Oklahoma City Thunder 111 - Los Angeles Clippers 88 - Game Recap

by Steve Perrin on Feb 23, 2011 12:00 AM PST in Game Recaps

Blake Griffin was the one who had a full slate of commitments for the All Star Weekend, right? I mean, other than a few minutes in the Rookie Challenge on Friday for Eric Bledsoe, and a couple of lob passes for Baron Davis during the Dunk Contest on Saturday, the rest of the team had a bunch of days off, and neither Bledsoe no Davis should have been too taxed by their relatively brief appearances. Meanwhile, Griffin played in the Rookie Challenge, won the Slam Dunk Contest, and then played in the All Star Game itself in a non-stop weekend. So Griffin should have been the tired one - everyone else should have been well rested.

So why was it left to Griffin to try to carry the team on his back in their first game after the All Star Break? Griffin scored 28 points, to go along with 11 rebounds and a career high 8 assists in his return to Oklahoma. No one else on the team scored more than 13. It seems like Griffin's adrenaline was carrying him to his performance tonight - based on the way he opened the game, he was pretty pumped to be back home. But with another game tomorrow night in New Orleans, one wonders if there's going to be a letdown some time soon.

The Thunder are a very talented team, and when they're making shots like the were tonight, they're very tough to beat. But it would have been nice to have had enough guys show up to at least try. When Griffin picked up his third foul with four minutes to go in the second quarter, the score was tied. He sat the last four minutes, and the Thunder promptly went on a 18-2 run, including 15 straight to close the half. It was never really much of a game after that. The Clippers got back to within nine near the end of the third, but another Thunder run to open the fourth quarter put the game out of reach early.

The Clippers needed to play a very good game to have a chance to win in Oklahoma City; they did not. They missed 12 of 29 free throws; they committed 17 turnovers. There's no way they can beat quality opponents on the road doing those things.

The bigger concern is the lack of help for Griffin. Two starters 3 or fewer points; a third had just 7. Eric Gordon is due back within a week, and the way things are going right now, it's none too soon. Baron Davis had opened this road trip playing great ball, but in the games bookending the All Star Break he's been terrible. Ralph and Mike seem to think it has to do with his knee giving him problems.

Even Eric Bledsoe's relatively good performance was marred by a rash of terrible turnovers. With Bledsoe, he seems to make one spectacular play, followed by two turnovers. The only other good news besides Griffin is that Al-Farouq Aminu looked as good as he has in a very long time, scoring 12 points on 5 for 6 shooting.

But there's no rest for the weary. The Clippers play the Hornets in New Orleans tomorrow night. Let's hope that Griffin can continue to defy common sense and play great, and let's also hope that someone shows up to help him tomorrow.

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Terrible showing by everyone except Blake.

And to think that Blake attended the funeral of his friend, and had a cold.

Blake Griffin is a one of a kind player…that needs to get that triple double!

Anyways, I hope the rest of the players show up for tomorrow nights game at New Orleans.

Btw, can we get a trade done for Chris Kaman already! I am already sick of him….

by NBAFAN8 on Feb 23, 2011 12:32 AM PST reply actions

BG definitely needs some help

The team was 3 in the 30 minutes he was on the floor. What does that mean? Probably that the rest of the team was -26 in the like 16 minutes when he wasn’t on the floor… ugh.

without EJ, no one else is consistent. We can make it a close game if 2 other guys show up (which used to be BG and EJ), and usually will win if 3 or more guys show up, but just no shot when only one guy decides to play.

by osamu on Feb 23, 2011 12:52 AM PST reply actions

why is our D so bad?

is it inexperience? coaching? lack of effort? lack of basketball IQ? i understand if our jumper isn’t falling, but at least play some D and get some transitional baskets.

