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I'm excited about the season and everything, but I can't help but to think that we still fail to match up properly with the Clippers. Our weaknesses and our lack of athleticism were glaring in the 1st round last year especially against the pick & roll. They have also significantly improved their roster as well. Thoughts?
how did they get a lot better?
paul is better but older
cp3 is older and losing speed
barnes who is gone hurt the spurs
blake can not get in game shape and play 40 minutes a game in playoffs
I think spurs improved alot more then clippers
The same Clippers team that needed the Spurs to miss every wide open 3, or needed the refs to help them, or needed a godamn lucky Chris Paul prayer shot to go in, or needed a misbuzzer to show them the play, or needed Tiago Splitter hurt, or needed Tony Parker to play like absolutely dogshit? And the Spurs still had a chance to close it out in six? Yeah, you right, cancer Lance and washed up Pierce is going to put them over the top.
Also, that biggest chokefest in NBA history might have done them in. I don't think they recover from that, especially with that mentally weak team.
Lol we got Aldridge. If we can't beat them now we probably never will :lol
It was a really close match up with the clippers in first round. They have improved somewhat with the addition of paul pierce and stevenson. Paul is older and who knows how stevenson will jell with the clippers. We have improved quite a bit with addition of LMA and DWest. Plus cp3 hit that crazy shot in the finals seconds of game 7 to win it. That game could have gone either way. I think if we face the clippers again in 2016 playoffs, it will again be a close and fun match up.
Clippers lost Barnes... gained Pierce, Stephenson.
Clippers are clearly better than last year. I was also wondering how they'd deal with an epic choke job, but the stupid D. Jordan shenanigans rallied them back together (what a bunch of children!). Question is how the match-ups work now and whether almost all our players would suck again, and whether a dude like Austin Rivers plays out of his head again for two series in a row.
Clippers played well above their heads(Barnes and Rivers) and the Spurs played a horrible series(Parker had the worst series of his life, Green had his worst series in 3 years, Splitter couldn't move, etc), yet it went down to the final shot in game 7..not really worried about them as much as other teams IMO, Thunder and Warriors are a larger concern..
The West has improved, though, unfortunately..Clippers and Thunder will be better than last year, Memphis slightly improved(although they aren't a real contender), and GS/Houston are the same..
Had we been healthy last year, we beat the Clips in 5. Seriously.
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by tmtcsc
Not a major worry..We still took them to 7 games having 3 of our starters scoring a woeful 12 PER or less.. i'm expecting decline to start kick in for Chris Paul..Last year he had an MVP-caliber year and played an injury-free campaign until the hamstring issues in G7.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarlemHeat37
I don't understand the OKC hype. Not even sure KD comes back as the same player.
because scott brooks was holding everyone back according to the media
be interesting to see how much freedom he give westbrook and durrant
Disagree. Having LMA on the court (and to an extent David West on the 2nd unit) to pull out one of DJ/Griffin out of the paint makes it much easier for us against the Clips. We lost that series mainly because of Parker and Splitter being injured, and Parker sucking. If Parker is healthy, running pick n roll/pop with LMA or David West will wreak havoc on the Clips D. They'll have to respect LMA/West midrange J, so the big will have to come out and not just sit back in the paint, making Parker's drives into the lane much easier with more space (if he's healthy). Or he can kick it back out to LMA/West for the J.
No way to know how good either team will be right now. Lots of games to play, potential injuries, etc. But on paper, Spurs are better. Not sure why the concern.
Spurs got better, but I still liked the idea of Deandre moving to Dallas because that would make the Clippers an average playoff team. Now they remain in the upper echolon of the West. The development of Stephenson will be crucial - if he fits with the Clippers they indeed look good enough to be a problem for the Spurs (again).
I'll believe OKC when I see Durant is still Durant. I'm skeptical.
If Leonard had problem with Barnes thoughness, what will happened against Pierce and Lance?
I believe the Clippers will have major chemistry issues. The rift between CA and Jordan didn't fix itself, Lance is a cancer, and Pierce has too much swag, especially with Doc Rivers coaching. Lance might not end the season with the team.
I actually think Clippers won't be as good w/ Pierce and Lance.
The value they bring to a team is on the offensive end and there's only so many offensive possessions in a game. Pierce and Stephenson will inevitably take away possessions from better players ( Reddick, CP3, Griffin) -- which won't make them as dangerous as it looks on paper. ( It will actually make them less efficient as a team -- especially if they keep Crawford and factor in his touches w/ the two additions.)
Defensively, they regress a ton replacing Barnes with a player who can't even move (Pierce). I'm surprised I haven't heard any big blogger or "expert" talk about this. tbh
If Doc ever puts Lance Stephenson, Jamal Crawford, and Austin Rivers on the court together there is going to be a fistfight over the ball. Though I suspect they'll move Crawford eventually.
