Clips Nation - Clippers-Grizzlies: It starts with a rematchWhat it do babyyyhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47967/clipsnation_fave.png2012-11-01T07:01:25-07:00http://www.clipsnation.com/rss/stream/33438912012-11-01T07:01:25-07:002012-11-01T07:01:25-07:00Clippers open strong, defeat Grizzlies 101-92
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<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>The Clippers opened the season with an exciting and impressive win over the Grizzlies, 101-92. Newcomer Jamal Crawford scored 29 points on just 14 shots and Chris Paul took over down the stretch.</p> <p>The last game the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Los Angeles Clippers</a> won last season came in Game 7 of their playoff series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.grizzlybearblues.com/">Memphis Grizzlies</a>. The first win of this, the most anticipated season perhaps in Clipper history, came against the same foe. All evening the Clippers seemed to be able to respond when they needed to, most crucially in a 28-15 fourth quarter that left little doubt in the game. Free agent <span>Jamal Crawford</span> led all scorers with an impressive 29 points in 30 minutes. Crawford scored his 29 on a hyper efficient 14 shots.</p>
<p>Aside from two lulls where the team seemed to lose focus (a 19-3 run to end the first half followed by an 11-0 run late in the third) the Clippers were terrific. During the bad stretch at the end of the first half in particular, the Clippers simply turned the ball over way too much -- committing five turnovers in six trips at one point. And yes, the Grizzlies as a team force a lot of turnovers and win games by doing so, but for the most part these were simply sloppy plays by the L.A. offense, not great Memphis defense. The good news though is that aside from those turnovers, which seem completely correctable, there was a lot to like.</p>
<p><span>Chris Paul</span> had a 12 point, 12 assist night, adding four steals and four rebounds for good measure. He was not the turnover problem, committing only two himself. As is frequently his custom, he laid low through three quarters, not forcing anything early. But with the game on the line in the fourth quarter he took over, scoring or assisting on the Clippers final 14 points. <span>Eric Bledsoe</span> was almost as good, scoring 13 points, handing out four assists and grabbing 4 rebounds in just 17 minutes. </p>
<p><span>Willie Green</span>, the placeholder at shooting guard until <span>Chauncey Billups</span> returns, was good enough, making a couple of three pointers and working hard on defense, but it seems pretty obvious that Bledsoe needs more minutes at the shooting guard -- giving Green 29 minutes to Bledsoe's 17 makes no sense. Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro seems somehow hesitant to play Paul and Bledsoe together, but he did it in the fourth quarter with the game on the line, and he needs to embrace it earlier and more often. There's no way Green should be getting more burn than Bledsoe.</p>
<p><span>Lamar Odom</span>, a huge source of concern for the Clippers and Clips Nation during the preseason, came out in the first game and showed a level of motivation that has to make everyone feel more comfortable. Consider this -- the entire season in Dallas last year, Lamar had one game in which he had more than one blocked shot (he had three once). Tonight, in 17 minutes, he blocked four shots, and almost had a couple more where he got the ball but was called for a foul. He was overanxious on his first couple of touches, throwing the ball away twice early, and he was not overly sharp offensively in general, but his defense (four blocks, solid post defense) and rebounding (six boards in 17 minutes) more than made up for it. There's still a long way to go, but if motivation was the big worry, Lamar did a lot tonight to allay those fears.</p>
<p>It was not <span>Blake Griffin's</span> best game (11 points, 7 rebounds, 4-10 shooting) but he had good energy and played good defense. The scoring will come for Griffin, so that's not really a concern, and every other Clipper in uniform tonight contributed. <span>DeAndre Jordan</span> (12 points, 7 rebounds), <span>Caron Butler</span> (10 points), <span>Ronny Turiaf</span> (two steals) and <span>Ryan Hollins</span> (three rebounds and a blocked shot) all had their moments; imagine how deep this team will be when they get three rotation players back!</p>
<p>It was a terrific start to the season for the Clippers. They have things they can do better, to be certain. They must take better care of the ball, and they really need to rebound better as well (Memphis won the rebounding battle 33-39). But it felt as if the Clippers were in control all night, even when things weren't necessarily going well. And when things were going well, well then it was a whole lot of fun.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2012/11/1/3584522/clippers-open-strong-defeat-grizzlies-101-92Steve Perrin2012-10-31T22:46:09-07:002012-10-31T22:46:09-07:00Clippers final score: L.A. owns Memphis, 101-92
