Clippers at Houston - Game Preview
by Steve Perrin on Dec 22, 2009 5:00 AM PST
in Game Previews
55 comments
| 2009/2010 NBA Regular Season | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
vs. |  |
| 12-15 | 16-11 |
|
| Toyota Center |
||
| December 22nd, 2009, 5:30 PM | ||
| Prime Ticket, 980 AM |
||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Baron Davis |
PG | Aaron Brooks |
| Eric Gordon |
SG | Shane Battier |
| Al Thornton | SF | Trevor Ariza |
| Marcus Camby |
PF | Luis Scola |
| Chris Kaman |
C | Chuck Hayes |
The Back Story:
December 2nd in LA - Houston 102 - Clippers 85 - Recap Box Score
The Big Picture:
The Clippers are now 2 and 2 on the first four games of their six game road trip. They've alternated wins and losses thus far, so since they lost in San Antonio last night, they're due for a win in Houston, right? On paper, this appears to be the most winnable of these last three wins. Then again, on paper, the Rockets shouldn't have a better record than the Spurs, but they do. Ignoring what happens in the alternate basketball dimension that is the AT&T Center, the Clippers have played well offensively on this trip. But if they're going to beat the Rockets in Houston, they'll have to do it with defense. When they played Houston in LA, the Rockets put on a three point shooting display, making 12 of 23 compared to 1 of 14 for LAC. That's a bit of a difference. Of course, the Clippers didn't have Eric Gordon in that game, and Rasual Butler was mired in a slump that he appears to have busted out of, so they should at least be capable of making a few threes in this one. Whether they can defend the Rockets remains to be seen. It would also be nice to see Chris Kaman, who has played really well in his last six games can redeem himself for a 5 for 16, 5 rebound, 4 turnover game in the first meeting. The bottom line is - without Gordon and with Kaman causing more harm than good, the Clippers aren't going to beat anybody, whether they make 12 threes or not. If Gordon and Kaman play well in this one, it should at least be competitive. I hope that the Clippers feel they have something to prove after being blown out by the Rockets in LA, and being blown out in San Antonio last night. The only good news about last night's blowout loss is that all the starters took the fourth quarter off, which will help on the second game of a back to back.
The Antagonist:
I thought the Rockets were overachieving when the teams met at the beginning of December and Houston was 9-8 at the time. I'm at a loss for what's happening now that they're 16-11. I mean, this has always been a league predicated on pure, unadulterated talent. Princeton running backcuts and beating UCLA in the NCAA tournament, Valparaiso making threes and beating xxxx, George Washington - that's all well and good in college hoops. In fact, it's great. I love it. I root for the Clippers, so of course I love an underdog story. But in the NBA, talent wins. And the Rockets don't seem to have enough talent to be 16-11. In a league of superstar power, there's nary a star, let alone a super one, on their active roster (ignoring Tracy McGrady, who is back on the court, but severely limited in his minutes right now). Part of me would love to believe in the Rockets - I'd love for team play and hard work to be enough, as it would give more of the underdog teams a chance. But at the same time, it makes the failings of the Clippers over the years that much more painful. It's easier to rationalize all the losing if the team has simply not had elite level talent. "We'll get them next year! We'll win the lottery and we'll have enough talent then!" But if you could be winning simply by identifying the right pieces in the second round and getting them to play hard? Well, that's a bitter realization. And frankly, I'm not ready to accept it quite yet. So part of me wants the Rockets to continue to do well; and another part of me believes (wants to believe?) that they're eventually going to come back down to earth. By the way, may be missing two key reserves in this game. Chase Budinger is out with a sprained ankle. Meanwhile, Carl Landry recently had oral surgery after losing five (FIVE!) teeth in a gruesome meeting with Dirk Nowitzki's elbow on Friday. Incredibly, Landry says he'll play tonight.
The Subplots:
- Landry. Last game, Luis Scola has a cut over his eye, and everyone said he'd be out against the Clippers, but he played and played well. Landry was back at Rockets practice on Monday, and I have to figure he's going to play. After all, this is the guy who was shot in the leg last season and barely missed any time. The dude is tough. If you haven't seen the video of the collision with Dirk, check it out. The most amazing part to me is Landry's reaction. Bear in mind, he just lost five teeth. He heads over to the Rockets bench and calmly signals that he needs to come out of the game, as if to say "Excuse me, Mr. Adelman, sir, you might consider placing a substitute in the game for me as I am losing a lot of blood at the moment." When he gets to the bench, he starts spitting teeth and blood into Keith Jones' towel. Unbelievable how tough this guy is. He'll probably destroy the Clippers tonight.
