Clips Nation - Clippers-Heat game coverage: Challenging the ChampsWhat it do babyyyhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47967/clipsnation_fave.png2012-11-14T22:42:00-08:00http://www.clipsnation.com/rss/stream/34115692012-11-14T22:42:00-08:002012-11-14T22:42:00-08:00Clippers Heat Up the Heat -Clippers 107 - Heat 100
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<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>Excuse that terribly terrible pun of a title, but I couldn't think of anything good to go along with the Clippers win over the Miami Heat. Despite the sluggish and almost painful first half, the Clippers outscored Miami in the 3rd quarter to give them a big enough lead to pull off the 107-100 victory. </p> <p>Let me start off by saying that I forgot how good the Heat are, even though they're the defending championship team. I forget how good LeBron James is, despite him winning MVP 3 out of the past 4 years. In fact, LeBron finished with 30 points on 12-23 shooting, all while grabbing 5 boards and dishing out 7 assists. Being an east coast team, I only get the gift of watching them when they appear on national TV, or when they play the Clippers. Lucky for me, the starts aligned, the moon was blue for once, and I got to see the Heat play the Clippers on national television (and the Clippers won).</p>
<p>The game itself wasn't all flowers and sunshine. The first half was painful to watch, even though the Los Angeles Clippers and the Miami Heat kept trading leads (15 over the first half when I went and counted, although I might have counted wrong). The offense looked a little unmotivated, and the defense was stagnant, allowing the Heat to play around the perimeter, constantly swinging the basketball around the 3 point line until an open man was found to dial in the longball.</p>
<p>Miami showed time and time again why they're the defending champions, scoring 3 pointer after 3 pointer to stay in the game, lead by Shane Battier in the first quarter and Rashard Lewis in the second quarter, who scored 11 points in 9 minutes on 4-4 shooting throughout the first half. Dwayne Wade was a no-show throughout the entire game, finishing with 6 points and 5 turnovers, although a lot of that can be contributed to his injury, which lead him to being a game time decision.</p>
<p>But this isn't a Heat blog. This is a Clippers blog; enough of this Heat shenanigans. To start, Blake returned to his 2011-2012 form this game, scoring 13 points and nabbing 8 boards in the first half, and finishing with 20 points and 14 rebounds overall. Chris Paul and Jamal Crawford also contributed heavily in the first half, with 7 assists for the former, and 14 points for the latter after 24 minutes. The end of the first half also saw a quick swing where the Heat jumped up by 5, only to have it be dropped to 2 points after a Caron Butler 3 pointer with 1.5 seconds left to end the first half. As mentioned earlier, the first half wasn't great by any means, but it was a far cry for what was going to happen in the second half.</p>
<p>The 2nd half was a completely different ballgame than the first half, led by none other then Eric Bledsoe himself. It's amazing seeing Bledsoe play, as he provides such a spark off the bench that I have never seen on this team before. A perfect example would be Bledsoe's chase-down block on Dwayne Wade at the 10 minute mark in the 2nd quarter, which brought Staples center to it's feet. His hustle, defensive pressure, and athleticism brings something off the bench that most teams can't counter, especially at the point guard position. He was a little out of control (4 turnovers), but you there's no stats for working as hard as he does, and that's where he really shows promise in the years to come.</p>
<p>Bledsoe didn't win that second half for the Clippers, though. There's a whole team to account for of course. To start, a little more than a third of the Clippers 33 3rd quarter points came off of free throws (13 points from free throws in the 3rd quarter!), all of which contributed to the Clippers finishing 27-32 from the line, which, for you lazy people, is 84.4%. How big of an improvement from last year is that? On top of that, the defensive pressure that we've been seeing from the Clippers in past games continued through tonight's win. The Clippers forced the Heatles to turn the ball over 19 times, up from their 13 turnovers per game that they're averaging on the season.</p>
<p>Of course, that defensive pressure turns into things like fast break points (10 in the first half), steals, and rebounds, all which led to the Clips having a 20 point lead with 5:43 left in the 4th quarter. However, garbage time and carelessness set in, and the Heat brought it to a 7 point lead, but the game was won at that point, so all of that doesn't really matter. Speaking which, Lamar Odom is now scoreless 3 games in a row, which has never happened in his career as a basketball player. I'm really hoping he turns it around, as I'd love to see him do well again in LA. Points aren't everything, though. Despite not contributing on the offensive end, Lamar continues to add to the Mighty Morphin' Bench with his high basketball IQ, decision making, and ball handling. His ability to pass, take the ball up court, and to create for others plays a key role for the bench squad, and tonight's win wouldn't have been the same without him.</p>
