Clips Nation - Clippers-Warriors game coverage -- the North vs. the SouthWhat it do babyyyhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47967/clipsnation_fave.png2013-11-01T16:21:14-07:00http://www.clipsnation.com/rss/stream/48154212013-11-01T16:21:14-07:002013-11-01T16:21:14-07:00Last night, on a very special Viduje tas NBA
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<figcaption>Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>The only basketball pundits more misinformed than Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley are those Lithuanian idiots on Viduje tas NBA -- I really can't stand those guys.</p> <p>As you know, TNT has the exclusive rights to certain NBA broadcasts in the United States. So for halftime shows here in the old bastion of freedom, we were limited to Ernie, Kenny, Charles and Shaq last night when the <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Clippers</a> played the <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Warriors</a>. But did you know that in other countries there are other halftime shows?</p>
<p>As you might suspect, the Lithuanian halftime show, <i>Viduje tas NBA,</i> is one of the most widely watched NBA shows in all of the Baltics, and studio host Ernunas Johnsilonus along with NBA legends Sarunas Marciulionis and "The Red Deadhead" Arvydas Sabonis always provide great analysis.</p>
<p>Here is a partial transcript from the halftime show aired in Vilnius last night, translated from Lithuanian. Copyright laws preclude me from providing the footage, but trust me, I totally speak Lithuanian and this is totally what they said.</p>
<p>********</p>
<p><b>Arvydas:</b> <span>Chris Paul</span> is a turrible point guard. Until he can get his turnovers under control and learn to properly run a team, the Clippers have no chance to compete.</p>
<p><b>Ernunas:</b> Two days ago you said the Clippers were going to win the Western Conference.</p>
<p><b>Arvydas:</b> I never said that. I said on paper...</p>
<p><b>Sarunas:</b> Let me show everyone why Chris Paul is such a problem. Here at 5:37 left in the first quarter, <span>Blake Griffin</span> comes up with a steal and gets the ball to Paul, which is what he's supposed to do. The Clippers have numbers and of course you expect them to be great on the fast break, but Paul is hesitant and -- freeze it! -- see there, he's got Griffin wide open for a lob. OK let it go -- but for some reason, Paul tries to force a different pass and it's stolen by <span>Andre Iguodala</span>.</p>
<p>On this play a few minutes later, Paul drives into the lane without really knowing what he wants to do. He commits the cardinal sin -- freeze it! -- OK look there, he leaves his feet, but "oh oh now what? I have no one to throw it to." That's the first thing you learn, the first thing you're coach tells you, don't leave your feet. He panics and throws the ball behind <span>DeAndre Jordan</span> and out of bounds. Another turnover.</p>
<p>The very next play -- look at this -- he just throws the ball to <span>Draymond Green</span>. I mean, I have no idea what he's thinking about there. That's three bad passes in a little over three minutes in the first quarter.</p>
<p><b>Arvydas:</b> It's like I been saying all along, Ernunas: Chris Paul needs to impose his will on the game and stay under control. The Clippers have NO CHANCE of winning if he hasn't gotten any better, and he obviously hasn't gotten any better. I think he was just making TV commercials all summer.</p>
<p>******</p>
<p>Now if you're like me, you're thinking, "What a bunch of Baltic-boneheads. Were they even watching the game? Chris Paul was great last night, and they just cherry-picked three examples of bad plays. What kind of crazy agenda do these guys have that they would ignore the broader flow of the game -- stuff like Paul's actual first half production or the fact that the Clippers were ahead by 13 -- and nitpick a few mistakes?"</p>
<p>Of course, no one on the TNT crew would ever do anything like that, right?</p>
<p>Suffice it to say that Charles Barkley has convinced me at this point that he is a complete idiot. Not only did he deny saying something he said two days earlier <i>on National TV</i> (he knows those things are cameras right... I mean he knows this stuff is being recorded?) but after the game he actually said that he would take <span>Klay Thompson</span> over <span>Stephen Curry</span> if forced to choose. That's really all you need to know about Charles Barkley as an analyst of the sport of basketball -- he thinks Klay Thompson is better than Steph Curry. Basically, we're done here.</p>
<p>I'm beginning to despise the particular subset of basketball pundit I'll call the game-clip analyst. I struggle not to strangle people who want to use the sample size of one or two games to draw conclusions -- these guys are looking at 10 seconds! It would be one thing if they would tie the clip to a broader statistical weakness in the player's game, but most of the time they don't do that. In fact it's amazing how frequently the broader stats directly contradict the game-clip analyst's point (like for instance if you were to point out to Sarunas Marciulionis that Chris Paul consistently leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio).</p>
<p> </p>
<div class="pullquote">The <i>Inside the NBA</i> crew showed an eight second clip to prove that Griffin stinks</div>
<p>Blake Griffin played 19 minutes and 28 seconds in the first half last night. That's 1168 seconds. He scored 10 points on 4-6 shooting and had four rebounds. His team scored 68 first half points and led the game by 13. The <i>Inside the NBA</i> crew showed an eight second clip at halftime -- representing less than seven one thousandths of his total first half court time -- and with those eight seconds supposedly proved to everyone what they already knew to be true, that Griffin stinks and that is stinkitude irrevocably dooms the Clippers. Never mind that Kenny Smith's sloppy language went from "he catches the ball at the three point line" to "he catches the ball almost to the free throw line" when neither was even remotely true -- that didn't stop Charles from referencing "posting up at the three point line" multiple times. It's not difficult to find individual higlights in which players look bad (I found not one but three in the first quarter for Chris Paul): these guys picked a highlight, and then invented things that happened in it, like Griffin catching the ball at the three point line.</p>