- McGrady. The Rockets finally activated TMac when Trevor Ariza was suspended a week ago for the Rockets game against Detroit. He's on severely restricted minutes right now - he's played fewer than 8 in each of his four games back. Will Adelman be tempted to dial that up some with Budinger out?
- Steal a road game. If the Clippers are going to keep their slim playoff hopes alive even until Blake Griffin's return, they're going to have to beat some good teams. If they lose tonight in Houston and Christmas Day in Phoenix, they'll drop five games below .500, as low as they've been this season. It's pretty important to get one of these, and this one seems like the easier of the two.
- Just enough to win. How are the Rockets getting it done this year? Are they an offensive team, or a defensive team? The answer is, a little bit of both. League wide, teams score 106.6 points per 100 possessions. The Rockets score a little more than that on offense (107.7, 16th best out of 30 NBA teams) and give up a little less than that on defense (105.9, 15th in the league). Lacking a lot of guys who can create shots, they play at a fast pace, and look for shots in transition. They love to shot transition threes, so it will be important for the Clippers to find their shooters right away.
- Rebounding. The Rockets aren't a great shooting club, yet they're above average in offensive efficiency. One big reason is because they get a lot of extra shots. They're the fourth best offensive rebounding team in the league. One key will be keeping them off the offensive glass.
- Kaman and Baron size advantages. In the first game, we expected both Chris Kaman and Baron Davis to exploit their size advantages in the post against significantly smaller defenders in Chuck Hayes and Aaron Brooks. It didn't happen. In Kaman's case, because Hayes is just crazy strong and wouldn't let him go where he wanted to. In Baron's case, because the Clippers just didn't go to him in the post. They went to it against Tony Parker last night, so I assume they'll go to it tonight. As for Kaman, he's longer and quicker than Hayes. He may need to face him up, and he could have a big night if the jump shot is on.
- Defending the three. The Rockets are third in the NBA in three point attempts. The Clippers are 6th best in defensive three point percentage. Of course, those facts were more or less the same in the last meeting and the Rockets made 12 of 23. But Houston has trouble winning without making threes. The Rockets are 11 and 4 if they make 8 or more threes in a game - 5 and 7 if they make fewer than 8.
- Speaking of threes. I've already mentioned that the Rockets made 12 threes to the Clippers 1 in the first meeting. 12 is tied for the season high for the Rockets - 1 is the season low for the Clippers. Odds are, that won't repeat itself, right?
- Ariza. Trevor Ariza continues to shoot under 40% from the field on the season. In fact, Houston's top two scorers, Brooks (43%) and Ariza (39%) are inefficient. How are these guys 16 and 11 again?
-
Movie Quote:
North's Dad, North (1994). I include this quote not because North was a good movie, but because it was a bad movie. Director Rob Reiner had a perfect game going when he directed North in 1994. Spinal Tap, Sure Thing, Stand By Me, Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few Good Men. He couldn't miss. And then came North. Reiner's movies have been hit and miss since.If you wanna know how to build a rocket to fly a man into outer space, don't come to me. If you need somebody to perform a delicate brain operation, I'm not your man. However if you have any questions what so ever on the quality of a good pair of pants, look no further!
- Get the Rockets perspective at The Dream Shake.
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Wow, I hadn’t heard about that Nowitzki elbow, that’s crazy! Landry is really a tough dude!
Gotta win this one (or against the Suns), to make up for the Knicks game. I agree that a win here seems more likely than a win in Phoenix..
"look, you can find any coach you want, bring him in here and run the situation. But I don't think they are going to do as good a job as I do." -Mike Dunleavy Sr.
sp
i notice you have butler in the starting lineup. is ej hurt? or do you think dunleavy will be bringing ej in from the bench?
My bad...
I cut and pasted the preview from the last game…. and EJ missed that game. But no, EJ should be in.
In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd
by Steve Perrin on Dec 22, 2009 8:57 AM PST up reply actions
Once you admit Adleman is the master mind you would know
We are coached by the one and only Mike Dunleavy and are playoff hopes are fading fast we needed one win versus NYK and this team would have been .500 going against the Spurs what does the team do? lose a hge lead in the second half, how do the follow it up by doing the same thing the next next and getting a bail out split second chance. How this stuff doesn’t get a coach fired is beyond by right in two nights we gave up a close to a combined lead at the half of 40 pts and almsot loss both games,This is worse than Vinny Del Negro, I’m getting sick of the passive excuses for Dunleavy over the years give hime the talent, he can’t do with hurt players, let them gel and maybe next year The Houston Rockets have displayed how a team fights through issues and is coached through hard times and make strides to become better that is a spit in the face to the Clippers franchise and the staff on how poorly this team has played and under-achieved thus far. Our record is terrible if you look into the context of the talent of teams we have faced the way we lost these games this season and looking act the horibble finishes we have in some of our wins.
