Vinny really screwed up by taking Bledsoe out and leaving Mo in down the stretch. I'm sure free throws had something to do with it, but you don't have to worry about that when you are up by 10. Bledsoe makes things happen on defense.

Sure the Clips had problems of their own on the offensive end during that stretch, but it wouldn't have mattered had they made stops. Mo is a great, valuable player, but he is not a good defender, and should not be in down the stretch. Foye has done an admirable job on Gay and provides a shooting threat, so I can understand him being in the game late. Frankly, I'm not sure why Caron is always on the bench late in games. Vinny's subbing patterns are curious to say the least.

That being said, the Clippers got the job done. They showed guts. Despite being out-rebounded by 11 (and giving up 19 offensive rebounds - yikes!), they managed to do just enough to win.

This game was HORRIBLY officiated. Both teams were the victim of bad calls, though the Clips really got the short end of that. I really wish the NBA would figure out a way to get a handle on the bad refereeing. I'm never one to blame a loss on refs. Bad calls are part of the game. If you allow the game to be close, you allow the refs to be a factor. Play well and you don't have to worry about it. But their ineptitude does for a less enjoyable viewing experience.

Memphis is a tough, gritty team. I respect them. The only reason they haven't swept the Clippers is because they don't have a superstar to take over late in games, and we do. The NBA is a superstars league, and Chris Paul is a super-duper star.

Since we had many Citizens at Game 3, some of us posted pictures on the post-game thread. I want to have this thread as a place for us to share photos of our playoff experiences. It can be pictures of Staples Center, the "Red Sea", you with your family, friends, or other fans, players, Traci B., Madelyn Burke, Clippers Spirit, Wally Szcerbiak's doppleganger, or even with Clipper Darrell. If you want to share your experiences with Clips Nation, this thread is for you. I know some of you cannot make it to a playoff game, so I hope this thread can give you a visual playoff experience from the seat of your home. So if you have photos from Game 3 and future games, please share. PLEASE KEEP ALL PHOTOS CLEAN AND CLIPPER RELATED. Steve, if you think this thread is a bad idea, feel free to delete it. GO CLIPPERS!

So far the Grizzlies have fallen short in trying to stop the "Lob" from LA. The "Lob" has resulted in much energy from the "Red Sea" of people who refused to be "parted" and with much anticipation expects to see the signature shot that has made LA Clippers famous for. It does not matter whether it comes from CP3, Foye, Butler, Bledsoe or even Blake (to DJ) who is the originator and the "lobmaster" himself. Whether you like it or not the lob is here to stay. As the oldie song say "More lob and more joy"........... Keep on winning Clippers!!!!

I listen to comments and espn talk about blake griffin.In my humble opinion he will be the next Jordan.he doesnt have jordan's confidence yet or maybe he doesnt know really how good he can be.His personality is different than jordan's was.But he has just as much potential.I always look at an athlete and guage their dominance as opposed to their conpetitors.When I watch him he seems to have the ability to dominate or when you watch him you say to yourself I would not want to have to play against him/ala jordan/tyson/ali/or all of the greats in the past it was their dominance in their respective sport that made them legends.When I watch him I get that same feeling I did when I watched jordan.I dont get that from kobe/lebron/howard/cp3/ or anyone else.To me he is untradable though not fully developed right now.The clippers are sitting on a gold mine and they know it.

Just an observation but blake needs to grip the ball when he shoots his freethrows he cradles the ball instead of gripping it.I cant believe the team isnt mentioning this to him,he would have more control over his aim,instead of just heaving it up there.As it stands now he looks completely lost when he is at the line,no confidence at all.Someone please mention this to him.It is painful to watch him shoot freethows right now.

Hey everyone, haven't posted in a while but I thought I would share my newest (and only) Blake Griffin wallpaper. I know you all are in full swing of the playoffs, but thought this might be a good way for you all to represent your Clippers at work, home, wherever your computer goes. Take a second to check it out and let me know what you think. I'm sure there are tons of Blake Griffin wallpapers out there, but this will just give you another option. Look forward to watching you guys the rest of the way, thanks for looking.