<p>The most amazing thing to me about the entire thing is this: the point they were trying to make (at least I think it is, these guys don't always express themselves all that coherently) is that Griffin, by not getting good position and not forcing a double team, was hurting the Clippers offense. Not hurting the Clippers, not hurting their defense -- specifically hurting the Clippers offense, since obviously post up position and forcing a double team occur strictly when the team has the ball.</p>
<p>THE CLIPPERS HAD 68 POINTS AT HALFTIME! DID THEY WANT THE TEAM TO HAVE 80 POINTS? 150 POINTS? IMAGINE IF BLAKE GRIFFIN HADN'T BEEN SO DETRIMENTAL TO THEIR OFFENSE!</p>
<p>OK, I'm done here. You know, Ernunas Johnsilonus may be an idiot, but at least he doesn't think Klay Thompson is better than Steph Curry.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2013/11/1/5056288/la-clippers-blake-griffin-charles-barkley-kenny-smithSteve Perrin2013-11-01T00:48:06-07:002013-11-01T00:48:06-07:00Clippers beat Warriors in shootout, 126-115
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<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>Steph Curry scored 38 but Chris Paul countered with 42 as the Clippers held off the Warriors in a good old-fashioned shootout. </p> <p>In two January losses to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Golden State Warriors</a> last season, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Los Angeles Clippers</a> watched <span>Stephen Curry</span> score absurd numbers of points on absurd shooting. To the tune of 28 points on 14 shots in one game (an effective field goal percentage of .857 in that one) and 31 points on 16 shots (eFG% .875) in the other. I had come to believe at that point that it mattered not at all what the Clippers did -- if Curry was having that sort of night, there was no way to beat the Warriors.</p>
<p>Well, at STAPLES Center tonight, Curry scored 38 points on 23 shots (eFG% .804) -- and the Clippers still won. (A quick aside about Curry -- unlike the other great scorers in the league, he does not get to the free throw line much. He always avoids contact, never seeks it. He took one free throw in this game -- when he was fouled making a three pointer. So when I say 38 points on 23 shots, I mean <i><b>38 freaking points on 23 freaking shots</b></i>; no 24 free throws added in there like Kevin Durant Wednesday, or 17 like <span>Chris Paul</span> tonight. 38 points on 23 shots is flat out ridiculous.)</p>
<p>So for those of you keeping track at home, that's three games in the last four times he's faced the Clippers that Curry has shot an eFG% over .800.</p>
<p>How did the Clippers win? The simple answer is that they outscored the Warriors with a high-powered offensive display of their own, but there are complexities involved as well.</p>
<p>The way the Clippers defended the Warriors tonight for me illustrates perfectly the vast difference between Curry and his backcourt mate Klay Thompson. Thompson is a great shooter in his own right -- but Curry is in a different category. The Clippers, for the most part, executed their game plan of running the Warriors off the three point line. They stayed home on Curry and Thompson, showed on pick-and-roll defense while the defender fought over the top, and mostly held the coverage until the primary defender was back (there were a few lapses). Thompson had scored 38 points the night before against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/">Lakers</a>, taking 19 shots and hitting 5-7 threes. In this game he took seven shots total, and only two three pointers. You know that coming off a career night, Thompson was looking to get some shots up -- but the Clippers never left him open.</p>
<p>And that's the difference between Thompson and Curry. If you don't leave Thompson open, you can hold him to 10 points on 3-7 shooting. If you don't leave Curry open, he can still burn you for 38 points on 23 shots and drain nine three pointers. Yes, there were a couple of lapses where the defense lost him. But consider also these four among the three pointers he made (and I'm just going off the top of my head):</p>
<ul>
<li><span>at 6:33 of the 2nd quarter, in transition with 20 seconds left on the shot clock, he pulled up off the dribble four steps behind the three point line with <span>Jared Dudley's</span> hand in his face.</span></li>
<li><span>at 8:26 of the third, with the Warriors inbounding with a full shot clock, he did a catch and shoot from the S in the STAPLES Center logo 30-some feet from the basket -- he shot so quickly that the TNT cameras did not realize that we were back to live action.</span></li>
<li><span>at 10:03 of the fourth, <span>Andrew Bogut</span> set a screen above the three point arc, Paul went over the top and <span>DeAndre Jordan</span> showed just like the Clippers planned -- and he pulled up over a strong challenge from the seven foot Jordan.</span></li>
<li><span>at 6:05 of the fourth, on a 3 on 1 fast break with two teammates alone under the basket, he pulled up behind the arc with Jared Dudley close enough to foul him -- and still made the shot.</span></li>
</ul>
<p>I know from his overall statistics that he is not as good as he has been in the sample size of games I've seen him play recently against the Clippers. (Or maybe he will be that good this season.) But this dude is absolutely mind-blowing. He is the closest thing to actually unstoppable, as in you can not stop him from scoring no matter what you do, I've ever seen.</p>
<p>Having said all that, the Clippers defense on him did kind of work in a way. In addition to his 38 points, Curry also committed 11 turnovers -- he was just one assist away from a triple double that you don't really want. The Clippers placed a lot of emphasis on Curry, trying to get the ball our of his hands, and with that focus they came up with a lot of steals and deflections. It also resulted in some easy looks for <span>David Lee</span> (22 points) and a whole bunch of 2-on-1 type situations below the foul line as Lee rolled while <span>Blake Griffin</span> was showing hard on a screen 30 feet away from the basket. Normally you don't do that so far from the hoop, but there are different rules for Curry. Jordan and the rotating Clippers defense was a bit of a mixed bag in these situations -- but it was still preferable to Curry taking the shot.</p>
