formula, and if we come out with the same smash mouth intensity we showed last night, we will win Friday night...and the playoff talk will ramp up considerably this weekend!
One thing that bothers me about Thibs is this...he seems to make his best decisions when he is forced to make them. Yesterday Q pointed out that Mbah a Moute was a bad match up for Wig, and he was right...Wig missed all of his early shots and was scoreless until Moute went to the bench (Rivers still doesn't play him that many minutes because of his offensive challenges). But I replied that putting their SF on our SG forced Redick to guard our SF, and suggested that it was a perfect time to give Muhammad more minutes. Well, it wouldn't have happened without Rush's illness, but it worked well. Bazz didn't have his best scoring or rebounding game (when he's out there with Wig and KAT, he's going to be a third option and just won't score as prolifically as he does with the reserves, but he bullied Redick the entire game...JJ simply wasn't strong enough to keep him off the offensive boards. Muhammad was only credited with 3 offensive rebounds, but I noticed 5-6 times where his relentlessness and strength advantage kept the ball alive and allowed G or KAT to grab an offensive rebound. And his constant movement on offense seemed to wear Redick out...JJ was relatively ineffective on offense when matched up against Bazz. Necessity is sometimes the mother of invention, and Thibs' starting lineup resulted in a quick start and wire to wire win...I just wish he would have figured it out on his own.
Stephenson is a joy to watch. Yes, he was bad in the second half, but it was impossible to keep your eyes off him in the first half. Aggressive, disruptive defense, and incredible offensive vision and passing skills...all combined with an intensity sometimes missing in this club. He has been a great addition to this roster.
What can you say about KAT? He's physically outmatched by Jordan, and yet he still won the battle. He was 13-16 from inside the line, and used an array of moves to get to the basket in a manner more typical of a PG than a center. It was frustrating to me that he had moments when he seemed to drift out to the 3-point line, but in all fairness, I think he just needed a break at times from battling Jordan...he's just so physical.
Many of us have maligned this team's toughness at times, but not last night. Against one of the chippiest, most physical teams in the league, we matched them blow for blow. Our second team is as tough as it gets, especially with the return of Stephenson. The only modification I would make would be to play Aldrich more. Sure, he's clumsy on offense, but he scored efficiently with the Clippers last year. And you can't dispute his toughness...good things happen when he is on the court. Last night he grabbed 2 rebounds in his 3 minutes, and inflicted a little pain too. I'd really like to see Thibs give our local boy more run.
Ricky continues to play with a joy we all enjoyed in his early year. Such vision and abandon. Nobody plays off of him daring him to shoot more than Chris Paul, and he needs to make more than one of those 5 open threes. Still, I loved his game last night. He was on his way to his second consecutive triple double until foul trouble stalled him at 6 rebounds.
All in all, a great way to start this series of three consecutive home games I will be attending. The Warriors lost at home last night and continue to struggle with Patrick McCaw in the starting lineup instead of Durant. If Thibs doesn't panic and sticks with the winning formula, and if we come out with the same smash mouth intensity we showed last night, we will win Friday night...and the playoff talk will ramp up considerably this weekend!