If you're looking for a preview of tonight's Clippers - Spurs game, read the one from Friday. Nothing's changed, and it was spot on, if I do say so myself. The Clippers did exactly NONE of the things I said they had to do, and they got blown out. Maybe this time they'll listen to me.
The one thing that is different is that the Spurs lost to the Lakers last night, so the Clippers are more rested. But the bad news is, the Spurs haven't lost consecutive games with a healthy Manu Ginobili all year. In fact, they tend to run off at least 4 straight after each loss.
This all brings up a disquieting fact. We all know the Clippers have not played well this year. I also pointed out that they have played a pretty tough schedule, particularly on the road, and that consequently they've only lost a few games that they were supposed to win.
The dirty little secret is that they haven't beaten a Western Conference power that was playing well. Sure, they have home wins against Denver, Phoenix and Dallas. But those wins came during the abysmal starts of those three teams (0-3, 1-5 and 0-4 respectively). They beat a hot Orlando team, but let's face it, best record in the Eastern Conference and $4.15 will get a triple vente, half-caff, non-fat latte at the Starbucks.
The West is where it's at. If the Clippers actually MAKE the playoffs, they'll have to play three rounds against the likes of the Spurs, Mavs, Suns, Rockets, etc. before they catch a break and go up against someone cushy like the Magic or Heat. If they're a good team, if they're a playoff team, they have to beat some good teams.