<p>As great as Curry was, Chris Paul was arguably even better. After a 15 point performance against the Lakers in Tuesday night's loss, hr exploded for 42 points on 12-20 from the field and 16-17 from the line. He also had 15 assists and six steals. It was the first 40 point, 10 assist game of his career. When you add in three three pointers and one and-on that came from his assists, Paul accounted for 76 points in the game. Wow.</p>
<p>Paul's points were far less spectacular than Curry's -- for the most part he was able to evade the defense and get relatively easy shots for himself. (The lobs that led to dunks were plenty spectacular, but more on that in a minute.) It was his highest scoring game as a Clipper (his previous LAC high was 36) and one shy of his career high.</p>
<p>The Clippers also got solid performances from the rest of their starters and off the bench from Jamal Crawford. Blake Griffin finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds making 9 of 12 shots, <span>J.J. Redick</span> scored 17 and made three threes including a fourth quarter dagger, Crawford also had 17, Jared Dudley was the fifth Clipper in double figures with 10 and Jordan finished with nine points and 17 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards, tying his career high.</p>
<p>Importantly, after being destroyed on the glass on Tuesday in the loss to the Lakers, the Clippers built an 11 rebound advantage against the Warriors. They also forced 24 turnovers.</p>
<p>The Clippers essentially put the game away in two separate runs, 20-7 late in the second quarter and 9-0 in the middle of the third. That third quarter run included not one, not two, but three straight Clipper steals that led directly to CP3-to-Griffin lob dunks in a span of about 40 seconds. Here's the <a href="http://www.nba.com/games/20131031/GSWLAC/gameinfo.html?ls=slt#nbaGIPlay" target="_blank">play-by-play from NBA.com</a> for that sequence:</p>
<blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">
<p>05:07 Curry Turnover : Bad Pass (7 TO) Steal:Griffin (2 ST)</p>
<p>05:03 Griffin Alley Oop Dunk Shot: Made (16 PTS) Assist: Paul (10 AST)</p>
<p>04:49 Curry Turnover : Lost Ball (8 TO) Steal:Paul (4 ST)</p>
<p>04:46 Griffin Alley Oop Dunk Shot: Made (18 PTS) Assist: Paul (11 AST)</p>
<p>04:35 Douglas Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Paul (5 ST)</p>
<p>04:31 Griffin Alley Oop Dunk Shot: Made (20 PTS) Assist: Paul (12 AST)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Warriors literally never got the all inside the three point circle during those three possessions -- so that was fun. The Clippers lead was 19 by the third dunk and the rest of the way the Warriors could only get as close as eight (on Curry's four point play) but no closer.</p>
<p>The rest of the Clippers bench aside from Crawford scored just eight points on 2-13 shooting -- which is a problem -- but they'll come around. <span>Matt Barnes</span> certainly isn't sharp with the ball in his hands right now, and <span>Darren Collison</span> didn't get a lot of chances tonight because of Paul's brilliance, but those guys will be fine. The reserve bigs remain a massive problem -- though I have to say that I saw some things I liked out of <span>Byron Mullens</span> in nine minutes, despite his 0-4 shooting display (all three pointers, by the way).</p>
<p>The Clippers have given up 116 points and 115 points in their two games, so if <span>Doc Rivers</span> is going to define this team by defense, he's still got some work to do. But having said that, the team withstood an onslaught from a scorching hot player tonight and still came away with a win. They're now 1-1, and while they don't like losing the Lakers (and of course they'd rather be 2-0) if you're going to split those two games, you'd rather beat the Dubs, since they're the ones that are going to be there at the end of the season.</p>
<p>Most of all, it was another wildly entertaining game between these two teams. I have a feeling we're in for at least three more of them before this season is over.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2013/11/1/5053818/clippers-beat-warriors-in-shootout-126-115Steve Perrin2013-10-31T21:31:19-07:002013-10-31T21:31:19-07:00Clippers-Warriors second half open thread
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a> looked pretty good in the first half, but Steph Curry seems ready to explode. Halftime score 68-55 Clippers.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2013/10/31/5053646/clippers-warriors-second-half-open-threadSteve Perrin2013-10-31T19:15:06-07:002013-10-31T19:15:06-07:00Clippers-Warriors open thread
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Clippers have their home opener against the Warriors. After the Clippers were blown out by the Lakers and the Lakers were blown out by the Warriors, things could get ugly. But it's another day, another game.</p> <table class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" cellspacing="5" border="1" cellpadding="5" align="center"><tbody>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center">2013/2014 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 href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/473712/qhhir6fj8zp30f33s7sfb4yw0.gif" target="_blank"><img alt="Qhhir6fj8zp30f33s7sfb4yw0_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/473712/qhhir6fj8zp30f33s7sfb4yw0_medium.gif"></a> <br id="1350948966075">
