Clips Nation - Clippers Vs. Heat (Preseason) -- Shanghai SurpriseWhat it do babyyyhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47967/clipsnation_fave.png2012-10-14T02:04:29-07:00http://www.clipsnation.com/rss/stream/32630892012-10-14T02:04:29-07:002012-10-14T02:04:29-07:00Clips 99 - Heat 89; LA looks good in CP3's return
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WGOogPfvg5HYnVHiEmbZyEdLhT4=/102x0:3897x2530/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/1336545/20120928_jla_aj4_269.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire</figcaption>
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<p>After looking listless in a loss to the Heat Thursday in Beijing, the Clippers looked significantly better in beating the Heat Saturday night/Sunday morning in Shanghai as Chris Paul made his preseason debut.</p> <p>It goes without saying that one should get neither too upset about preseason losses nor too excited about preseason wins. It's still preseason after all, the games don't count, and the coaches are invariably trying things they would not try in the regular season. Nonetheless, you'd still rather look good, as the Clippers did Saturday/Sunday in Shanghai, than look bad, as they did Thursday in Beijing.</p>
<p>Why did they look so much better? The short answer is because Chris Paul made his preseason debut, and he makes a lot of things better for the Clippers. The team also played with much more energy and intensity, which may partly be attributable to Paul's presence as well -- just having him out there may have pumped up the rest of the team, not to mention that CP3 is going to get in your grill if you're not intense.</p>
<p>The coaches didn't push their starters very hard in this one. Dwyane Wade played just eight minutes, and the other four 2012 All Stars (LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Paul and Blake Griffin) all played between 20 and 22 minutes, so again it's not a measure -- at all -- of how the Clippers stack up against the NBA Champs. But there was plenty to like from the Clippers tonight. As we've been doing throughout the preseason, let's look at some of the positives and negatives from this third preseason game, the first Clippers preseason win.</p>
<p>
</p>
<ul>
<li>With each passing game, it's becoming apparent that DeAndre Jordan has indeed made major strides in his offensive game. It doesn't appear to be a fluke or a series of lucky bounces -- the guy is a much more effective player in the post, and could actually be a weapon this season. Jordan led all scorers in this one with 18 points, and had 13 of the Clippers first 26 points. He was 8 for 8 from the field, and by my count at least five of those field goals were post moves (as opposed to follows or assisted finishes). He would have been 10 for 10 had he not simply missed two Paul lobs that would have resulted in uncontested dunks. With the dearth of quality centers in the league, DeAndre could punish teams that try to go small -- it's not as if Chris Bosh is a slouch as a post defender, but he's not big enough to stop Jordan. Unfortunately he didn't look much better from the line, going 2 for 6, with as many airballs as makes.</li>
<li>Paul looked good if not great. He barely looked to score, taking just two shots. But with him on the court the Clippers looked like a different team than the one we saw in Beijing on both ends of the court. The ball movement and spacing suddenly get better on offense, the rotations get crisper on defense. It's hard to explain why he impacts the entire team as much as he does, but he does.</li>
<li>Eric Bledsoe went back to being an off the bench disrupter with Paul back in the starting lineup and it's a great role for him. He had three steals and two blocked shots in 26 minutes and can definitely give backup point guards fits this season. He lacked some control running the team, especially in a ragged fourth quarter, but he's going to be a force this season.</li>
<li>The second unit Vinny Del Negro played tonight looked suspiciously like a glimpse into what he plans to do on the regular season. With Paul back, VDN left Willie Green in the starting lineup. Green will clearly fall to fourth guard when Chauncey Billups returns, but starting him now allows VDN to keep his second unit in tact (I'm not convinced it's a worthy goal, but that's the idea). The conventional wisdom would have Bledsoe, Jamal Crawford, Grant Hill and Lamar Odom getting significant minutes off the bench, but if you're talking about a full five man bench unit, it's less clear who the fifth is. Tonight VDN went small, with Odom playing center and Matt Barnes in the first wave of backups playing the four. VDN has clearly liked what he's seen from Barnes in the preseason, and frankly what's not been to like? Rather than feel compelled to play a traditional big like Ronny Turiaf or Ryan Hollins, VDN may choose to go small with his second unit against most teams. That reserve unit had some mixed results in this game -- they were very effective in the second quarter, very sloppy in the ragged fourth -- but it seems like a winning combination.</li>
<li>Odom was much better in this one, though he still has a ways to go. Within two minutes of his entry into the game we got a glimpse of what he can do as the Clippers third big when he threw two successful alley oops to Jordan. The Lakers, with Odom and Pau Gasol feeding each other and Andrew Bynum, were always incredible interior passers. A quick, instinctive high-low pass as the defender is adjusting his positioning is incredibly effective, but not easy to throw. Odom can make that play, and the Clippers have exactly the right players to be on the other end of those passes. Odom also made a couple of nice moves on offense, the best we've seen from his so far his preseason.</li>