<p>All of that being said, tonight's win may have been a little sloppy, at least the start of the game, but a win is a win. And a win against the Heat is a win against the Heat, who may I remind you, are the defending champions. We shall see what happens when the Clippers meet the Heat in Miami on February 8th though, as both teams should be at full strength then, with Grant Hill and Chauncey Billups returning from injury, and Dwayne Wade being healthy again.</p>
<p>To get the Heat perspective, check out the Heat blog <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hothothoops.com/">Hot Hot Hoops</a> (what happened to Peninsula Is Mightier?), and the box score of the game will be on the bottom of your screen, all of which can be viewed by clicking "complete coverage."</p>
<p>The Clippers play this Saturday at home against an overachieving and Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls at 6pm.</p>
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<table class="box-score">
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<th class="td-left"> <span>Final - 11.14.2012 </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.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a> </span></td>
<td>24</td>
<td>30</td>
<td>20</td>
<td>26</td>
<td class="highlight">100</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>25</td>
<td>27</td>
<td>33</td>
<td>22</td>
<td class="highlight">107</td>
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<p class="foot clearfix"><span class="link-more"><span>Complete Coverage ></span></span></p>
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<p><a href="http://www.hothothoops.com/">Hot Hot Hoops</a></p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2012/11/14/3648294/clippers-heat-up-the-heat-clippers-107-heat-100Ricekrispy102012-11-14T21:21:43-08:002012-11-14T21:21:43-08:00Clippers-Heat fourth quarter open thread
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<p>Looks like the first thread is getting pretty full. Here's a new one to finish out this win.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2012/11/14/3648258/clippers-heat-fourth-quarter-open-threadSteve Perrin2012-11-14T19:15:03-08:002012-11-14T19:15:03-08:00Clippers-Heat open thread
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<figcaption>Jeff Gross</figcaption>
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<p>A big early season test for the Clippers against the defending champs. Are the Clippers contenders this season? This game may have some answers.</p> <table align="center" cellpadding="5" border="1" cellspacing="5"><tbody>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center">2012/2013 NBA Regular Season</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 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="1352864500518">
</center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><b>5-2</b></center></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><center><b>6-2</b></center></td>
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<td bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>November 14th, 2012, 7:30 PM</b></td>
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<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>STAPLES Center</b></td>
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<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>Prime Ticket, ESPN, KFWB 980 AM<br></b></td>
</tr>
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<td align="center" colspan="3"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.tiqiq.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers-tickets?pubid=1011034"><b>Clippers Tickets</b></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Probable Starters</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Chris Paul</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">PG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Mario Chalmers</span></b></td>
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<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>
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<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>
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<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>
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<td width="240" align="right"><span><b>DeAndre Jordan</b></span></td>
<th width="20" align="center">C</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Chris Bosh</span></b></td>
</tr>
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<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Advanced Stats through Nov. 13</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">94.4 (5th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">Pace</th>
<td width="240"><b>92.8 (15th of 30)</b></td>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">108.2 (3rd of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">ORtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>113.6 (2nd of 30)</b></td>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">99.7 (9th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">DRtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>108.0 (25th of 30)</b></td>
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<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Injuries</b></th>