HERE

Went to the game today with my son, so naturally I recorded the Clippers game on my DVR. Unfortunately, I was limited on DVR space so the next recording ERASED the Clipper Live pregame. Normally, I wouldn't care too much that Iost the pregame but there's a chance I got my boy in the the background when Eaves and Maclean were doing their thing. Is there ANYWAY possible for me to catch this program again? Could someone post just the pregame on youtube or possibly burn it to a DVD (I'd pay you of course!) Thanks in advance!

We have been awful at inbounding all year, and there are very simple reasons why.

1. A tall player needs to inbound, because the guy pressuring the inbound will usually be a wing or power forward with good length (I think it was Cunningham or Pondexter in this game). Therefore, having Gomes doing the inbounds was not a bad idea at all. Yes, he screwed up, but he has the height to be an inbounder. After his mistakes, Mo Williams has been the inbounder, and he is quite possibly the worst choice. Not only is he small, which means it is hard for him to get a pass off, but his being the trigger man also violates the 2nd key principle, which is......

2. Have your best free throw shooter get the ball and shoot the free throws. It is that simple. Mo Williams is the best FT shooter on the team, and one of the best in the league, yet he is the ONE guy who can not shoot the free throws. Yes, Chris Paul and Randy Foye are both good as well, but quite honestly, Mo Williams is automatic, which I dont think the other two guys quite are. Having him not even as a possibility (decoy or something) is an awful decision by Vinny Del Negro.

3. The solution: Have a tall guy who is a decent passer inbound, and run a play for Mo Williams, who will then almost certainly make 2 free throws. There are several guys on the team who fit this description: Blake Griffin, Nick Young (not sure about his passing though), Caron Butler, and, ironically, Ryan Gomes. Any one of these guys would be a far better option to inbound then Mo Williams.

In a slightly related topic, Vinny's rotations at the end of the 4th are awful. I understand Bledsoe is a far better defender than Mo Williams, but you know what, he is guarding Mike Conley out there- probably the last option on the Grizzlies to take a final shot. If we are playing against a top tier point guard, I would consider having Bledsoe in for defense, but even then, his awful free throw shooting would probably turn me away.

Another thing is that there is a reason Gay made those 2 three pointers. Yes, they were very good shots, but he was being defended by Randy Foye, who is about 5 inches shorter and a lot less athletic than Gay is. He played good defense, but the Clippers are lucky that Gay didn't make the final shot or that a foul wasnt called on Foye (he avoided nicely, but I think there was some contact). Having Nick Young or Caron Butler in to defend Gay may have prevented those shots from being made at all (Gay was having particular trouble with Butler).

Finally, I hope Vinny has now realized that Reggie Evans needs to get more minutes than Kenyon Martin . Reggie is seemingly the only big on our team who can consistently get rebounds, and Martin, while a better defender, is also prone to a lot of fouling.

Poll

Did you agree with Vinny's decision to leave Eric Bledsoe in for Mo Williams at the end of the game?

21%

Yes

8 votes

37%

No

14 votes

40%

Depends on the game situation

15 votes

37 votes | Poll has closed

Stub hub is down too and is the only reliable place to sell. My gut says this isn't appropriate to post here but I thought for such a big game and opportunity I would go for it. I have very good seats. Dead center 6th Row. Section 101, seats 15 and 16. I will gladly sell for face (including parking) if any of the great fans on this board are interested. Post your email address and I will email you if interested. Steve, if this inappropriate, please delete.

p.s. I can email tickets and parking pass so need to meet up.

There is much frustration in the Clips Nation because of the "foul play" they think happened in Memphis. The 39 to 18 fouls called favoring the Grizzlies in a hotly contested game greatly affected the outcome of the game. The Grizzlies given the 21 (39 to 18) extra opportunities to score more points definitely contributed to their 7 points winning spread. The question now is "Will the refs do the same for LA? I think the right answer to this is "JUST BE FAIR"!