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| 2015-16 NBA Regular Season | ||
|---|---|---|
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| April 9, 2016 — 12:30 PM PST | ||
| The House that Aldrich Built AKA Staples Center Los Angeles, California | ||
| Prime Ticket, NBATV, KEIB 1150 AM | ||
| Win-Loss Breakdown ('15-'16) | ||
| 41-38 | Record | 51-28 |
| 15-15 | East | 22-8 |
| 26-23 | West | 29-20 |
| 23-17 | Home | 27-12 |
| 18-21 | Road | 24-16 |
| 13-26 | .500+ | 18-20 |
| 28-12 | .500– | 33-8 |
| 7-3 | L10 | 8-2 |
| Projected Starters | ||
| J.J. Barea (questionable) | PG | Chris Paul |
| Wes Matthews | SG | J.J. Redick |
| Justin Anderson | SF | Luc Richard Mbah a Moute |
| The Great Dirk Nowitzki | PF | Blake Griffin |
| Zaza Pachulia | C | DeAndre Jordan |
| Efficiency Stats ('15-'16) | ||
| 96.5 (22nd) | Pace | 97.9 (16th) |
| 104.9 (9th) | OffRtg | 106.5 (6th) |
| 104.3 (16th) | DefRtg | 101.1 (6th) |
| 0.6 (13th) | NetRtg | 5.3 (5th) |
| Injury Report | ||
|
Deron Williams (Abdominal)--Out Chandler "I can't believe I wasn't in the Entourage movie" Parsons (Knee)--Out
|
Austin Rivers (Ankle)--Questionable Wes Johnson (Plantar Fascitis)--Questionable |
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The Big Picture
Fresh from their almost guiltily unexpected victory in Utah on Friday, the Clippers will face yet another opponent taking the end of the season much more seriously than they are. Despite Cole's "I make Hakeem look like Ryan Hollins" performance against the Jazz, Doc has told the media that he plans to spare the Mavs and play the full slate of starters for the Sunday matinee.
Expect to see Chris, Blake, D.J and J.J. log significant minutes. Today's game will likely be the second to last opportunity for the core four to play together before the postseason begins. The team finishes with a back-to-back Tuesday and Wednesday against the Grizzlies and Suns. Doc will very likely play the starters only one of those games (likely on Tuesday at home).
At the top of every Clipper fans' wish list (beside a Spurs home victory Monday) would be a vintage Blake game. Griffin showed flashes of his former self against the Lakers, but let's be honest--Roy Hibbert could show flashes of his former self against the Lakers. Actually, that's a bad example. A good Blake game against a quality opponent like Dallas--especially one in which his jumper is working--would reassure fans that the team is capable of reaching the level of play it displayed in last year's postseason.
The Antagonist
The Mavs are hot, riding the Dirk express (or at his age, the Dirk commuter bus) to a 6-game win streak and a soon-to-be clinched postseason berth. The fighting Carlisles have a magic number of one--any win or Houston loss over the next three games seals Dirk's 15th playoff appearance. While some star veterans who will not be named have singlehandedly sunk the franchise they are synonymous with through ego and absurd contracts handed to them by Jimmy Bus, Dirk's on and off-the-court selflessness has gifted Dallas nearly two decades of competitive basketball--and a ring. Dirk is planning on returning next season--I'm glad today's game won't be his last as Staples.
It is possible Dallas could leap to the five seed and today's matchup could be a preview for the Clippers' first round playoff opponent. But that seems unlikely, as either Dallas would have to sweep it's last three games (including today) if Portland wins it's last game of the season Wednesday in Denver. That also assumes the collapsing Grizzlies continue to collapse. Despite an enduring respect for Dirk and the unavoidable DJ-related media hype involved in a playoff series against Dallas, I feel safe in saying most of Clipper nation would rather face an injury-riddled Mavs team than the young and hungry Blazers.