</center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><b>0-1</b></center></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><center><b>1-0</b></center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>October 31st, 2013, 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>TNT, KFWB 980 AM, KWKW 1330 AM</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><a href="http://www.tiqiq.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers-tickets?pubid=1011034" target="_blank"><b>Buy 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>Stephen Curry</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>J.J. Redick</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Klay Thompson</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Jared Dudley</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Andre Iguodala</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>David Lee</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>Andrew Bogut</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Advanced Stats (2012-2013 Season)</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">91.1 (19th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">Pace</th>
<td width="240"><b>94.5 (4th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">110.6 (4th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">ORtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>106.4 (11th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">103.6 (8th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">DRtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>105.5 (14th 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>Maalik Wayns</span> (meniscus surgery) out</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240">
<b><span>Harrison Barnes</span> (foot) </b><b>out</b>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><br></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Festus Ezeli</span> (knee surgery) out</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th colspan="3" height="20" bgcolor="silver"></th>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Back Story (2012-2103 head-to-head results):</b></p>
<ul>
<li>11/03/12 in Los Angeles | <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Warriors</a> 114, <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Clippers</a> 110 | <a href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2012/11/3/3595350/clippers-warriors-game-coverage-keep-on-rolling" target="_blank"><b>Recap</b></a> | <b><a href="http://www.nba.com/games/20121103/GSWLAC/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore" target="_blank">Box Score</a></b> </li>
<li>01/02/13 in Oakland | Warriors 115, Clippers 94 | <a href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2013/1/2/3830818/warriors-obliterate-clippers-115-94-chris-paul-blake-griffin" target="_blank"><b>Recap</b></a> | <b><a href="http://www.nba.com/games/20130102/LACGSW/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore" target="_blank">Box Score</a></b> </li>
<li>01/05/13 in Los Angeles | Clippers 115, Warriors 89 | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2013/1/6/3841554/clippers-unleash-on-warriors-115-89-griffin-paul-curry-lee"><b>Recap</b></a> | <b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20130105/GSWLAC/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore">Box Score</a></b> </li>
<li>01/21/13 in Oakland | Warriors 106, Clippers 99 | <b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2013/1/21/3901372/clippers-come-up-short-in-oakland-106-99">Recap</a> </b>| <b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20130121/LACGSW/gameinfo.html">Box Score</a></b>
</li>
</ul>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2013/10/31/5052082/clippers-warriors-open-threadSteve Perrin2013-10-31T12:02:09-07:002013-10-31T12:02:09-07:00Shakespeare was a Clippers fan
<figure>
<img alt="The painful warrior" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/94JVTAQex72rgO1B2xNcKhEsW4I=/56x0:3943x2591/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/22131077/168914359.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>The painful warrior | Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Clips Nation's literary laureate Citizen Zhiv tells us why Shakespeare's Sonnet XXV is speaking directly to Clippers fans. And you guys thought Shakespearean references in previews was a bad idea!</p> <p><i>Editor's Note: In the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Warriors</a> preview, I included Shakespeare's Sonnet XXV, which refers to "The painful warrior". Here is the full sonnet once again, which Zhiv has kindly deconstructed for us below:</i></p>
<blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">
<p>Let those who are in favour with their stars</p>
<p>Of public honour and proud titles boast,</p>
<p>Whilst I, whom fortune of such triumph bars,</p>
<p>Unlook'd for joy in that I honour most.</p>
<p>Great princes' favourites their fair leaves spread</p>
<p>But as the marigold at the sun's eye,</p>
<p>And in themselves their pride lies buried,</p>
<p>For at a frown they in their glory die.</p>
<p>The painful warrior famoused for fight,</p>
<p>After a thousand victories once foil'd,</p>
<p>Is from the book of honour razed quite,</p>
<p>And all the rest forgot for which he toil'd:</p>
<p>Then happy I, that love and am beloved</p>
<p>Where I may not remove nor be removed.</p>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>**********</p>
<p>Had a moment of solid enthusiasm when it was suggested that the new tag might be literary, but now I'm all a-tizzy at this first installment, a Shakespearean sonnet. SP setting up the home opener like this makes up, I think, for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a> horrendous effort in their first game. Okay, maybe not, but let's do this! Anyone up for a bit of literary analysis? Come on, play along!</p>
<p>Does the sonnet not speak to the Clippers' specific dilemma in the first game? And an only slightly twisting read shows the path to redemption, perhaps. That's the beauty of Shakespeare, of course; he's anything and everything. Yes, the Clippers acted like they were "in favour with their stars," no doubt, as "great princes' favourites their fair leaves spread," "famoused for fight." That's exactly what I was going to call it. Nice use of "famoused," but my favourite (let's keep the "u," shall we?) tricky verb is "unlook'd" in the fourth line; that one takes some work to unpack.</p>
