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Exactly, even though that article wasn't specific. Doc is not only terrible at team-building, he built a culture of whining in LA. Everyone hates the Clippers because they flop and whine to the refs all season long instead of playing the game, and it doesn't work. Doc is the biggest instigator, and because of his example, they lack the mental toughness of a champion.
I am not sure why more teams don't do what Utah did to protect their lead
1. No 3 point shots on every possession
2. Drive to the basket
3. Use up the shot clock
I think they play to their strengths more than anything else. People complain when the Dubs do this but their team is built upon perimeter basketball.
The Jazz play solid D, they have great rim protection, they have some good slashers. If I'm playing the Jazz I want to keep them in front of me and have them take 20-25 Fters all night.
as we head into the spurs vs rockets series starting tonight, the talk is "the last time these teams met was 1995" which is interesting in itself, but not relevant really.
reading series/game preview on the spurs page pounding the rock, and the rockets page the dream shake, i came across this tid bit.
Quote:
Think about this: Tim Duncan beat every Western Conference team in the playoffs except the Houston Rockets. He even has a series win over the Seattle Supersonics!
I am not sure why more teams don't do what Utah did to protect their lead
1. No 3 point shots on every possession
2. Drive to the basket
3. Use up the shot clock
Yup, Utah plays the slowest tempo in the NBA and it does help to hold leads. George Hill is one of the least exciting starting point guards in the league but I wish John Wall had his decision making and interest in man defense.
I mention Wall cuz I'm a Wizards fan and they blew a lead yesterday they could have held. Wall had 8 turnovers and continued to run the same drive and kick offense they always run. When the game gets stressful, Wall always seems to just work harder rather than play smarter. If he could improve in this area, he can be the best PG in the league.
Yup, Utah plays the slowest tempo in the NBA and it does help to hold leads. George Hill is one of the least exciting starting point guards in the league but I wish John Wall had his decision making and interest in man defense.
I mention Wall cuz I'm a Wizards fan and they blew a lead yesterday they could have held. Wall had 8 turnovers and continued to run the same drive and kick offense they always run. When the game gets stressful, Wall always seems to just work harder rather than play smarter. If he could improve in this area, he can be the best PG in the league.
That's why I don't think Utah will get swept by the Warriors because of their style of play. And Washington lead was so early in the game so I knew that the lead wasn't safe.
as we head into the spurs vs rockets series starting tonight, the talk is "the last time these teams met was 1995" which is interesting in itself, but not relevant really.
reading series/game preview on the spurs page pounding the rock, and the rockets page the dream shake, i came across this tid bit.
this is kinda funny to me.
I have been looking forward to this. Regular season games were are all close.
Do you mainly expect the Spurs to take the ball out of Harden's hands, or contain everybody else, or sit on the three point line and make them shoot midrange?
I have been looking forward to this. Regular season games were are all close.
Do you mainly expect the Spurs to take the ball out of Harden's hands, or contain everybody else, or sit on the three point line and make them shoot midrange?
the rockets offense is tricky.
a lot of shooters.
the spurs have always had great success with staying put and letting that one guy try to beat you.
the pick and roll is going to be tough to guard as the rockets have bigs that can move, shoot and pass.
id expect harden to go nuts but not many people else.
what do you think the rockets will try to do to defend the spurs? or will they even try, and only focus on out scoring them as fast as possible?
rockets shoot the most 3s BY FAR, the spurs being the best perimeter/3 point fg defense in the league.
should be fun
We now know that a 16-0 lead in the first qtr of a NBA game means nothing. lol Washington lead the Celtics 16-0 and 22-5 and somehow the celtics managed to get back in the game and only down 42-37.
Well, it depends on the game. When the Warriors went up 14-0 in Game 4 against Portland, there was never any doubt that the game was over. Two big differences: 1) Boston wasn't demoralized by their slow start. 2) Boston missed a lot of pretty good looks; Portland didn't get good shots in that stretch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suburban_Guy
That stat said it all, Jordan and Crawford, 24 points, rest of team, 3 points.
And Haywood, like I said, a superstar in the making.
Off season moves will be interesting.
Clearly, this Clippers team has long past its window of opportunity for a championship. If the core team stays the same, they're not going anywhere past the first round of the playoffs for the next few years (at best). They're like another version of the Grizzlies.
Paul and Griffin both have player options. I predict Griffin will be gone, but Paul is a harder one to figure out. If he truly wants a ring, he's going to have to go to another team. But the Clippers are his team. He came to the Clippers with sooo much promise and brought longer term respectability to the organization, and for that fans should be grateful.