<li>Caron Butler continues to be silky smooth. He is playing effortless basketball right now, making everything look easy, and his shooting stroke looks better than ever. Del Negro has kept Caron's minutes down, partly because he's suddenly very deep on the wing, but Butler is looking like he could have a very solid season for the Clippers.</li>
<li>Green on the other hand continues to struggle. The only good news at the two guard in this game was that Del Negro didn't allow it to go on too long, substituting Hill into the game pretty quickly in the first quarter and bringing Barnes in quickly in the third. Did he want to see those guys playing with the starters to try to get a feel for whether they should perhaps replace Green in the starting lineup until Billups' return? Hard to say, but if he's figured out that Green shouldn't be out there for long it's a least a step in the right direction.</li>
</ul>
<p>----</p>
<p>The Clippers return to the states now to continue their preseason. Hopefully they won't be too worse for the wear after traveling halfway around the world. They did some good things in Shanghai and we'll see if they can build on that when they face Utah Wednesday night in STAPLES Center in their first home preseason game.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2012/10/14/3500826/clippers-99-heat-89-l-a-looks-good-in-chris-pauls-returnSteve Perrin2012-10-13T21:15:04-07:002012-10-13T21:15:04-07:00Clippers vs. Heat (Preseason) -- Game Thread
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<figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire</figcaption>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="5" border="1" cellspacing="5"><tbody>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center">2012/2013 NBA Preseason</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/472353/bvv028jd1hhr8ee8ii7a0fg4i_medium.gif" alt="Bvv028jd1hhr8ee8ii7a0fg4i_medium"></center></td>
<th width="20" align="center">vs</th>
<td width="240"><center> <a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/268378/burm5gh2wvjti3xhei5h16k8e.gif" target="_blank"><img alt="Burm5gh2wvjti3xhei5h16k8e_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/268378/burm5gh2wvjti3xhei5h16k8e_medium.gif"></a> <br id="1349887527507">
</center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><b>0-2</b></center></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><center><b>1-1</b></center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>October 13th, 2012, 9:30 PM</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>Mercedes-Benz Arena, Shanghai, China</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>NBA-TV, KFWB 980 AM<br></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Probable Starters</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><span>Er<b>ic Bledsoe</b></span></td>
<th width="20" align="center">PG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Norris Cole</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><span><b>Willie Green</b></span></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Dwyane Wade</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><span><b>Caron Butler</b></span></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>LeBron James</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><span><b>Blake Griffin</b></span></td>
<th width="20" align="center">PF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Shane Battier</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><span><b>DeAndre Jordan</b></span></td>
<th width="20" align="center">C</th>
<td width="240"><span><b>Chris Bosh</b></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Advanced Stats (2011/2012)</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">89.2 (27th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">Pace</th>
<td width="240"><b>91.2 (16th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">108.5 (4th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">ORtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>106.6 (8th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">105.7 (18th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">DRtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>100.2 (4th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Injuries</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; "><span>Chris Paul</span> (thumb surgery) probable</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Mario Chalmers</span> (quad) questionable</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; "><span>Chauncey Billups</span> (Achilles surgery) out</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240">
<b><span>Udonis Haslem</span> (leg) </b><b>questionable</b>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; "><span>Trey Thompkins</span> (knee) out</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240">
<b><span>Joel Anthony</span> </b><b>questionable</b>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th colspan="3" height="20" bgcolor="silver"></th>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p> </p>
<p>This is your game thread for tonight's game.</p>
<p>Hopefully we'll be watching Chris Paul for the first time this season tonight when the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a> meet the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Heat</a> in Shanghai. </p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2012/10/13/3499062/clippers-vs-heat-preseason-game-threadSteve Perrin2012-10-13T12:56:58-07:002012-10-13T12:56:58-07:00Clippers Vs. Heat in Shanghai -- Game Preview
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<figcaption>Jeff Gross - Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Clippers face the defending NBA Champion Miami Heat in the second of two preseason exhibition games in China. The Heat won the first meeting in Beijing easily, with LeBron James scoring 20. The Clippers will again be without Chris Paul as he recovers from thumb surgery. Chris Paul is expected to play in Shanghai for the first time since thumb surgery.</p> <table cellspacing="5" border="1" cellpadding="5" align="center"><tbody>