<p>How best to read and figure out a sonnet? A lot of Shakespeare's sonnets go out of their way to confuse you, especially us contemporary commoners working with the twitter machine who like, you know, don't keep track of the words so good. The first step is just making it through the first time, getting to the end. Can't feel bad at all when you read the last line and say to yourself "huh?" Next step is to go back to those two lines at the end, the final couplet. It always sums things up and tells you what the hell the Bard was just talking about, more or less. Three quatrains (4 lines) and a couplet (2 lines, duh), makes your classic 14 line sonnet, also known as Shakespearean. Next step: read that bad boy out loud! I swear to god, it's really helpful. Go ahead, try it. The iambic pentameter that SP mentioned makes it easy, once you get the hang of it, because "it clops along nicely just like a horse" (that's ip, if you're paying attention.) There are a few quirks that take some practice, mostly adding a syllable on an -ed ending here and there: "razed" is two syllables in line 11, for instance, as "beloved" is three syllables in line 13. But reading it out loud one time helps you on your way to figuring out what's going on.</p>
<p>Shakespeare's sonnets are all about love and private transcendence, set against the trappings and swiftly passing beauties and accomplishments of the world. Lots of roses, methinks, the exquisite flower that has its day and then wilts and dies. He mixes it up with his flowers here, however, as he talks about "lucky" people who are accomplished and celebrated in the world, and compares them to marigolds, which have a great color and "fair leaves," love to bask in the sun, but their transient glory can disappear in a frown (bad weather; opponent making 3s). The "painful warrior" is literally that, a warrior who is in constant pain because he has been in so many fights ("a thousand victories"; training camp and preseason injuries). If he loses one time-hey there Clipper Nation!-he's scrubbed ("razed") from the book of honour completely ("quite.") It's tough out there.</p>
<p>So yes, the Clippers thought that they were in favour with their stars. (That's their destiny, which is read in the stars; not that CP3 and BG were happy with them because of their contracts.) But let's look at that "I" and think about ourselves. Apparently I didn't bother to "look for joy" in "that I honour most," that is, the thing that is best and most true about the Clippers. Why are we all citizens of this humble nation? Just that, the humility, the bond, the trust that no matter how good and celebrated and starry the Clippers may be, they are still the most destitute and beleaguered of franchises. Ironically it was the evil Laker empire that donned the mantle of plucky underdog, the team with no pride, no worries, and nothing to lose. That's us! They can't have that, can't take it from us. And so lo, it came to pass that the Clippers were deeply humbled in their maiden appearance, and now we can all bow our heads in respect and state with conviction that we are nothing, that we have no glory or pride, that our riches are meaningless and of the air, and all we have is our love, for our team, our nation, and for the game.</p>
<p>Thus happy I, that love and am beloved<br>Where I may not remove nor be removed.</p>
<p>Go Clippers!</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2013/10/31/5051842/shakespeare-was-a-clippers-fancitizen zhiv2013-10-31T06:00:12-07:002013-10-31T06:00:12-07:00Clips-Warriors preview; Can Game 2 be a big game?
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ektoiuucKd_BPCw853XIIsEJwOQ=/0x51:803x586/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/22095529/139430472.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Ezra Shaw</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Clippers need to work on rebounding and defending against three point shooting -- two things the Warriors do very, very well. So let's be optimistic and assume we see terrific progress tonight after a bad loss on opening night.</p> <table class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" cellspacing="5" border="1" cellpadding="5" align="center"><tbody>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center">2013/2014 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 href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/473712/qhhir6fj8zp30f33s7sfb4yw0.gif" target="_blank"><img alt="Qhhir6fj8zp30f33s7sfb4yw0_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/473712/qhhir6fj8zp30f33s7sfb4yw0_medium.gif"></a> <br id="1350948966075">
</center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><b>0-1</b></center></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><center><b>1-0</b></center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>October 31st, 2013, 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>TNT, KFWB 980 AM, KWKW 1330 AM</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><a href="http://www.tiqiq.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers-tickets?pubid=1011034" target="_blank"><b>Buy 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>Stephen Curry</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>J.J. Redick</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Klay Thompson</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Jared Dudley</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Andre Iguodala</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>David Lee</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>Andrew Bogut</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Advanced Stats (2012-2013 Season)</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">91.1 (19th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">Pace</th>
<td width="240"><b>94.5 (4th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">110.6 (4th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">ORtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>106.4 (11th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">103.6 (8th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">DRtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>105.5 (14th 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>Maalik Wayns</span> (meniscus surgery) out</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240">