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<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>The Clippers open the season with a win in what felt a bit like Game 8 of their series with Memphis. Jamal Crawford had a scintillating 29 points in 30 minutes in his L.A. debut.</p> <p>OK, I've been trying to hide it throughout the preseason, but I kind of love this <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Los Angeles Clippers</a> team. I mean, seriously, what's not to love? With 10 men in uniform between injuries and a suspension to <span>Matt Barnes</span>, the Clippers got nice contributions from every last one of them to beat a good <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.grizzlybearblues.com/">Memphis Grizzlies</a> team, 101-92. And they did so with Chris Paul scoring just 12, and Blake Griffin scoring just 11. Imagine when they have <span>Chauncey Billups</span> and Grant Hill and Barnes back?</p>
<p>The Clippers two leading scorers Wednesday night came off their bench. Jamal Crawford, in his first game as a Clipper, scored 29 points in just under 30 minutes to announce his arrival in L.A., and Eric Bledsoe had an impressive <strike>19</strike> 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 17 minutes.</p>
<p>With neither the injured <span>Hill</span> nor Barnes available to spell Caron Butler, the Grizzlies went time and again to Rudy Gay, who responded with 25 points, many of them coming against the undersized defense of Crawford or Willie Green while Bulter rested. But even pressing that advantage to its fullest, the Grizzlies couldn't handle the Clippers.</p>
<p>When the Clippers weren't turning the ball over (22 turnovers in the game including 12 in the second quarter that fueled a 19-3 Grizzlies run) they really had this game in hand. Paul did as he often does, biding his time through three quarters and then taking control of the game in the fourth. His bucket with 3:37 left to give the Clippers a five point lead was just plain filthy, and his assist on Crawford's three pointer a minute later more or less sealed the game.</p>
<p>Back soon with more. </p>
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<th class="td-left"> <span>Final - 10.31.2012 </span> </th> <th>1</th> <th>2</th> <th>3</th> <th>4</th> <th>Total</th>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="loss"> <a href="https://www.grizzlybearblues.com/">Memphis Grizzlies</a> </span></td>
<td>24</td>
<td>29</td>
<td>24</td>
<td>15</td>
<td class="highlight">92</td>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="win"> <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Los Angeles Clippers</a> </span></td>
<td>26</td>
<td>23</td>
<td>24</td>
<td>28</td>
<td class="highlight">101</td>
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<p class="foot clearfix"><span class="link-more"><span>Complete Coverage ></span></span></p>
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https://www.clipsnation.com/2012/10/31/3584398/clippers-final-score-l-a-still-owns-memphis-101-92Steve Perrin2012-10-31T21:01:12-07:002012-10-31T21:01:12-07:00Clippers-Grizzlies: Second Half Open Thread
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<p>If the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a> can stop turning the ball over they've got this. A terrible turnover heavy stretch late in the second quarter allowed the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.grizzlybearblues.com/">Grizzlies</a> to close the half on a 19-3 run to take a 53-49 lead. Other than that stretch the Clippers have looked great.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2012/10/31/3584196/clippers-grizzlies-second-half-open-threadSteve Perrin2012-10-31T19:15:02-07:002012-10-31T19:15:02-07:00Clippers-Grizzlies Open Thread
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<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>Are you ready to finally get this thing started? Meet all your Clips Nation friends here to enjoy the first game of the season.</p> <table cellspacing="5" border="1" cellpadding="5" align="center"><tbody>
<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver">2012/2013 NBA Regular Season</th>
</tr>
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<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 href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/502994/793.gif" target="_blank"><img alt="793_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/502994/793_medium.gif"></a> <br id="1351645292796">
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</tr>
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<td width="240"><center><b>0-0</b></center></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td width="240"><center><b>0-0</b></center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><b>October 31st, 2012, 7:30 PM</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="3"><b>STAPLES Center</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="3"><b>Prime Ticket, KFWB 980 AM<br></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="3"><a href="http://www.tiqiq.com/ClipsNation/NBA/Los-Angeles-Clippers-Tickets" target="_blank"><b>Clippers Tickets</b></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><b>Probable Starters</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><b><span>Chris Paul</span></b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">PG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Mike Conley</span></b></td>
</tr>
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<td align="right" width="240"><span><b>Willie Green</b></span></td>