by zac4president on Feb 23, 2011 1:38 AM PST reply actions

same old story

Give Davis A for effort, but he’s physically a mess. Any body can see that he has poor lateral movement. Get rid of him Kaman and Butler. Try and get Harris from the nets. VDN took Griffin out of the first half with 4 minutes to go when he got his third foul. Griffin was pleading to stay in the game. VDN is an ass. He also knows nothing about defense and his substitutions are terrible.He keeps blaming injuries for the poor play of the team.

by Vegas Mike on Feb 23, 2011 2:55 AM PST reply actions

That's why I see a trade for a PG as a priority

"[Fans are] not technically a lot of times savvy. They don't understand and they don't weigh issues the way that [I] weigh them."
Mike Dunleavy, Sr.

by Jax on Feb 23, 2011 7:40 AM PST up reply actions

3 Foul Rule of thumb

VDN has to throw the conventional wisdom out the door when it comes to 3 fouls on Griffin in a half. The 15-0 run at the end of the half ended the game. Did he call any timeouts during that run? He has to put Griffin back in when he sees that the Thunder are streaking.
Same thing with the fourth foul. Keep him in the game! You are going to lose anyway if you take him out or he fouls out.

by ClipperAnalyst on Feb 23, 2011 1:27 PM PST up reply actions

And yet at the same time we can't rely so heavily on Griffin

No excuse for giving up that run

by dulciusXasperis on Feb 23, 2011 1:30 PM PST up reply actions

Agreed.

You are right. Gomes has been a disastrous pickup. 3 points. Are you kidding me? No fire in his belly either. Get rid of him.

by ClipperAnalyst on Feb 23, 2011 1:31 PM PST up reply actions

haha I know unbelievable! That should not happen with your starting SF

He’s just not a good player. Foye can suck it up with the best of them but at least he’ll get you same damn points.

by dulciusXasperis on Feb 23, 2011 1:35 PM PST up reply actions

I didn't see the game..but based on the recap..pathetic.

If Blake is going to stay he needs help. I know EJ is hurt, but there has to be more. The baggage needs to go. Bledsoe and Aminu have to drastically improve by next year or get something better. We have two great players and nothing else. Davis is good, but he’s not the future. VDN is good at developing young players they say, but he’s not taking us far. He will have to go eventually. We need upgrades in every position including coaching except starting PF and SG.

by tenkaistar on Feb 23, 2011 4:13 AM PST reply actions

this is why we gotta make the trade for Gallinari

he’s already a ready made player which a draft pick we would trade for is less risky than using it on another raw rookie… i think the move will light a fire to this team

by Brian Ahmed on Feb 23, 2011 6:40 AM PST via mobile reply actions

gotta make a trade for somebody

Don’t force anything but if I’m the FO, I’m running around trying to get something done to make this team better.

Gomes seriously just isn’t getting it done. He should take over Sool’s spot on the bench. Aminu is still numbingly unpolished but at least the potential is there. Give him 30 minutes and see what happens for a week or two.

by dulciusXasperis on Feb 23, 2011 7:19 AM PST up reply actions

Almost an unwatchable team without EJ

and you can watch all of Blake’s dunks later on Sports Center. Maybe we are hypnotized by Blake’s athleticism and have lost all objectivity on just how bad a cast Blake is surrounded by. Even the OK City announcers stated you have to jump on the Clippers so they do not forget just how bad they are.

by PV Mike on Feb 23, 2011 7:37 AM PST reply actions

The game was no doubt lost at the end of the first half

But MILPH kept almost blaming Griffin for it and that seemed a little misplaced to me. Sure, Griffin got his 3rd foul and had to go to the bench for the half, but LAC immediately scored after that with another DJ dunk. OKC was lost on defense and the explosive bigs (DJ and Griffin) were killing them. Then DJ got such an unbelievably stupid reach in foul for his 3rd and now he had to sit the rest of the half. That’s when the wheels came off. Kaman apparently wasn’t going to return before the 2nd half so the bigs were Cook and Diogu. To go along with backup SG Randy Foye, struggling and possibly injured Baron Davis and a SF who has been a non-factor all season in Gomes. That is a terrible lineup and OKC is way too good and rightfully took advantage of the Clippers lack of talent.