<b><span>Harrison Barnes</span> (foot) </b><b>out</b>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><br></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Festus Ezeli</span> (knee surgery) out</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th colspan="3" height="20" bgcolor="silver"></th>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Back Story:</b></p>
<ul>
<li>11/03/12 in Los Angeles | <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Warriors</a> 114, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a> 110 | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2012/11/3/3595350/clippers-warriors-game-coverage-keep-on-rolling"><b>Recap</b></a> | <b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20121103/GSWLAC/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore">Box Score</a></b> </li>
<li>01/02/13 in Oakland | Warriors 115, Clippers 94 | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2013/1/2/3830818/warriors-obliterate-clippers-115-94-chris-paul-blake-griffin"><b>Recap</b></a> | <b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20130102/LACGSW/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore">Box Score</a></b> </li>
<li>01/05/13 in Los Angeles | Clippers 115, Warriors 89 | <a href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2013/1/6/3841554/clippers-unleash-on-warriors-115-89-griffin-paul-curry-lee" target="_blank"><b>Recap</b></a> | <b><a href="http://www.nba.com/games/20130105/GSWLAC/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore" target="_blank">Box Score</a></b> </li>
<li>01/21/13 in Oakland | Warriors 106, Clippers 99 | <b><a href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2013/1/21/3901372/clippers-come-up-short-in-oakland-106-99" target="_blank">Recap</a> </b>| <a href="http://www.nba.com/games/20130121/LACGSW/gameinfo.html" target="_blank"><b>Box Score</b></a> </li>
</ul>
<p><b>The Big Picture:</b></p>
<p>On Tuesday the Clippers lost to the Lakers by 13. Yesterday, the Lakers lost to the Warriors by 31. Tonight, the Clippers face the Warrior, and my computer like mind tells me that -- the Clippers will win! Unless they lose by 44. Not a lot went right for the Clippers on Tuesday, but they don't seem to be panicking (unlike the citizens of Clips Nation, who seem ready to trade pretty much anyone on the team based on a single game). After the game, and Wednesday in practice, they were talking about trusting the defensive system, trusting their teammates, not breaking down and reverting to old habits. Given that one of their old habits is to defend three point shooters poorly, they'd best start trusting and executing things pretty darn soon, or the Warriors will rain threes on them. In the new upside-down Pacific Division, the Clippers and Warriors are expected to finish first and second as they did last season, when the two teams played some crazy games against each other. The last three games between these two teams have featured one massive blow out for each team, and two absurd shooting displays by the king of the absurd shooting display, Steph Curry. Honestly, it's anybody's guess as to what happens next.</p>
<p><b>The Antagonist:</b></p>
<p>The Warriors finished last season with 47 wins, their second highest win total in 19 years. They then went on to upset Denver in the first round of the playoffs, before putting a scare into the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a>, the eventual Western Conference champs. In the process, they actually scared every team in the NBA, as in "Holy crap, if those guys are making shots there's no stopping them." The Warriors' backcourt of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson is one of the best shooting duos in the history of the league. Truthfully, Curry and Air Bud would be in the discussion for best shooting backcourt in the league -- the fact that some people argue that Thompson is a better pure shooter than Curry (he's not by the way, but he is awfully good) tells you just how devastating they are collectively. Complementing the Curry/Thompson backcourt, the Warriors have David Lee (a 2013 All Star), Andre Iguodala (a 2012 All Star and 2012 Olympian) and Andrew Bogut (a 2010 3rd Team All NBA selection); this is one loaded roster.</p>
<p><a></a></p>
<p><b>The Subplots</b></p>
<ul>
<li> <b>Comparison of key metrics.</b> You tend to think of the Warriors in terms of their offense, and given their deadly shooters it's understandable. But Golden State was actually slightly above average as a defensive team last season, a significant improvement over the year before. The addition of Iguodala and the improved health of Bogut has the potential to make them an even better defensive team.</li>
<li> <b>The Questionable Blogger.</b> I exchanged a few questions with Nate Parham of the SB Nation Warriors blog <a href="http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Golden State of Mind</a> earlier in the week. Be sure to read <a href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2013/10/30/5047774/clippers-warriors-the-questionable-blogger-with-nate-parham" target="_blank">Nate's answers to my questions</a>, and check <a href="http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">over there</a> for <a href="http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2013/10/31/5049386/clippers-vs-warriors-preview-clips-nation-doc-rivers-deandre-jordan" target="_blank">my answers to his questions</a>. </li>
<li> <b>A rivalry is born.</b> The Clippers and Warriors are historically two of the least successful franchises in the NBA. Since the 1994-95 season, the Clippers have been to the Playoffs four times -- and the Warriors have been twice. Think about that for a moment. The Clippers have twice as many Playoff appearances as the Warriors in Lucas Hann's lifetime. No other NBA franchise has had less success over the same time period. But in the new, upside-down Pacific Division, these are the new Division powers, and it figures to be that way for awhile. The Clippers and Warriors each went to the playoffs last season, and they each have young, talented cores signed for the long term. Meanwhile, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/">Suns</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.sactownroyalty.com/">Kings</a> and Lakers are at three distinctly different stages of the rebuilding process -- the Suns just blew it up, the Kings blew it up a couple years ago and hope they're on the right path but are far from their destination, and the Lakers are about to blow it up. The Clippers and Warriors have the dance floor to themselves for awhile.</li>