<th align="center" width="20">SG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Tony Allen</span></b></td>
</tr>
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<td align="right" width="240"><span><b>Caron Butler</b></span></td>
<th align="center" width="20">SF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Rudy Gay</span></b></td>
</tr>
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<td align="right" width="240"><span><b>Blake Griffin</b></span></td>
<th align="center" width="20">PF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Zach Randolph</span></b></td>
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<td align="right" width="240"><span><b>DeAndre Jordan</b></span></td>
<th align="center" width="20">C</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Marc Gasol</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><b>Advanced Stats (2011/2012)</b></th>
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<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>90.8 (18th 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>104.0 (19th of 30)</b></td>
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<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>101.8 (7th of 30)</b></td>
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<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><b>Injuries/Suspensions</b></th>
</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>Darrell Arthur</span> (broken leg) out</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"><br></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><b style="text-align: start; "><span>Grant Hill</span> (knee) out</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td width="240"><br></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><b><span>Matt Barnes</span> (suspended by league) out</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td width="240"><br></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" height="20" colspan="3"></th>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p> </p>
<p>This offseason was shorter than most for Clipper fans, and much shorter than last offseason. So why did it seem to drag on forever? Well, the long wait is finally over, and we've got <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a>-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.grizzlybearblues.com/">Grizzlies</a> tonight. This is your open thread for the game. Keep an eye on the story stream in case new threads are posted during the action.</p>
<p>Oh, and one more thing... Clipper Spirit in Halloween costumes!</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2012/10/31/3582158/clippers-grizzlies-open-threadSteve Perrin2012-10-31T07:01:43-07:002012-10-31T07:01:43-07:00Clips-Grizz Preview: It starts with a rematch
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<figcaption>Kevin C. Cox</figcaption>
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<p>The most highly anticipated Los Angeles Clippers season in history finally gets underway tonight as L.A. hosts the Memphis Grizzlies, the team they faced in the first round of the NBA playoffs last season. The two teams are very similar to the ones that met last May when the Clippers won an exciting and contentious seven game series.</p> <table cellspacing="5" border="1" cellpadding="5" align="center"><tbody>
<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver">2012/2013 NBA Regular Season</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 href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/502994/793.gif" target="_blank"><img alt="793_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/502994/793_medium.gif"></a> <br id="1351645292796">
</center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><b>0-0</b></center></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td width="240"><center><b>0-0</b></center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><b>October 31st, 2012, 7:30 PM</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="3"><b>STAPLES Center</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="3"><b>Prime Ticket, KFWB 980 AM<br></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="3"><a href="http://www.tiqiq.com/ClipsNation/NBA/Los-Angeles-Clippers-Tickets" target="_blank"><b>Clippers Tickets</b></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><b>Probable Starters</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><b><span>Chris Paul</span></b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">PG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Mike Conley</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>Tony Allen</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>Rudy Gay</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>Zach Randolph</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"><b><span>Marc Gasol</span></b></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>90.8 (18th 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>104.0 (19th 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>101.8 (7th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><b>Injuries/Suspensions</b></th>