by Michael White on Feb 23, 2011 7:42 AM PST reply actions

Good Analysis

That sounds like a failure in strategy. Of course VDN needs to protect against Griffin or DJ picking up 4 fouls before halftime, but losing the game is worse than risking foul trouble. Cook and Diogu should only be the frontcourt in garbage time and never to close out a half. I’m not in the Fire Vinny camp, but I’m not particularly pleased with his performance either.

by ClipCat on Feb 23, 2011 8:56 AM PST up reply actions

Yeah

Don’t know why he didn’t put Kaman back in. Maybe he’s restricted, but I don’t know why they wouldn’t play him in that situation. It’s a pretty rare event, for DJ and BG to both be in foul trouble with 4 minutes left in the half. Killed the Clippers.

by citizen zhiv on Feb 23, 2011 10:40 AM PST up reply actions

Use this thread to write something nice about this game

I’ll start:

The alley-oop to cut the deficit to 20 was well executed.

by John R on Feb 23, 2011 9:08 AM PST reply actions

Aminu only had one airball (and he did look good overall)

/I’m going to respond to all of your comments as though they are 100% serious

by Michael White on Feb 23, 2011 9:15 AM PST up reply actions

They lost by less than 30

Help us Altered Beast you're our only hope.

by ClipperChuck on Feb 23, 2011 2:27 PM PST up reply actions

Early season loss by the Thunder to the Clips

can be considered avenged

Blake Griffin is coming, hide your MBengas

by bacek on Feb 23, 2011 9:50 AM PST reply actions

Yow

Knew it was going to be no fun with Gordon. I meant to mention before the game how I’m keen on following the careers of Gordon, Westbrook, and Rose very closely. So it’s disappointing when you miss a head-to-head matchup.

Instead we got to see a weak Westbrook vs. Bledsoe contest. And it appears that VDN was forced to overplay BDavis on the road trip, as he has lost his mojo and zip. Kind of too bad, and the all-star break didn’t make it better. It might be a good idea to shut him down until Gordon comes back, giving Bledsoe some starts and Willie Warren some time.

Wait!? Is that the sound of mild tanking I hear?! The foot coming just oh so gently off the gas? Without Gordon, and with BDavis below par, the Clippers are not going to win these kinds of tough road games. But they do need to know how to battle hard and go the extra mile on the road.

Mostly I’m curious about the Blake Effect on Kaman. Looks like it’s going to take its time kicking in.

Not sure what VDN was thinking closing out the half with Cook and Diogu. Why not Kaman? That was really ugly.

by citizen zhiv on Feb 23, 2011 10:38 AM PST reply actions

DJ

I don’t buy the love that DJ gets. He is not a smart player. His hands must be small because he cannot handle the numerous passes he fumbles under the basket. He must lead the NBA in stupid fouls with less than 4 seconds on the opponent’s shot clock. He will never have a jump shot. He can’t shoot free throws. I’m a seller.

by ClipperAnalyst on Feb 23, 2011 1:30 PM PST reply actions

I'd like to keep him but yeah, he leaves something to be desired.

Simply put, he just doesn’t do enough things right. But when he’s on, he’s a capable starter in this league.

by dulciusXasperis on Feb 23, 2011 1:33 PM PST up reply actions

I’d keep him even though most likely he will never be a legit starting center. But a good back up he is. He also can become a better defensive player. Having a guy in the middle that can grab boards and alter shots is very important. He still has room to get better.

by tenkaistar on Feb 23, 2011 11:45 PM PST up reply actions

EJ

The whole teams demeanor and fight changed after EJ got injured. They need another battle tested veteran around to help even if that person does not get a bunch of minutes. They just need some help when the chips are down.

by rouse77 on Feb 23, 2011 1:35 PM PST reply actions