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The future Pelicans are a team with a bright future, not unlike the pre-Point-God-Clippers, but a bright future can't win you games. It takes talent to win games, and the Clippers currently have much more of it.
The Clippers were hot as they've ever been from outside. They shot 29 threes for the game, but unlike last night against Dallas, they actually made them, shooting 45% overall. But it was just a general energy that seemed better than we've seen from them lately. Caron Butler in particular had one sequence where he swatted Eric Gordon, came back the other way and faked a shot, juked Brian Roberts, and got an and-one. And Chris Paul was animated and annoyed with Grievous Vasquez all game, telling Kristina Pink at the end that Vasquez was talking too much. So he kept Vasquez on the bench in foul trouble, and did pretty much everything you could ask of a Point God. DJ was rebounding like a fiend, and Crawford and Barnes found their three-point-strokes again. The energy just reminded me of when the Clippers were actually having fun playing basketball.
Still, they seemed to forget this after halftime, and my sources have told me that it may have to do with Lil Chris asking everyone to watch "The Iron Giant" at halftime. That movie is so sad. Seriously, watch it and tell me you could just go out and play ball immediately afterward. You couldn't. You'd just be thinking of Vin Diesel saying, "You stay... I go... no following," and fighting that lump in your throat. Well, by the fourth quarter, the Clippers rediscovered their fire, most likely when someone told them that it's just a cartoon and that the Giant (SPOIILER ALERT) totally lives at the end.
Le Box Score is here.
Le Hornets blog is here.
The Bad
The Clippers decided to take the night off on defense, allowing the Hornets to shoot 49%, led by Eric Gordon (24 points on 18 shots) and Anthony Davis (19 points on 13 shots). But that's probably because the Clippers know that defense isn't what the fans want to see. Defense is boring; offense is way more fun. So please, shoot away, Senor Unibrow. Take as many wide open jumpers as you need to. And Sideshow Bob, go ahead and have as many putbacks and wide-open dunks as you want. We are Lob City, and we care first and foremost about entertaining the fans.The Good
Let's just forget about that D-word, and let's focus on the O-word. You might assume I'm talking about "ornithology" but you'd be wrong. Why would I talk about that? That'd just be stupid and really off topic. This is a blog about basketball, not about birds. Seriously, do you guys have A.D.D. or something? You were doing this last time too. No, the O-word I was referring to was "offense," which is, in fact, a basketball term.The Clippers were hot as they've ever been from outside. They shot 29 threes for the game, but unlike last night against Dallas, they actually made them, shooting 45% overall. But it was just a general energy that seemed better than we've seen from them lately. Caron Butler in particular had one sequence where he swatted Eric Gordon, came back the other way and faked a shot, juked Brian Roberts, and got an and-one. And Chris Paul was animated and annoyed with Grievous Vasquez all game, telling Kristina Pink at the end that Vasquez was talking too much. So he kept Vasquez on the bench in foul trouble, and did pretty much everything you could ask of a Point God. DJ was rebounding like a fiend, and Crawford and Barnes found their three-point-strokes again. The energy just reminded me of when the Clippers were actually having fun playing basketball.
Still, they seemed to forget this after halftime, and my sources have told me that it may have to do with Lil Chris asking everyone to watch "The Iron Giant" at halftime. That movie is so sad. Seriously, watch it and tell me you could just go out and play ball immediately afterward. You couldn't. You'd just be thinking of Vin Diesel saying, "You stay... I go... no following," and fighting that lump in your throat. Well, by the fourth quarter, the Clippers rediscovered their fire, most likely when someone told them that it's just a cartoon and that the Giant (SPOIILER ALERT) totally lives at the end.
The Conclusion
Anyway, it wasn't a statement win for the Clippers or a statement loss for the Hornets. Both teams played some pretty good (but ugly) basketball, and while Eric Gordon played as great as we remember he can, eventually the Clippers' talent was just too much. Good win, Clips. I'll take it. With losses by Denver and Memphis, this was truly a must-win. And finally, to quote the Iron Giant, "I am not a gun." Hm. Well put, Iron Giant.The Links
Le Standings are here.Le Box Score is here.
Le Hornets blog is here.