<li> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXu6lQqhieA" target="_blank"><b>This is a perfect time to panic</b></a>. The Clippers and their fans should definitely be in a full-blown state of panic over their loss to the supposed-to-struggle Lakers without Kobe Bryant. And the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a> and their fans should definitely be panicking over their loss to the supposed-to-be-one-of-the-worst-teams-in-the-history-of-the-league <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/">76ers</a>. And the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blogabull.com/">Bulls</a> who got <span>Derrick Rose</span> back should panic over their embarrassing loss to the Heat. Basically, we're two days into the season, and everyone needs to panic.</li>
<li> <b>Chris Paul.</b> Paul was 5-13 for 15 points on opening night. He was outscored by <span>Jordan Farmar</span> of the Lakers. Paul hates to lose, especially when he feels he hasn't played well, and he was far from his best on Tuesday. He'll have a chip on his shoulder tonight, you can count on it.</li>
<li> <b>Blake Griffin.</b> One amazing thing about Griffin is that even when he is playing poorly, he can usually put together some numbers just on easy plays. He led the team with 19 points on Tuesday -- but he certainly didn't have a good game. The Clippers desperately need for things to start clicking with Griffin again if they hope to reach their potential this season.</li>
<li> <b>Closing out shooters.</b> It goes without saying that you have to close out on Curry and Thompson. Actually, that's not correct, because closing out on them implies that you left them at some point, which you can't do. Curry set the all time NBA single-season record with 272 three pointers last season and he has the second highest career three point percentage in NBA history (.446). Thompson was third in the NBA last season in three pointers made with 211, and is .406 for his career. I guess the good news, if there is any, is that with Harrison Barnes currently hurt, the Warriors don't really have other guys who will kill you from deep, so you can really focus on Curry and Thompson. It does not however bode well that the Lakers made 14-29 threes against the Clippers, nor that Thompson made 5-7 against the Lakers.</li>
<li> <b>Making shots.</b> You can analyze matchups all day long, dissect strengths and weaknesses. There's little question in my mind that the Clippers are the better team between these two and would win more games than they would lose over time. But any individual game may come down to how the Warriors shoot. Curry and Thompson are the kinds of shooters who can make shots no matter how well you defend. Some nights they make everything -- other nights, the ball doesn't go in as much. If the Warriors are making shots, they're tough to beat, and the game may just come down to that simple fact.</li>
<li> <b>The Warriors and injuries.</b> As Nate Parham pointed out, the Warriors have two important starters that have had a troubling history of injuries. Curry has injured his ankles numerous times since coming into the league, and ankle injuries kept him out of <strike>56</strike> 40 games two seasons ago (though tanking for a draft pick that ended up being Barnes was certainly a factor there as well). Bogut, who the Warriors just signed to a 3 year/$36M extension, has suffered myriad injuries in recent years, and has missed 180 games in the past five seasons. If those guys are healthy and productive, life is good in Oakland. If not? Less so.</li>
<li> <b>The Lee conundrum.</b> David Lee puts up stats. He led the league in double-doubles last season, and is a darling of various advanced metrics like PER and Wins Produced. But when Lee was injured in Game 1 of the first round series against Denver last year, the Warriors went on to win four out of five games without him, after losing the game he started. Lee is a talented offensive player who can score around the basket, hit a face up jumper, and is a fine passer. But he's also a famously bad defender, who was embarrassingly <a href="http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/52811/courtvision-david-lees-interior-defense-a-k-a-the-golden-gate" target="_blank">singled out in a research paper</a> at the Sloane conference last year. I'm not prepared to say that the Warriors are better without him on the floor -- but when you win your playoff series AFTER your team's only All Star selection is injured, it doesn't speak well of said All Star.</li>
<li> <b>Rebounding woes. </b>The Lakers were a terrible rebounding team in pre-season. On Tuesday, the outrebounded the Clippers by 12. The Warriors were a very good rebounding team last year and outrebounded the Lakers by 9 on Wednesday. The Clippers need to fix their three point defense and their rebounding pretty much immediately or it's going to be a long night. It doesn't help that Griffin has been declining as a rebounder each year -- and that <span>Doc Rivers</span> played only two bigs in the first game.</li>
<li> <b>Mulligan.</b> Maybe the Clippers should ask for a do over on signing Byron Mullens. When they signed him, I wasn't sure how much they were going to get out of him this season -- but I wasn't figuring on nothing. Mulligan did not figure in Rivers' opening night rotation as Rivers went small whenever Griffin or Jordan weren't on the floor. For all of his quirks and terrible shot selection, he's actually not a bad rebounder -- not much worse than Griffin on a per minute basis last season. Maybe trot him out there for a few minutes, Doc.</li>
<li> <b>The bright spot.</b> DeAndre Jordan had 17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots Tuesday and seemed to "get it" on defense. There's a long way to go obviously, but he's been a bright spot at every step so far -- camp, pre-season, and opening night.</li>