</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>Dexter Pittman</span> (quadriceps) out</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"><br></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; "><span>Grant Hill</span> (knee) out</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><br></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th colspan="3" height="20" bgcolor="silver"></th>
</tr>
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<p> </p>
<p>Dwyane Wade is being called a game time decision after he tweaked an ankle in Miami's last game. I can't decide if I want him to play or not. We'll add new threads as necessary.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2012/11/14/3647544/clippers-heat-open-threadSteve Perrin2012-11-14T05:02:51-08:002012-11-14T05:02:51-08:00Clippers-Heat preview: Taking on the Champs
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<figcaption>Jeff Gross</figcaption>
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<p>The Clippers are 5-2 overall and 4-0 against playoff teams from last season as the Heat come to town Wednesday. L.A. has played their best against the best, and the Heat are the defending Champs.</p> <table align="center" cellpadding="5" border="1" cellspacing="5"><tbody>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center">2012/2013 NBA Regular Season</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 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="1352864500518">
</center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><b>5-2</b></center></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><center><b>6-2</b></center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>November 14th, 2012, 7:30 PM</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>STAPLES Center</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>Prime Ticket, ESPN, KFWB 980 AM<br></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="3"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.tiqiq.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers-tickets?pubid=1011034"><b>Clippers Tickets</b></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Probable Starters</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Chris Paul</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">PG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Mario Chalmers</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"><b><span>Chris Bosh</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Advanced Stats through Nov. 13</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">94.4 (5th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">Pace</th>
<td width="240"><b>92.8 (15th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">108.2 (3rd of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">ORtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>113.6 (2nd of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">99.7 (9th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">DRtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>108.0 (25th 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>Chauncey Billups</span> (Achilles surgery) out</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Dexter Pittman</span> (quadriceps) out</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"><br></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; "><span>Grant Hill</span> (knee) out</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><br></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th colspan="3" height="20" bgcolor="silver"></th>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Back Story:</b></p>
<p>The teams have yet to meet this season. They split their two meetings last season, each winning at home. They also split a pair of preseason games in China in October.</p>
<p><b>The Big Picture:</b></p>
<p>No opponent other than the <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Lakers</a> captures the attention of Clips Nation, nor indeed of the <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Clippers</a> themselves, like the defending champion <a href="https://www.hothothoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Miami Heat</a>. Since 2010 when LeBron James made "The Decision" to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in South Beach, the Heat have been elevated to that Lakers/<a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Celtics</a> echelon that the rest of the league loves to hate. And while the Clippers can still even now feel like an afterthought in L.A., what with that other team signing all the future hall of famers and firing coaches and not hiring coaches and hiring coaches, it's worth noting that on the national stage, Clippers-Heat is a big deal: big enough that the NBA sent the teams to China, big enough that ESPN will broadcast this game (and promote the crap out of it too). The Clippers have been very good against the Heat in STAPLES Center in recent years, winning four straight including their only two L.A. meetings with the LeBron Heat (for more on that recent history be sure to check out Lucas' fine <a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2012/11/12/3634474/the-champs-come-to-town-heat-clippers-pre-preview">post on those games</a>). The teams also split their China games back in October. The game could come down to a question of which team is able to enforce their will on the other. Miami has gone to a small ball lineup without a true center, playing Bosh at the five and Shane Battier and James at the forwards. In the first game in China, DeAndre Jordan looked a bit lost, perhaps owing to jet lag (not to mention that he did not have Chris Paul throwing him lobs); in the second game, he destroyed Bosh, who simply isn't big enough to handle a guy DJ's size. So which team forces the action tonight?</p>