Hayward is good, but the Jazz won't be a championship team with him as their best player. Maybe if Gobert develops over the next couple of years . . .
Paul should leave. The Clippers need a full-on rebuilding--they should have started it last year or at least by the trade deadline this year. There's no reason for him to stick around for it. If the team tries to delay it for another couple of years to keep Paul, they're not going to do themselves--or Paul--any favors.
Quote:
Originally Posted by moneymkt
I am not sure why more teams don't do what Utah did to protect their lead
1. No 3 point shots on every possession
2. Drive to the basket
3. Use up the shot clock
Utah is a very slow-paced team. Most of the top teams in the NBA are playing at a fast-pace. They don't switch to a slow pace because they have a lead. Instead, they keep playing at a fast-pace because that's their preferred pace and because of this: if you think you are a better team, then you want more possessions in the game. With more possessions, you have more opportunities to assert your superiority.
Quote:
Originally Posted by malcorub16
I was pretty pissed the year the Clippers beat the Spurs in the first round only to blow a 3-1 series lead versus the Rockets (2015 playoffs). Not that it really matters as a Spurs fan, but I would have hoped they the team that beat the Spurs in round 1 would have at least made it to the Conference Finals.
Time to blow that team up... the Grizzlies are sort of in the same boat two as they've had the same stars for years with little to show.
Chris Paul's injury killed the Clippers' chances against the Rockets. But it's not a good sign that a star-studded core that's been together for years had their best hopes pinned on appearing in the WCF.
I think the Grizz are different. They needed to build in some shooting. They took real steps this year towards that end, and I think a successful offseason could give them a shot in a tough Western Conference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by moneymkt
So CP3 did get out the first round. Someone on a sports board he never got out the 3rd round.
And a team losing a 3-1 lead falls back on the coach not the players
He never got to the 3rd round (Conference Finals). The Clippers lost that 3-1 lead because Paul's hamstring injury limited his contributions. If healthy, I think they would have won (only to lose in the WCF).
Quote:
Originally Posted by eastcoastbias
I think they play to their strengths more than anything else. People complain when the Dubs do this but their team is built upon perimeter basketball.
The Jazz play solid D, they have great rim protection, they have some good slashers. If I'm playing the Jazz I want to keep them in front of me and have them take 20-25 Fters all night.
People claim the Warriors are built on perimeter play, but they are the NBA's most effective offense in the paint--the highest 2Pt%, the highest % inside 3 feet, the most dunks & the most dunk attempts. They are also right around the top of the NBA as a 3Pt shooting team. The Warriors are built on: 1) suffocating defense, 2) high pace, 3) efficient, spaced motion offense (paint & 3s). The Warriors don't want to step off of the gas when they have a lead--they want to build on it with more defense and more effective offense.
I think the Warriors will sweep the Jazz. Hayward struggled this year on offense when staring down Durant, Green, Iguodala, and Thompson as primary defenders. That's a lot of great primary defenders to throw at the Jazz's initiator.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Back to NE
Yup, Utah plays the slowest tempo in the NBA and it does help to hold leads. George Hill is one of the least exciting starting point guards in the league but I wish John Wall had his decision making and interest in man defense.
I mention Wall cuz I'm a Wizards fan and they blew a lead yesterday they could have held. Wall had 8 turnovers and continued to run the same drive and kick offense they always run. When the game gets stressful, Wall always seems to just work harder rather than play smarter. If he could improve in this area, he can be the best PG in the league.
George Hill is a good point guard. The Wizards need to deliver much better team defense. The Hawks looked unusually effective against the Wizards D, and the Celtics have much more firepower.
I think Wall is a great player, and he delivered a staggering performance against Atlanta's elite defense in Round 1. I think the Wiz need to develop on defense and add a secondary offensive initiator to contend.
Quote:
Originally Posted by moneymkt
That's why I don't think Utah will get swept by the Warriors because of their style of play. And Washington lead was so early in the game so I knew that the lead wasn't safe.
The Warriors will beat the Jazz with defense in the playoffs. I think it will be a sweep.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DRob4JC
I have been looking forward to this. Regular season games were are all close.
Do you mainly expect the Spurs to take the ball out of Harden's hands, or contain everybody else, or sit on the three point line and make them shoot midrange?