Houston is the exception
Look at the Nets for the norm.
Talent usually sets the bar.
Would love a win
just to stay relevant ;) We need all our starters to show up and Butler to give us double digit points off the bench to beat these better teams. We just don’t have the luxury of a bench to pick up the slack.
by dulciusEXasperis on Dec 22, 2009 8:42 AM PST reply actions
Tough matchup
But then the Spurs game was even worse. I think we can eke out a win.
sorry for errors in my last post it was a quick hit
This is a game you play DJ in get him mad and have him take advantage of his size. Budinger is out but I doubt it matters becauseI thught with Finley and Bonner out we could limit the Spurs. We have to win this one for nothing else to keep close to .500 and we must must must must must hope the Mavericks beat the Blazers because all the other teams that fall to 8th seed we all know will clmb right back up but if we want to make the playoffs the Blazers falling out may be our only hope.
The Clippers bench is killing them. That's the bottom line.
Bassy wants more minutes? The second Baron steps off the court last night the lead extends from 10 to 20. Now you are 20 points in the hole going into the 4th. Fantastic.
MDsr needs to shorten his rotation and go with a hybrid approach. No more 2nd unit 1st unit.
Our bench has been a huge disappointment this year.
Hybrid approach
Actually, it’s pretty much happening already. We have seven getting regular minutes… If we cut Bassy down, then it’ll be six. But with Butler playing well these days, I sort of like the idea.
Crazy idea #1: Try AT at the point! The guy showed off his dribbling last night… Maybe he can even pass. If we’re just going to run iso plays anyways, then the players can run the offense by committee.
Crazy idea #2: Start Butler against perimeter teams, like Houston. I like his defense recently, and the BD, EJ, Butler, Camby, Kaman squad is still by far our most efficient. http://basketballvalue.com/teamunits.php?year=2009-2010&team=LAC&sortnumber=3&sortorder=DESC
Taller PGs
It’s hard to tell why Telfair is ineffective these days, but it seems to be the case. It may be that the defense of the bench team that he’s playing with isn’t working, and so there are few opportunities to run.
Have to wonder if the Clips wouldn’t be better off with our pal Mardy Collins running the point against bigger backups like George Hill. At least Dun could start exploring the choice, and it would improve the second team defensively.
The big thing with limiting Telfair’s minutes is that BDavis is playing well, and he’s playing a whole lot better than Telfair. With BDavis in shape and pushing guys around and making plays, it’s more like the classic PG situation where the starter plays big minutes.
by citizen zhiv on Dec 22, 2009 12:29 PM PST up reply actions
ZBO had 32 and 24 last night to lift Memphis past Denver.
Sure wish we had a guy who could produce like that down the stretch
I don't regret him being gone
now I don’t need to worry about anyone getting punched in the face or driving drunk
In Gordon we trust
by bestclipfan on Dec 22, 2009 10:15 AM PST up reply actions
Someone remind Kaman
that Hayes is 6-6. You know, since he learned that fact for the 1st time after last game.
i think he knows that...
…though, somehow folks have to learn that even at 6-6 you can be a good post defender. And Landry’s one of the best in this league.
Of course Kaman should take advantage of his hight, but Landry’s a very good defender and knows how to position himself in the post, which forces guys into lower percentage shots as they’ve got to shoot over the guy.
I agree
Tall defenders aren’t necessarily better, and short ones aren’t necessarily worse. I’m one of the taller guys when I play against my friends, but there are certain shorter guys that know how to position themselves and bother shot attempts.
Not that I’m trying to compare myself to Kaman and my friends to the Rockets, but you get the point…
Landry vs. Dirk
What’s funny about that clip is that Dirk looks like he’s been shot and might die, while Landry looks like he bit his tongue. Even after Landry spit out blood and bits of his teeth and is headed to the locker room, he walks past the Mavs coddling Dirk on the floor. It’s just weird.
I like Dirk well enough, but it’s kinda embarrassing when you’re on the floor writhing like you’re on your death bed while the guy who you caused to lose 5 teeth is strolling past you like he forgot something in the locker room.
Uh, please reconsider your comments
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AvFWUXs4GKv7mit6VDfuunS8vLYF?slug=mc-nowitzkimavericks122109&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Read that article….Dirk’s arm was pretty messed up.
This is going to be my team, and we're going to rise together.