</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>Darrell Arthur</span> (broken leg) out</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"><br></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><b style="text-align: start; "><span>Grant Hill</span> (knee) out</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td width="240"><br></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><b><span>Matt Barnes</span> (suspended by league) out</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td width="240"><br></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" height="20" colspan="3"></th>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Big Picture:</b></p>
<p>Don't think for a moment that it's just a coincidence that the NBA has these two teams opening their seasons against each other. The opening round series between the <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Clippers</a> and the <a href="https://www.grizzlybearblues.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Grizzlies</a> was one of the best series of last season's playoffs, and included an epic Game 1 comeback not to mention a gritty Game 7 road win by the Clippers. The Grizzlies don't like the Clippers much at this point -- Rudy Gay has said as much -- and would like nothing more than to begin their season with a win over L.A. In this budding rivalry, the Clippers need to defend their home court and get the win tonight. The two teams are largely the same as last year -- the Grizzlies lost <span>O.J. Mayo</span>, the Clippers turned over their bench, but nine out of ten of these guys started in the playoffs. The Clippers will be without their backup small forwards, as Grant Hill recovers from a bone bruise on his knee and Matt Barnes serves a one game league imposed suspension. Too bad -- either one of those guys could have come in handy helping to defend Gay. In their absence, Caron Butler will have to play big minutes and coach <span>Vinny Del Negro</span> will no doubt go to a lot of three guard rotations with <span>Jamal Crawford</span> on the floor.</p>
<p><b>The Antagonist:</b></p>
<p>The Grizzlies have forwards Gay and Zach Randolph healthy to start the season, something they haven't had much for the past couple years. Then again, Memphis has not always played great with both of them available -- the expectation is that they should be better with them, but that has rarely been the reality. We'll see if it is this year. Sadly for Memphis, they do not have Darrell Arthur. The fourth year forward missed all of last season with a ruptured Achilles, and then broke his fibula back in September. Arthur was terrific for them off the bench two years ago, but has been hurt ever since, leaving Mareese Speights as the third big. The estimate when Arthur went down over a month ago was that he'd be out 4 to 6 weeks, but he's not even practicing yet, so he'll be gone for a bit still. The Grizzlies will continue to rely on their formidable front line of Marc Gasol, Randolph and Gay, with the ever-improving Mike Conley running the point. Shooting guard is a wild card with them, with the defensive terror Tony Allen playing a lot of minutes, and journeyman <span>Wayne Ellington</span> trying to fill Mayo's shoes as the scorer off the bench. And no one is going to outwork the Grizzlies, so you have to try to match their effort from the start.</p>
<p><b>The Subplots</b></p>
<ul>
<li> <b>Live Video Preview.</b> Today at 10 AM Pacific, assuming I can figure out how to do it without Lucas holding my hand, I'm going to chat with TLorenzo from SB Nation's Grizzlies blog <a href="http://www.straightouttavancouver.com/">Straight Outta Vancouver</a>. I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle responding to comments live, but we'll see. Check the site at 10 AM for the festivities.</li>
<li> <b>Comparison of key metrics.</b><span style="line-height: 9.75px;"> </span>Statistically, these teams were mirror opposites last season. The Clippers won with a terrific offense and middling defense, the Grizzlies won with good defense despite a mediocre offense. Randolph is a more efficient scorer than Gay, so having him healthy should help their efficiency numbers.</li>
<li> <b>Which team improved?</b> It remains to be seen, but we here at Clips Nation certainly feel like the Clippers will be better this season with the improvements to their bench, not to mention the ongoing development of DeAndre Jordan, <span>Eric Bledsoe</span> and, yes, Blake Griffin. Personnel-wise, the Grizzlies have probably taken a step back. Mayo was their sixth man last season and was their best scorer off the bench (fourth on the team overall). Without Mayo, their bench offense would seem to be limited to <span>Speights</span> and newcomer Ellington, though Ellington was pretty terrible in his three seasons in Minnesota. They also signed <span>Jerryd Bayless</span> to back up Conley at the point; Bayless has been a disappointment in the Assoc. but should nonetheless be an upgrade over the various experiments they tried last season at backup point guard. The Clippers won't be anywhere near full strength tonight with Chauncey Billups, Hill and Barnes missing, but <span>Lamar Odom</span> should be back, and if he can play well then he and Crawford and Bledsoe should be enough to give the Clippers second unit a big advantage.</li>