<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver">2012/2013 NBA Preseason</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><img alt="Bvv028jd1hhr8ee8ii7a0fg4i_medium" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/472353/bvv028jd1hhr8ee8ii7a0fg4i_medium.gif"></center></td>
<th align="center" width="20">vs</th>
<td width="240"><center> <a target="_blank" href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/268378/burm5gh2wvjti3xhei5h16k8e.gif"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/268378/burm5gh2wvjti3xhei5h16k8e_medium.gif" class="photo" alt="Burm5gh2wvjti3xhei5h16k8e_medium"></a> <br id="1349887527507">
</center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><b>0-2</b></center></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td width="240"><center><b>1-1</b></center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><b>October 13th, 2012, 9:30 PM</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="3"><b>Mercedes-Benz Arena, Shanghai, China</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="3"><b>NBA-TV, KFWB 980 AM<br></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><b>Probable Starters</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><span>Er<b>ic Bledsoe</b></span></td>
<th align="center" width="20">PG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Norris Cole</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><span><b>Willie Green</b></span></td>
<th align="center" width="20">SG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Dwyane Wade</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><span><b>Caron Butler</b></span></td>
<th align="center" width="20">SF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>LeBron James</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><span><b>Blake Griffin</b></span></td>
<th align="center" width="20">PF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Shane Battier</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><span><b>DeAndre Jordan</b></span></td>
<th align="center" width="20">C</th>
<td width="240"><span><b>Chris Bosh</b></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><b>Advanced Stats (2011/2012)</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><b style="text-align: start; ">89.2 (27th of 30)</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">Pace</th>
<td width="240"><b>91.2 (16th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><b style="text-align: start; ">108.5 (4th of 30)</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">ORtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>106.6 (8th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><b style="text-align: start; ">105.7 (18th of 30)</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">DRtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>100.2 (4th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><b>Injuries</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><b style="text-align: start; "><span>Chris Paul</span> (thumb surgery) <strike>out</strike> probable</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Mario Chalmers</span> (quad) questionable</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><b style="text-align: start; "><span>Chauncey Billups</span> (Achilles surgery) out</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td width="240">
<b><span>Udonis Haslem</span> (leg) </b><b>questionable</b>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><b style="text-align: start; "><span>Trey Thompkins</span> (knee) out</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td width="240">
<b><span>Joel Anthony</span> </b><b>questionable</b>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" height="20" colspan="3"></th>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Big Picture:</b></p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Clippers</a> and the <a href="https://www.hothothoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Heat</a> meet for the second of two exhibitions in China. The Heat won easily in Beijing on Thursday, dominating the listless Clippers on both ends of the court. Of course, that was against a Clippers team playing without Chris Paul, who will miss tonight's (or it is tomorrow's) game in Shanghai as well. LeBron James looked to be in midseason form as he carved up the Clippers for 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in limited minutes and without much effort. Dwyane Wade was a rusty 2-9 in the first game, so it could get very ugly for the Clippers if Wade plays well. For the Clippers, Blake Griffin scored 19, most of his points coming in a pretty solid third quarter. DeAndre Jordan was solid aside from his atrocious 1-10 performance at the foul line, and Caron Butler and <span>Jamal Crawford</span> looked good. The rest of the team left much to be desired. Eric Bledsoe will be looking to bounce back from a lackluster game in Beijing after opening the preseason with a terrific performance against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.denverstiffs.com/">Nuggets</a>.</p>
<p><b>The Subplots</b></p>
<ul>
<li>[Note by Steve Perrin, 10/13/12 2:25 PM PDT ] Paul likely to play. Well, I guess I should pay more attention. As was pointed out in the comments, it seems as if Chris Paul will make his preseason debut, playing for the first time since his off-season thumb surgery. He has been participating in full contact practices since arriving in China, and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/clippers/news/paul-expected-play-sunday">according to Eric Patten of Clippers.com</a> has been given the go ahead to play some game minutes tonight. I doubt he'll play a lot of minutes, but it will be a welcome sight to see him back on the court.</li>