-Clipper Darrell
Yea it was messed up
But Landry lost 5 freaking teeth. Have you ever even chipped a tooth? It’s crazy painful. Losing 5 teeth, two of which were lost up to the gumline, is ridiculous.
Dirk’s issue was more post-incident. With the potential for injury and the doctor digging in there. Obviously that would hurt too. But there’s no way anyone can tell me that a cut on the elbow, no matter how deep, is as painful as getting 5 teeth knocked out.
And again, it’s the disparity in the reactions. It’s not like they were both writhing on the floor. Landry walked off like he need a breather. Dirk was on the floor like he was giving birth.
Landry's reaction astounded me.
I had a double root canal once, sh!t isn’t pretty. madglove described his reaction perfectly, talk about toughness!!
"Buckle your seat belts, folks. This one's doing down to the wire." -The inimitable Ralph Lawler.
by Gordon for President on Dec 22, 2009 11:20 AM PST up reply actions
And Dirk?
’Nuff said.
"Buckle your seat belts, folks. This one's doing down to the wire." -The inimitable Ralph Lawler.
by Gordon for President on Dec 22, 2009 11:20 AM PST up reply actions
Why have you had portions of 5 teeth embedded into you?
If it is embedded deeper, it may hurt less…but tooth pain and dental pain is something we have all experienced a lot in our lifetimes…getting braces, wisdom teeth extracted, etc. Getting some teeth dug into elbow is a “new experience”, so it may hurt more…l don’t know, it’s all speculation. I just thinking judging Dirk’s Manhood based on this freak injury is offbase.
This is going to be my team, and we're going to rise together.
-Clipper Darrell
Dude is writhing around like he just got shot, Landry doesn't even wince.
Not saying what happened to Dirk wouldn’t be hurt, but c’mon. A moutful of shattered teeth and blood and Landry is strolling to the bench.
"Buckle your seat belts, folks. This one's doing down to the wire." -The inimitable Ralph Lawler.
by Gordon for President on Dec 22, 2009 12:48 PM PST up reply actions
Well Landry was shot last year driving around....
I don’t know, I’ve never been shot…so I can’t say how much it hurts or does not hurt. Nor have I had 5 teeth embedded in me…so I can’t say which is more painful. Certainly Landry’s injury “looked” more gruesome….so i’ll give you that. Sometimes though, what looks gruesome vs what is gruesome is two different things.
This is going to be my team, and we're going to rise together.
-Clipper Darrell
Bah.
I haven’t had my head pecked by a little bird, nor have I been shot by a flamethrower. I’m still confident in my ability to predict which will hurt worse.
Quit trying to cover for Dirk. He’s a great player, but he squealed like a girl and Landry didn’t. Just accept it.
Dirk's injury mayhave been worse then landry's
Dirk literally had fragments of Landry’s teeth inside his elbow, he had to have hours of surgery to get the teeth fragments out of his elbow.
In Gordon we trust
by bestclipfan on Dec 22, 2009 11:13 AM PST up reply actions
Uh...that's not true
You have your facts mixed. Dirk got stitches and had to have them redone as the doctor wanted to probe more. Surgery was considered, not done.
Landry had to have 5-6 hours of oral surgery.
I can sort of relate to both...
I’ve been in a motorcycle accident where the motorcycle was resting on top of my leg as we (as in I and the motorcycle, which was on top of my leg) slid across the freeway. My entire ankle was rubbed off actually more than rubbed off…into a crater. They had to scrub all the embedded rocks and asphalt out in the emergency room. I nearly had to take part of my butt cheek and have a graft but decided to wait it out and see.
I’ve also had my two front teeth die due to trauma playing hockey (two root canals as well).
Everyone’s pain tolerance is different, but I was able to laugh and crack jokes in the ER with the motorcycle accident (probably due to being glad to be alive), but the teeth HURT.
Landry is one tough mofo.
holy cow, this is all new news to me.... i heard about landry inprinting his teeth into dirk's arm but........
i thought it was a silly title to catch someones attention, not something that actually happened and if it did happen, i ddint know how severe it really was. this is all too much to soak in. hearing about “gordon for president” double root canal and 5-6 hours of oral surgery for landry…..IM FREAKIN OUT OVER HERE!!!!!! i just made an appointment with my dentist in la puente and promise to wear those mouth guards when i play ball…..what a freakish bball incidient…….wish them both well…..
P.S. Anybody know the update on griffin? i know i know its too soon but i cant take it anymore! ive waited long enough… i wish i had the tools to make a “Let griffin heal” .com or something along those lines. We could really use his bench production cuz i doubt he’s gonna start off the bat whenever his decides to come back……….
by In GrIfFin We TrUsT on Dec 22, 2009 12:05 PM PST reply actions
Man, you're making ME nervous
You wear your mouth guard, and I’ll post the news if I happen to hear. …It’s going to be alright.