<p><b>The Antagonist:</b></p>
<p>The Heat tried forever to find a big man to play with their big three -- <span>Erick Dampier</span>, <span>Zydrunas Ilgauskas</span>, <span>Juwan Howard</span>, Jamaal Magloire, <span>Ronny Turiaf</span> and <span>Eddy Curry</span> among others have been in Miami over the past couple of seasons. And finally they just gave up. They decided to just put more shooters around the big three (signing <span>Ray Allen</span> and <span>Rashard Lewis</span> this offseason), and not worry about playing a center. It worked great in the playoffs last year -- against teams that were just as willing to get another wing on the floor and play donut basketball (with a hole in the middle). Is it the way of the future? We'll find out. Of course, not every team has players the caliber of James, Wade and Bosh to fall back on in their unorthodox approach. James has won three of the last four MVP awards including last season, and if anything he's been even better this year, seemingly making everything he shoots.</p>
<p><b>The Subplots</b></p>
<ul>
<li> <b>Comparison of key metrics.</b> The Heat are second in the NBA in offensive efficiency and the Clippers are third -- but the Heat score 5.4 points more per 100 possessions than the Clippers! That's a crazy big difference for one spot, and just tells you how well the Heat have been scoring this season. (The only reason they're second and not first is because the <a href="https://www.postingandtoasting.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Knicks</a> have been even more ridiculous.) The Heat defensive efficiency number definitely looks problematic on the surface -- they certainly didn't win an NBA title last year by having a defense in the bottom fifth of the league -- but when you're outscoring people so easily, you may tend to slack off a bit defensively. Still, 25th is pretty terrible and they clearly should and will be better than that as the season wears on.</li>
<li> <b>Good against good teams.</b> The Clippers two losses this season have come against teams that missed the playoffs last season. Against teams that made the playoffs, they are 4-0, with an average margin of victory over 13. The Heat, as defending NBA champs, definitely get the Clippers "A" game, which could spell trouble for Miami.</li>
<li> <b>Paul and Griffin.</b> So far the Clippers have managed to beat some good teams without Griffin playing his best, and with Paul picking and choosing his moments. I'm not sure that will work against the Heat. This is an awfully talented Miami team, and the Clippers will need their best players to play well.</li>
<li> <b>Well rested.</b> The Clippers are in a strange little lull in their schedule where they have two days off between games for a bit. They should be well rested and fully prepared for the Heat tonight. The Clippers are also still in the midst of an incredibly home-friendly start to the season which seems them play eight of their first nine in L.A. and they have yet to leave the pacific time zone. The Heat on the other hand are on game four of a six game Western road trip, tied for their longest trip of the season. They are also in game three of a tough four games in five nights stretch.</li>
<li> <b>Tough stretch.</b> While the pace is somewhat leisurely, the opposition is anything but. The Heat are followed by the <a href="https://www.blogabull.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bulls</a> and then a trip to Oklahoma City and San Antonio. That's four straight games against the four best records in the league last season.</li>
<li> <b>Giant killers.</b> The Knicks are undefeated. After that, there are two teams in the NBA with just one loss, the <a href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Spurs</a> and the <a href="https://www.grizzlybearblues.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Grizzlies</a>. And the Clippers are the team that handed those two teams their only loss.</li>
<li> <b>Chasing rings.</b> In the off-season Miami signed two former All Stars, both of them three point specialists, to help them repeat as champions. Ray Allen is the NBA's all time leader in three point field goals and he turned down the chance to stay in Boston for more money in order to come to Miami to win another title (he won with the Celtics in 2008). Lewis is being paid almost $14M this season -- by the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/new-orleans-hornets" class="sbn-auto-link">New Orleans Hornets</a>; he's being paid the minimum by Miami. Last season he had the third highest salary in the entire NBA behind only <span>Kobe Bryant</span> and Kevin Garnett. What's maddening is that both Allen and Lewis could be great additions in Miami, where Wade and James and Bosh get so much attention and anyone playing with them is bound to get plenty of open three point looks. So far they're doing exactly what they were brought in to do -- they've made 29 of 55 three pointers between them in eight games.</li>