Rockets-Spurs will be a great series. I think we'll see a mix of Green & Leonard as primary defenders on Harden. I don't think it's possible to get the ball out of Harden's hands, but I think the Spurs are well-placed to make life difficult for him. On the other end, Ariza and Beverly will try to give Leonard the same kind of difficulty. I wonder how Capela & Nene will deal with the Spurs' skilled bigs. Kanter can score, but he doesn't have the array of moves & abilities that any of Aldridge, Lee, and Gasol present.
Well, it depends on the game. When the Warriors went up 14-0 in Game 4 against Portland, there was never any doubt that the game was over. Two big differences: 1) Boston wasn't demoralized by their slow start. 2) Boston missed a lot of pretty good looks; Portland didn't get good shots in that stretch.
Hayward is good, but the Jazz won't be a championship team with him as their best player. Maybe if Gobert develops over the next couple of years . . .
Paul should leave. The Clippers need a full-on rebuilding--they should have started it last year or at least by the trade deadline this year. There's no reason for him to stick around for it. If the team tries to delay it for another couple of years to keep Paul, they're not going to do themselves--or Paul--any favors.
Utah is a very slow-paced team. Most of the top teams in the NBA are playing at a fast-pace. They don't switch to a slow pace because they have a lead. Instead, they keep playing at a fast-pace because that's their preferred pace and because of this: if you think you are a better team, then you want more possessions in the game. With more possessions, you have more opportunities to assert your superiority.
Chris Paul's injury killed the Clippers' chances against the Rockets. But it's not a good sign that a star-studded core that's been together for years had their best hopes pinned on appearing in the WCF.
I think the Grizz are different. They needed to build in some shooting. They took real steps this year towards that end, and I think a successful offseason could give them a shot in a tough Western Conference.
He never got to the 3rd round (Conference Finals). The Clippers lost that 3-1 lead because Paul's hamstring injury limited his contributions. If healthy, I think they would have won (only to lose in the WCF).
People claim the Warriors are built on perimeter play, but they are the NBA's most effective offense in the paint--the highest 2Pt%, the highest % inside 3 feet, the most dunks & the most dunk attempts. They are also right around the top of the NBA as a 3Pt shooting team. The Warriors are built on: 1) suffocating defense, 2) high pace, 3) efficient, spaced motion offense (paint & 3s). The Warriors don't want to step off of the gas when they have a lead--they want to build on it with more defense and more effective offense.
I think the Warriors will sweep the Jazz. Hayward struggled this year on offense when staring down Durant, Green, Iguodala, and Thompson as primary defenders. That's a lot of great primary defenders to throw at the Jazz's initiator.
George Hill is a good point guard. The Wizards need to deliver much better team defense. The Hawks looked unusually effective against the Wizards D, and the Celtics have much more firepower.
I think Wall is a great player, and he delivered a staggering performance against Atlanta's elite defense in Round 1. I think the Wiz need to develop on defense and add a secondary offensive initiator to contend.
The Warriors will beat the Jazz with defense in the playoffs. I think it will be a sweep.
Rockets-Spurs will be a great series. I think we'll see a mix of Green & Leonard as primary defenders on Harden. I don't think it's possible to get the ball out of Harden's hands, but I think the Spurs are well-placed to make life difficult for him. On the other end, Ariza and Beverly will try to give Leonard the same kind of difficulty. I wonder how Capela & Nene will deal with the Spurs' skilled bigs. Kanter can score, but he doesn't have the array of moves & abilities that any of Aldridge, Lee, and Gasol present.
If Utah another 16 pt lead in this series it won't matter that GS is a fast pace team because if a team is draining the shot on every possession, not taking bad shots, and driving to the basket, it makes it hard to come back regardless if the team is GS.
GS likes to run and shoot 3's and that would be hard to do if they don't have the ball and the team who is winning keeps making shots
If Utah another 16 pt lead in this series it won't matter that GS is a fast pace team because if a team is draining the shot on every possession, not taking bad shots, and driving to the basket, it makes it hard to come back regardless if the team is GS.
GS likes to run and shoot 3's and that would be hard to do if they don't have the ball and the team who is winning keeps making shots
As I said, the Warriors will stifle the Jazz with defense. They are a great defensive team 1st, an efficient & fast-paced offense 2nd. No lead is safe against them because of how great they are on both ends of the floor.
Utah is unusually reliant on its wings to initiate offense (Hayward primarily, Johnson off the bench). The Warriors have the league's best set of primary wing defenders & they are going to make life very hard on Utah's offense. Don't expect Utah to: a) keep making shots, or b) to spend much of this series with a lead.
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