On Griffin
The test was apparently happening now, or today sometime. So we should hear the results on the broadcast tonight.
Over the weekend they were saying the 23rd, but the LAT says it’s today.
by citizen zhiv on Dec 22, 2009 12:31 PM PST up reply actions
Test results don't come out that quickly
It usually takes at least a few days to get the pictures back and for the doctor to evaluate it. Sometimes it requires a couple of doctors discussing their opinions of the results. It’s not like an SAT test where there’s a score and that’s that. CT scans, MRIs and such aren’t always that clear.
Plus, there’s no rush (to them). It’s not like he’ll play tonight if he’s healthy. Given the upcoming Christmas holiday, I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t hear until the weekend or even next week.
Sure not the same kind of level of care I got...
I tore the labrum in both my shoulders and fractured my wrist in a snowboard accident two years ago (yes I have been in a lot of accidents lol).
I got a CT scan for the wrist and an MRI for both shoulders. I went to the facility, brought back the scans and the doc diagnosed it on the spot….
And the scans came out the same day of the tests?
Wow that’s pretty fast work there.
I’ve had some top quality doctors though (including Dr. Lombardo of the LA Lakers) so I’m not sure the expediency necessarily equates to level of care.
MRI was not same day, but CT scan was
I meant…I’m not sure my docs looked at me very carefully…
There was no multiple doctors discussing opinions…long evaluation process…
NEXT WEEK?!?
Holy crap, that better be false. We’ll never make it. If we don’t get a full report within the hour, people around here are gonna start to freak out… hurling egg salad, crying to Sterling, scowling at Skinner, mistaking mouth guards for jock straps and vice versa! Then, just as things start to quiet down, Jax and John R will agree on something, and BAMMM, the whole blog will explode. We’ll end up losing more than just a few teeth.
haha I'm just speculating
I’ve never had a CT scan before so who knows? I’m just saying that based on the fact that the team is on the road until Sunday and we have Christmas between now and then, I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t hear anything before then.
Of course the fact that the Clips are on national TV on Christmas may help speed things along. ESPN will probably do a little more digging than normal in hopes of having something to report during the game.
I really don’t think we’ll hear anything today.
Yeah I'm pretty sure CT scan is instantly available
I even got a cool CD ROM with all of the images and a virtual 3D model built.
It'll be a miracle if we don't go on a five-game skid.
I think we’ll be more competitive tonight, but it should end up the same as last night.
I've got nothing.
No rush he needs to get this going
Get the results as soon as possible and make a movebased on n the results this Clippers wait until things happens has made this franchise a joke for years. This staff needs to get going and put Blake in shape with some stronger drills.
As a Rockets fan.
Nice write up.
Well balanced and on point with just about everything.
Keep up the good work!
"I am from one of the top 15 cities in the world. Buffalo, New York." - TrentEdwardsHoF2018
I Second That!
I’m also a Rockets fan and a member of the Dream Shake blog. I have to say the Clips Nation’s blog has great, classy members and the articles are always very well written. It seems almost impossible to think you live among Laker fans.
In fact, it is impossible
Pray that the two worlds never meet. :-)
Wow. Rocket fans are nice!
"Buckle your seat belts, folks. This one's doing down to the wire." -The inimitable Ralph Lawler.
by Gordon for President on Dec 22, 2009 3:31 PM PST up reply actions
Shaun Livingston has been waved
wow OKC got a steal with Maynor
Proposed trade with the rockets!
Is their any way we can trade our coach for yours and maybe throw in an incentive. Perhaps
ricky davis or maybe telfair. How about it? I personally admire what Adelman has done
with the rockets specially with all the injuries you have. Look at all the talent we have and
we cannot turn them into victories.
from LAT lisa...
For those who were asking. Checked with Dunleavy before game on Griffin update from today’s tests. Said he had not heard anything
bad sign?
The Clippers are such.....
….a dumb team. They always do the wrong thing. A perfect reflection of their coach. How may injuries has Adelman had? And look how they’re playing!
Dunleavy knows nothing of Blake Griffin's CT scan? HuH?
I’m afraid LAT Lisa is on to something … Could it be a bad sign that the Cli[ps are not giving us news on Griffin’s CT scan today, or that Dunleavy “didn’t know” anything about it when asked by Lisa? Wouldn’t you think that he’d all over that? I’m hoping its just typical Clipper malaise and ineptitude.
by OperationWayners on Dec 22, 2009 7:31 PM PST reply actions
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