<li> <b>Three point defense.</b> The Clippers have been pretty terrible at defending the three point line this season. The three ball was a big part of their two losses, and it has kept a couple other opponents in games. Opponents have made almost 36 percent of their threes against the Clippers, which is a bit over the league average, while Miami is third in three point percentage at 42 percent. Miami is currently tied for the league lead in three pointers made at 71, almost nine makes per game. On the other hand, Miami has been even worse defending the three than the Clippers have, while L.A. has been better than expected shooting the three. This game figures to be tight overall, so if one team can create an advantage from deep it could make a big difference.</li>
<li> <b>Matching up.</b> There will be strange matchups all over the floor in this one. LeBron is the toughest cover in the league, and the Clippers will assign Caron Butler to him to begin with, but you can expect to see a LOT of <span>Matt Barnes</span>, as Del Negro will trust him with the assignment more than anyone else. Of course, that leaves Wade to be accounted for as well. Willie Green will draw the initial assignment, but without Grant Hill available, the Clippers' choices will be limited -- Barnes is probably the best choice for both of Miami's stars. Expect to see <span>Eric Bledsoe</span> checking the much taller Wade at some point -- which could be great fun. Jamal Crawford has been incredible on offense for the Clippers this season, but his defense will be exploited against this team. The Clippers will try to hide him on Battier or one of the spot up shooters when he's in, but that will have a ripple effect on the rest of the matchups. Down the stretch, if the Clippers go with Crawford and Barnes for Green and Butler as is often the case, does that leave Blake Griffin on LeBron?</li>
<li> <b>More on matchups.</b> At the outset Miami will try to defend Griffin and Jordan with Battier and Bosh. That should not work -- those guys are just giving away far too much size. The Heat will stunt and double the ball, and they have the athletes and the length to recover. How the Clippers punish the Heat for their lack of size, and/or handle the double teams will likely determine this game.</li>
<li> <b>Jordan and Bledsoe.</b> Clippers youngsters Jordan and Bledsoe are perhaps the best reasons for optimism in Clips Nation two weeks into the season. Chris Paul is more or less a given, and Blake Griffin has been a tad disappointing so far (though he'll be fine). But Jordan and Bledsoe have made great progress, which was perhaps more expected from Bledsoe than from Jordan. At any rate, either one of those guys can be a major factor in any given game for the Clippers.</li>
<li> <b>Crawford, Heat-killer?</b> <span>Jamal Crawford</span> continues to lead the Clippers in scoring and has been incredible so far. During the China games we were listening to the Miami announcers on NBA-TV and they went on and on about how Crawford has owned the Heat over the years. While it's true that Crawford scored his career high of 52 against the Heat, his career average of 16.5 in 33 career meetings is only slightly better than his overall average. Still, if Crawford wants to be a Heat-killer tonight it's fine with me.</li>
<li> <b>Get the Heat perspective at </b><a href="http://www.hothothoops.com/"><b>Hot Hot Hoops</b></a> </li>
<li> <b>Lyrical reference:</b><br><br><a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F41229341&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.clipsnation.com%2F2012%2F11%2F14%2F3643830%2Fclippers-heat-preview-taking-on-the-champs" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener"><b>The Cure -- Hot! Hot! Hot!</b></a><br><br><i>Hey hey hey!!!<br>But I like it when that lightning comes<br>Hey hey hey!!!<br>Yes I like it a lot<br>Hey hey hey!!!<br>Yes I'm jumping like a jumping jack<br>Dancing, screaming, itching, squealing, fevered<br>Feeling <b>hot! hot! hot!</b></i><br><br>Not strictly speaking a "Heat" lyric, but I couldn't resist the relationship to the Hot Hot Hoops blog name, plus it allows me to bring the Cure into the conversation. In the 80s, there was probably no single band more important to me than <i>The Cure</i> and the <i>Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me</i> double album was easily the most important in my <i>Cure </i>collection. Not because it was the best -- it's a great album, but <i>Head on the Door</i> is more consistent from top to bottom. <i>Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me </i>was simply vital because of the timing -- it was released when Robert Smith and the Cure were riding high and were still very much at the top of their game, and the combination of anticipation and payoff for me was amazing. I looked forward to that album's release for months, and it did not disappoint.</li>
</ul>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2012/11/14/3643830/clippers-heat-preview-taking-on-the-champsSteve Perrin2012-11-12T01:47:09-08:002012-11-12T01:47:09-08:00Heat-Clippers: Looking Back