<li>Comparison of key metrics. The Heat won the NBA Championship last season by being good on offense (eighth in the league) and even better on defense (fourth). The Clippers regular season offense was actually more efficient than the mighty Heat -- but their defense was much worse, so it provides a little glimpse into what will be needed in order to take the next step. Of course the Heat also stepped it up in the playoffs.</li>
<li>Goal: Play better. It doesn't matter if the Clippers win; but it would definitely be nice if they played better. They were sloppy and listless during the Beijing game, committing 25 turnovers, many of them unforced. These games don't count -- but they do count in terms of how the team is able to execute together, and Thursday was not good on that front.</li>
<li>Leslie and Blakely. Coach Vinny Del Negro has yet to play <span>Travis Leslie</span>, <span>Marqus Blakely</span> or <span>Trent Plaisted</span> in the preseason. None of those three are expected to be in the rotation this season of course, but one of them could make the roster, and isn't preseason the time to find out about these guys? Plaisted has no chance of making the team, but Leslie already has a contract (though I'm not completely clear on how much of his salary this season is guaranteed) and Blakely has been on the cusp of making the league a couple of times. If one of them is going to be the 15th contract this year, seems like now's the time to get them out there.</li>
<li>Bledsoe's minutes. In two preseason games, Eric Bledsoe has led the team in minutes played, logging 41 against the Heat. This is largely out of necessity; without Paul or Chauncey Billups, the Clippers only available backup at the point is training camp signee Hank Thorns. Other than Thorns, it's either Willie Green or Jamal Crawford at the point, and Green has been pretty terrible in general while Crawford has been required to score. Now, Bledsoe is young and freakishly athletic so worrying about wearing him out in preseason is probably misplaced, and getting a chance to run the team for an extended period is good experience for a youngster still developing as a point guard -- but 41 is a LOT of minutes in a meaningless game. Seems like it needs to be dialed back at least a bit.</li>
<li>Jordan's free throws. Holy FSM, that was ugly Thursday. DeAndre has always been a terrible free throw shooter, but 1-10 is by far the worst performance of his career. With more and more teams (including the Heat of course) going small, DeAndre will find himself with a physical advantage in the post many times this season. He's actually showing signs of being able to press that advantage with an improved offensive game -- but none of that matters if he can't make free throws. It's expected that reworking a shooting motion will result in a drop off before it begins to improve, but he's been at this for awhile with shooting coach Bob Thate, and also ... one for ten! It doesn't bode well for the season.</li>
<li> <span>Ray Allen</span> and Rashard Lewis. It was just a single preseason game, but it seemed to confirm what one might have suspected about the Heat's new additions, Allen and Lewis. That is, Allen still has a lot left in the tank and could help the team immensely, but Lewis is pretty much done. Now, Lewis will probably get plenty of good looks this season and may knock down some threes, but he's not going to be able to be on the floor much. Allen on the other hand is going to be a key part of the rotation -- and could lead the league in many shooting categories like three point percentage, effective field goal percentage and the like. In general, how amazing is it that two players in the top eight all time for NBA three pointers made joined LeBron this summer? FYI, Chauncey Billups is fifth on that <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=combined&type=totals&per_minute_base=36&lg_id=NBA&is_playoffs=N&year_min=&year_max=&franch_id=&season_start=1&season_end=-1&age_min=0&age_max=99&height_min=0&height_max=99&birth_country_is=Y&birth_country=&is_active=&is_hof=&is_as=&as_comp=gt&as_val=0&pos_is_g=Y&pos_is_gf=Y&pos_is_f=Y&pos_is_fg=Y&pos_is_fc=Y&pos_is_c=Y&pos_is_cf=Y&qual=&c1stat=fg3&c1comp=gt&c1val=1500&c2stat=&c2comp=gt&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=gt&c3val=&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&c5stat=&c5comp=gt&c6mult=1.0&c6stat=&order_by=fg3" target="_blank">all time threes made list</a>.</li>
<li>Grant Hill. Hill made his debut in a Clipper uniform on Thursday and looked solid on defense, but his shot was way off. Hill's always been a solid mid-range shooter, so one presumes he'll be fine there.</li>
<li> <span>Lamar Odom</span>. Odom is now 1-8 in two games back with the Clippers, and has looked beyond rusty. He has rebounded very well, which is certainly good, and still has the skill to take a rebound and head down court on the dribble. But he's tended to get in over his head when he's tried to make plays on offense, because he's just not as sharp as he needs to be. Whether it's a question of conditioning or rust or simply declining skills is impossible to say right now. The Clippers can only hope that he starts looking better.</li>
<li>Lyrical reference:<br><br><a href="http://www.elyrics.net/read/a/asia-lyrics/heat-of-the-moment-lyrics.html" target="_blank">Heat of the Moment -- Asia</a><br><br><i>It was the <b>heat </b>of the moment<br>Telling me what my heart meant<br>The <b>heat </b>of the moment showed in your eyes</i><br><br>OK, so I'm not exactly a fan of Asia -- though a supergroup featuring members of Yes and ELP and Roxy Music was obviously a stroke of genius. But this song does give me a chance to reference a great Seth Rogen line from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405422/quotes" target="_blank">The 40 Year Old Virgin</a>: "I mean, seriously, Asia? You framed an Asia poster? How hard did the people at the frame store laugh when you brought this in?" </li>
</ul>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2012/10/13/3498394/clippers-vs-heat-preseason-game-preview-shanghai-surpriseSteve Perrin