Clippers Play Defense? (I'm Ron Burgundy?)
by moKi on Feb 26, 2009 3:08 PM PST
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PrintClipper Nation has been feasting on Eric Gordon and Al Thornton for the last few months. To think of the Clippers being competitive without them was unimaginable - until yesterday.
For most of this season, the Clippers main offensive contributors have been the DonTon Boys. But for a big game against the defending champs last night, EG left early in the third with only 4 points and AT didn't play at all. Yet the Clippers prevailed.
This fact just impressed upon me that no matter how consistently awesome Gordon has been and how inconsistently awesome AT has played, they are very, very young.
In the NBA very, very young usually translates into close losses and blowouts. (Yes, I know AT is not young in age, but he is only in his second year and he started playing later in life, etc., blah blah, ad nauseum.)
The point is I'd almost forgotten that experience and effort can overcome physical limitations - through defense.
That is exactly how the Clippers beat the Celtics.
In the win against the Warriors, the Clippers beat them with big three point shooting from Gordon and Baron, and a couple of great dunks by Fred Jones. A whole lot of offense adding up to 118 points.
The Celtics, on the other hand, don't let teams get off open shots or unmolested dunks or score gobs of points. So the Clips had to play a completely different style of game - a defensive game fueled by effort.
Holy Moly! Who knew the Clippers could play defense this year?
Ricky Davis? Zach Randoplph? Play defense? – Practice? Practice? We're sitting here talking about defense?
As a season ticket holder for the past 3 years, I've been to a fair share of games. One of my favorite games was against the Hornets (in the '05-'06 season, I believe). The Clippers held them to 16 points in the entire second HALF. It was AWESOME. Steal after steal, block after block, - to me, that was Clippers basketball. I was screaming from my seat the whole second half!
I have never come close to being as excited about Clipper defense like I was that game, until last night. Sure, the Clippers might have had some defensive gems since then but not at a game I attended, against a team as good or highly ranked as the Celtics. Yes, it wasn't a shutdown like the Hornets game, but holding them to 9 points in the last 8 minutes while scoring 20, forcing 21 tunovers for the game, beating the defending champs without two of your top scorers - it was pretty darn fun to watch.
Ode to the Clichés
Offense is a fickle girl. She can leave you and hook up with your enemy in an instant. She can stay with you for a whole game or never show up and leave you standing there, humiliated.
But Defense, Defense is your trusty dog - man's best friend. It's the kind of dog that barks to warn you, growls to protect you and listens only to your voice. It loves you because you feed it and will always stick with you.
Defense wins championships.
As much as I like seeing Novak and Gordon's three pointers, DeAndre and Thornton's throwdowns (and even our Slam Dunk Champ's back to the future jams), I like watching great defense even more.
In football - Interceptions and sacks, recovering fumbles and running for touchdowns - why are they great? Because you're rooting for the underdog. You're rooting for the guy that was too slow or not talented enough to be an offensive player. You're rooting for that guy to score, sucking the life out of the opponent's offense, making them feel like they cannot score or gain any momentum.
In basketball, beating another team with offense just makes your opponent want to score more. You made an incredible shot? Well I can make one too. It just doesn't have the same frustrating effect as stifling defense. (see Eddie House's face after Fred Jones stole a pass leading to a pass - pass - pass - three pointer by Steve Novak.) Priceless.
I hope the Clippers can take this game and use it as a measuring stick to rate their defensive effort in all games from here on out.
My February Staples Record
So I've been to three games at Staples this month - ALL OF THEM WINS! ALL FUN!
I don't have the tickets to Sat (I split my season this year) so that means 3 out of 3 for me this month!
Man, am I glad I wrote that Turnaround Post to get this all started. (wink)
Finally, being a Clipper fan is fun again.
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Good work moKi
You’ve been a little scarce, no? You called the original turnaround, but the Camby illness/Randolph scuffle put us back in the dark for a spell after the all-star game.
Agree on all your points about defense. It’s effort that we want to see, as much as anything else. Defense is great, but it takes a lot and a lot of special players to be a great defensive team. Rebounding is even more pure. It requires some skill—things like blocking out that DJordan still needs to learn—but it’s just basic effort, from everybody on the team, and it wins games. A good rebounding team is very fun to watch too.
I would make a distinction between the offense of Gordon and Novak, who we can reasonably expect to hit shots, and dunks by DJordan or Thornton. A solid, well-executed offensive attack and solid defense and rebounding, with a good overall effort, is obviously the ideal mix. Dunks are fun to watch, but they’re an anomaly. Having good shooters on a team is part of a strong offense. We remember seasons where the Clippers didn’t have a single legitimate 3 pt threat on the team. It’s very hard to win that way, with no high quality shooters. That’s a big part of the excitement about Eric Gordon, that he has solid basic skills, great athleticism, goes to the basket and makes plays, he has a complete game—and he’s clearly one of the best pure shooters you’ll ever see. He might not be Ray Allen by any means yet, but he’s 20 and he’s got a lot of time and he’s off to a great start. And Novak is a better shooter than Gordon, which is saying something.
It was one thing to have Tim Thomas or Mobley or Cassell, guys who can conceivably hit the shot. They fall under your category of fickle offense—sometimes it’s going to be there, sometimes it isn’t. But there’s a big difference between the guys who can shoot it, and the guys who are the real shooters, who are going to make it a healthy percentage of the time. Yes, for those guys it comes and goes too, but it’s different.
I like the dunks as much as anybody, but I don’t really care about them. When I see the Clips fumble on a lob attempt to DJordan I remember that they didn’t complete a lob pass for two years before this one, so I cut some slack on that. But like you I like a good defensive effort and the way it affects the rest of the game. I really like rebounds, and I love seeing Camby put up crazy rebounding numbers, or Zbo get his 10 or 12, with a couple tidy putbacks—especially after seeing that scary lineup with no rebounding at all against Phoenix and Portland—and the rebounding of Kaman 2.0, but seeing BD get rebounds has been great the last two games.
I Agree CZ
I cheer every time Marcus SNATCHES a rebound! No bigs vs. Phoenix was ridiculously depressing.
I have been scarce on the CN as work has been crazy. Hopefully I can get back in the swing of things.
Yes, outside shooting is far more vital to a team than dunks, but I do think dunks provide an emotional boost to the team. Usually the bench guys whoop and holler and if playing at home, half the crowd goes crazy. Sometimes if it is a really loud or emphatic dunk even an away crowd will let out the ouch/ooh sound. Haha.
So yes. Gordon and Novak’s shooting is more important but I like the dunks too as I have seen way too many floaters and layups getting deflected or blocked by opposing teams for the last 4 years. No good Clipper dunkers since the Miles, QRich era?
We have some dunkers
Al can definitely get up. Freddie Jones can sky high too. EJ has good hops and if Baron loses about 20 pounds he can throw down (that dunk a couple of years on AK-47 was sick).
Dunks definitely have some kind of momentum booster, it definitely pumps up a team (like a great block or steal). I think psychologically its good for the player to get a easy basket.
No man is happy without a delusion of some kind. Delusions are as necessary to our happiness as realities. -Christian Nestell Bovee
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