<li> <b>Free Throw Shooting.</b> It has the potential to be a factor in every Clippers game, but the foul shooting of Griffin and Jordan could be crucial tonight. The Grizzlies are a very physical team and will not hesitate to put Griffin on the line, and they'll do the same with Jordan if he's hurting them inside. Griffin and Jordan both changed their shooting motion this summer, and they were terrible (much worse than their own poor standards) in preseason. The only ray of hope is that each made 5 of 6 in the final preseason game. The Lakers lost their opener almost entirely because of missed free throws Tuesday -- let's hope the Clippers don't repeat that in the same building.</li>
<li> <b>Defending Chris Paul.</b> Heading into last season's playoff series, much was made of the idea that Allen would be able to defend Paul. Allen is a tremendously good defender, but he was not particularly effective against Paul, and I'm not convinced Paul is a good matchup for him. Allen uses a combination of quickness and strength to lockdown scoring wings, but Paul is too clever to allow Allen's strength to be a factor, and is very adept at baiting Allen into committing fouls. Conley on the other hand did a fine job on Paul in the playoffs. </li>
<li> <b>Jordan in Preseason.</b> Every year the Clippers have said that DeAndre Jordan worked hard in the offseason to improve his game, but so far it's never translated, at least not on offense. However, during preseason Jordan averaged better than 16 points per 36 minutes while shooting about 70% and made myriad moves that we've literally never seen from him before -- righty hooks, lefty hooks, spins. Against the Grizz he needs to earn his paycheck on defense first, partly by staying down on Gasol's pump fakes. And of course it will be nice if he can make some free throws.</li>
<li> <b>Conley in Preseason.</b> If DeAndre Jordan was the Clippers secret weapon in preseason, a player who added to his offensive arsenal in the offseason, then that player for the Grizzlies is Mike Conley. Conley, never a big time scorer, led Memphis in scoring in preseason at 16 points per game while playing just 28 minutes per. He shot a sizzling 59% from the field and made 12 of 17 three pointers. He obviously won't shoot 70% from deep on the season, but he seems to be a different shooter than he was last year, and bears no resemblance to the offensive nonentity from a couple seasons ago.</li>
<li> <b>Speaking of three pointers.</b> The three pointer was a non-factor for Memphis last season. They were bottom five in the league in attempts, makes and percentage. On the other hand, it was a major weapon for the Clippers, who were fifth in attempts and makes and around the league average in percentage. Mayo took more threes than anyone else on Memphis and he's gone. Ellington and Bayless may hit s a few, and obviously Conley seems to be improved, but don't expect the Grizzlies to take many. For the Clippers, the loss of <span>Mo Williams</span> and <span>Randy Foye</span> may be felt beyond the three point line, especially until Chauncey Billups returns.</li>
<li> <b>Small forward.</b> The Clippers are much, much deeper at small forward this season than they were last year, but not in this game. Without Hill and Barnes, the team will look very similar to how they did in the playoffs, with a big guard getting the backup small forward minutes (last year it was <span>Nick Young</span>, tonight it will be Jamal Crawford). Both Butler and Crawford will likely play big minutes tonight, with Crawford splitting time between the wing spots.</li>
<li> <b>Lamar.</b> Lamar Odom remains the Clippers biggest question mark as the season opens. He played in just three preseason games, with mixed results, before being shut down with sore knees. He's back at practice now and expected to play tonight. He should be a major upgrade over the likes of <span>Reggie Evans</span> and <span>Kenyon Martin</span> as the first big off the bench, but only if his head and his body are in the right shape. We'll begin to get an idea of where his head's at starting tonight.</li>
<li> <b>The rematch.</b> They would never say it, but I get the impression that the Clippers believe they are better than the Grizzlies. They played Game 7 last year with three starters (Paul, Griffin and Butler) hurting and a fourth out entirely (Billups). Closer to full strength, I think they believe they are simply the better team, as close as things were last year. The Grizzlies finished the regular season a game ahead of the Clippers, which was the difference between the four seed and the five seed last year, and determined home court advantage. There's a good chance these teams will be battling for playoff position at the end of the year this time around as well, so might as well send a message early.</li>
<li><b>Get the Grizzlies perspective at <a href="http://www.straightouttavancouver.com/">Straight Outta Vancouver</a>.</b></li>
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<p><b>Lyrical reference:</b><br><br><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFp8PIEv31c&feature=related"><b>Hot Wax -- Beck</b></a><br><br><i>Stealing pesos out of my brain<br>Hazard signs down the Alamo lanes<br>Radar systems piercing the souls<br>You never get caught with the wax so rotten<br>All my days I got the <b>grizzly </b>words<br>Hijacked flavors that I'm flipping like birds</i><br><br>If you don't like Beck, you can just leave my blog... now.</p>
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https://www.clipsnation.com/2012/10/31/3578842/clippers-grizzlies-preview-it-starts-with-a-rematchSteve Perrin