I'm not quite sure about OKC, I'll always respect them and throw them in as a contender but Durant's injury was more serious than people think. I'll be surprised if he ever regains his MVP (2012-2014) form considering the history of players who have dealt with his same injury.
I think Warriors and Rockets over-achieved last season and they didn't do anything to really move their needle. However, I still give Warriors the nod as contenders out of respect -- they had a great season last year ( still overachieved imo).
Grizzlies improved on the wing -- which was needed. They still lack a number 1 go to guy, or an elite player. I just don't think Zbo will ever regain his 2011 form and Gasol isn't dominant enough to get that team to a championship. To be honest, Conley is their best weapon offensively and that's not saying much. Solid team, solid roster with some solid players, but their top guys don't have enough.
They do concern me a bit for a few reasons.. Chris Paul has new confidence against us that he never had before (absolutely destroyed us with Jordan like performances all series). The editions of Pierce and Stevenson are pretty significant upgrades. I also fear that Pop will continue the Hack a Jordan strategy which I believe hurt us more than it helped.
We got Pop. They got Rivers. Rivers will never be allowed to whine himself to another championship.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vic Petro
:lol What's there to not understand? I hate that team as much as anyone, but the Spurs and them were 1A and 1B in the West from '12-'14 and injuries are the only logical explanation for them not being near the top last season.Quote:
Originally Posted by spursince#99
It's impossible to know if Durant will come back the same player, but I'm going to do what I always do with good - great players and give him the benefit of the doubt.
If Pierce was fine playing an ancillary role offensively with the likes of Lopez, Johnson, Williams, Wall and Beal, then why wouldn't he be with Paul and Griffin? Pierce is no fool; he's clearly accepted where he's at in his career and he's a clear upgrade on Barnes.Quote:
Originally Posted by MaNu4Tres
Stephenson could go either way obviously, but between his pathetic performance last season, the infrastructure they have in place and the fact that it's essentially a contract year, the odds are probably better than not that he upgrades Crawford.
They also added Johnson, who's mediocre, which makes him a clear upgrade on the fringe - non NBA players that comprised their deep bench wings in recent seasons.
One of the major things that isn't being accounted for is the familiarity gained by playing them as we did. Their additions don't change their overall dynamic much because its STILL nearly exclusively chris paul ran. Its just too evident that our shooting and injuries buried us...even WITH THAT we had control of the series. In contrast...our additions of Aldridge, West, and HOPEFULLY Simmons will introduce a problem LA didn't have to account for last year and thats the midrange game from our bigs. That is CRUCIAL in today's game. Also, Duncan's less efficient post game was a nightmare for them...we now have Aldridge's game they have to deal with. Also, Simmons could potentially be an additional creator off the dribble to help collapse the defense if he gets consistent at it over the year. Plus health alone with fair us well. NO ONE should dismiss the Clippers...but they have only ever proven to be a team that falls short...our entire history is re-tooling and getting better a year after failing. I'll take us in a 7 game series no question.
:lol Spurs added Aldridge, West on a friendly discount and brought back all their key players from last year including Duncan and Manu on a discount as well, but Spur fan is freaking out over the Clippers offseason. :lol
I stopped taking the Clips seriously after they choked away their best chance to win a championship.
I still think Clippers are at their best w/ their SF not taking away possessions from CP3/Griffin/Reddick offensively and guarding the best perimeter player defensively. Pierce will garner more touches than Barnes did -- which decreases the touches for other starters and at the same time, Pierce can hardly defend anymore. Not sure how that is a net positive for the team compared to Barnes in the starting unit.Quote:
Originally Posted by TD 21
Do you agree though that the value Stephenson, Pierce, Smith bring to the table is their ability to create their own inefficient offense? Talented yes, but inefficient. Defensively, Pierce can't move anymore, and Stephenson/Smith are mentally disabled at times on that end -- however I'd say Smith is an upgrade over Hawes/Baby defensively.
I think Clippers did great with the limit assets they had to add players, I just don't see how it fits: I don't see how it makes them more efficient on offense as a whole and I don't see how it makes their starting unit or their best 5 to close games better defensively.
David Aldridge @daldridgetnt · 27s28 seconds ago
However the starting three shakes out for Clips (Pierce, Lance, or Smith), they'll have a much deeper bench next season.
He won't though. As I alluded to, he'll playoff off of them and he's a better and far more respected three-point shooter than Barnes. As far as guarding the best perimeter player, it'll be an issue, but Barnes has always been more solid than lock down anyway. Pierce can barely move, but at least he can physically guard SF's, something Crawford/Redick can't do.Quote:
Originally Posted by MaNu4Tres
No. They'll need the respect Pierce garners to keep a team that's so combustible in line. Stephenson is a better creator and defender than Crawford/Rivers and Smith is a clear upgrade defensively from Hawes and Davis, as you said.
They've been the number 1 regular season offense 2 seasons running; they'll be fine.