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eEt_qXRrtLYzQWOtdRv3phaTcYU=/76x0:549x315/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/3106379/gyi0063018794.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Harry How</figcaption>
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<p>In order to get ready for the Clippers' big game against the Heat on Wednesday, let's look back at LA's record against the big three-era Heat- a record that leaves Miami winless at Staples Center.</p> <p>In the aftermath of a solid victory over Atlanta on Sunday afternoon, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a> can hardly afford to waste their 2 day break before their next game. Why? Their opponents: the defending NBA Champions, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a>.</p>
<p>Before we get into anything else, it's important to pay tribute and show some respect for Miami. They did it. They put together a team, and won a championship. People can hate on LeBron, and say they didn't build their team "the right way"... what's the "right way" again? I'm pretty sure that if you have two conference titles and a Larry O'Brien trophy in your first two years together you're doing something right.</p>
<p>However, maybe the Heat should be a little more keyed up for this matchup than others on their 5-game western trip: the Clippers have won 2 out of 3 matchups against Miami since <span>LeBron James</span> and <span>Chris Bosh</span> joined Dwayne Wade in South Beach.</p>
<p>It started in <span>Blake Griffin's</span> rookie year, when on January 12th, 2011 the Heat came to the City of Angels with a .750 winning percentage to play a team who boasted a victory percentage of less than half of that stellar mark. Despite having all of their superstars score over 25 points, and winning the rebounding battle, the Heat fell to the then-<span>Baron Davis</span> led Clippers in overtime.</p>
<p>Remember Eddie House decking Blake as he went to finish a lob from Baron? Remember Blake's squabble with <span>Mario Chalmers</span> followed by a poster and the textbook "Blake Face" staredown? Remember Baron Davis logging 20 points and 9 assists in one of his finer Clippers performances while <span>Eric Gordon</span> finished with 26 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds and the Rookie of the Year-to-be Blake Griffin exploded for 24 points, 16 boards, and 6 assists?</p>
<p>Remember <span>Ryan Gomes</span> (Ryan freaking Gomes!?!?!?!?) guarding LeBron James for most of the night?</p>
<p>When the Clippers played in Miami a little less than a month later, the magic couldn't be repeated. Without Gordon, the Clippers played a solid game but shot a measly 32.5% from the field and fell by 18- despite Blake Griffin adding 21 points and grabbing 16 rebounds again.</p>
<p>Then, just a day before the 1-year anniversary of the Clippers defeat of the Heat in Los Angeles, the two teams faced off again on January 11th of this year. It was a completely different atmosphere- the Clippers were no longer a young team who could shock the league's best. They had added <span>Chris Paul</span>, <span>Chauncey Billups</span>, and <span>Caron Butler</span>, and once again the Clips would figure out a way to best the first modern 'super-team' in overtime at Staples Center.</p>
<p>Blake Griffin would have another impressive game, scoring 20 points and notching 12 boards, while Chris Paul was the player we saw in big games all last season, finishing with 27 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals while playing 45 of the 53 minutes in a nationally televised overtime thriller. Even DeAndre Jordan helped out, with 8 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 blocks in the game.</p>
<p>LeBron was only 9-17 on free throws on the night, including several key misses near the end of regulation that could have won the game for Miami. When Chris Paul missed a shot as time expired in the fourth quarter, the teams began an overtime period that the Clippers would take 9-3 in order to secure their 6th win of the young season.</p>
<p>Due to the shortened nature of the schedule last season, we were deprived of a Clippers-Heat matchup in South Beach during the 2012 campaign, but worry not: the Clippers will travel to Miami for a Friday night ESPN game in February of 2013.</p>
<p>But as we approach Wednesday night's highly-anticipated game against the NBA's reigning champions, know that the game will be played at Staples Center, and know that the Heat have yet to beat the Clippers at Staples Center since the formation of the Big Three. Know that Blake Griffin has career splits of 22 and 14 against Miami. Know that the Clippers protect their home court (24-9 in games where Chris Paul plays since his arrival).</p>
<p>Know that Heat players like Mario Chalmers want revenge against Blake Griffin.</p>
<p>Know that Chris Paul wants to win against his friend LeBron James.</p>
<p>Know that the Heat know that they haven't won in Staples Center on the Clippers court, and know that they want it.</p>
<p>And Know that the Clippers are going to do everything they can to keep it that way, and with two days off with no travel before hand for preparation and two days off with no travel after for rest, LAC will be giving everything they have come 7:45 on ESPN Wednesday Night.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2012/11/12/3634474/the-champs-come-to-town-heat-clippers-pre-previewLucas Hann