<li> <b>Connections.</b> Clippers super sub <span>Jamal Crawford</span> spent most of a season in Oakland between his stints in New York and Atlanta. <span><span>Matt Barnes</span></span> really solidified himself as a viable NBA player on the We Believe Warriors of the 2007 playoffs. Newest Clippers Antawn Jamison began his career in Oakland 15 years ago. Warriors coach Mark Jackson was a Clipper back in the early 90s. The two coaches tonight were traded for each other back in 1992, with Rivers leaving and Jackson joining the Clippers. Harrison Barnes (who won't play tonight) and Clippers rookie Reggie Bullock (who probably won't play either) were teammates for a season at North Carolina when they were both freshman. The Clippers can thank the Warriors for DeAndre Jordan's current contract, as he signed an offer sheet with Golden State in 2011 which the Clippers matched. </li>
<li><b>Get the Warriors perspective at <a href="http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/" target="_blank">Golden State of Mind</a>.</b></li>
<li> <b>Shakespearean reference:</b><br><br><a href="http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/sonnets/sonnet_view.php?Sonnet=25" target="_blank"><b>Sonnet XXV</b></a><br><br><i>Let those who are in favour with their stars<br>Of public honour and proud titles boast,<br>Whilst I, whom fortune of such triumph bars,<br>Unlook'd for joy in that I honour most.<br>Great princes' favourites their fair leaves spread<br>But as the marigold at the sun's eye,<br>And in themselves their pride lies buried,<br>For at a frown they in their glory die.<br>The painful <b>warrior</b> famoused for fight,<br>After a thousand victories once foil'd,<br>Is from the book of honour razed quite,<br>And all the rest forgot for which he toil'd:<br> Then happy I, that love and am beloved<br> Where I may not remove nor be removed.</i><br><br>Now, who can tell me some of the characteristics of a Shakespearean sonnet? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? They have ... how many lines....? ... 14 ... And they're in iambic ... what? Anyone? Not schmiambic schmentameter but .... that's right, iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter. Good.</li>
</ul>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2013/10/31/5049650/clippers-warriors-preview-the-earliest-must-win-game-in-the-historySteve Perrin2013-10-30T13:53:00-07:002013-10-30T13:53:00-07:00Clippers-Warriors -- The Questionable Blogger
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4pO7zq6O2QaosT4tRoCw8bQCTbY=/315x0:3739x2283/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/22069267/20121031_gav_sv5_035.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After a disastrous loss to the Lakers, the Clippers have their home opener Halloween night against the Golden State Warriors. In the new, upside down Pacific Division, it's the Warriors, not the Lakers, that will likely battle the Clippers for the title.</p> <p>The smart thing to do after an embarrassing, humbling, frustrating and embarrassing loss (I know I said embarrassing twice, but it was really embarrassing) is to focus on the next game. A loss is a loss, and the NBA season is long -- just move on and try to win the next one. So that's what we're going to do. We're going to move on and look at the next game, rather than dwell on the last one. (OK, I know, we're still going to dwell, but humor me.)</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Los Angeles Clippers</a> have their home opener tomorrow night against the <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Golden State Warriors</a>. It's a Halloween game and you know I love me some <a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2012/11/1/3586576/clipper-spirit-on-halloween" style="background-color: #ffffff;">NBA Cheerleaders in sexy costumes</a> but over and above that, it figures to be a really entertaining game -- these two teams played a fascinating series against each other last year, and both are expected to be serious playoff contenders this year (Clippers opening night issues notwithstanding).</p>
<p>I had a chance to exchange some questions with Nate Parham of SB Nation's Warriors blog <a href="http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Golden State of Mind</a> in advance of the game. Below are his answers to my questions. The Dubs are playing the <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Lakers</a> tonight, so they probably won't be posting my answers to his questions until tomorrow, but be sure to check <a href="http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">over there</a> for their perspective on the game. [Note by Steve Perrin, 10/31/13 11:15 AM PDT ] <a href="http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2013/10/31/5049386/clippers-vs-warriors-preview-clips-nation-doc-rivers-deandre-jordan" target="_blank">It's up on GSOM now</a>.</p>
<p>*************</p>
<p><i><b>Steve Perrin:</b> If I were you, I'd be sick of hearing about Curry's ankles, but sorry I have to ask. Is there a feeling that since he's been without a major sprain for awhile now that his ankles are stronger and he'll be OK? Are there new shoes to keep him safe? Or are his ankles just made of glass and we're all just waiting for the inevitable next time? Is it time we just stop thinking about his ankles and accept that any player can get injured at any time and Curry is no different than anyone else?</i></p>
<p><b>Nate Parham:</b> I'm not nearly as sick of hearing about Curry's ankles as I am sick of that knot of anxiety that wells up in my stomach every time gravity pulls his feet down to the ground awkwardly (and this happens shockingly often...or maybe we've just been conditioned to see any kind of landing as an injury risk now). I think at this point we just can't rule out the thought of the ankle being a problem at any given moment given the completely arbitrary ways that it has been tweaked before.</p>
<p>But to your question alluding to the notion of "injury-proneness", I actually think that's an interesting discussion among Warriors fans right now because we have two players for whom injury is an obvious concern: Curry and <span>Andrew Bogut</span>. With Curry, this is a recurring injury that has happened seemingly at random and can seriously impact his performance. With Bogut, he has suffered a number of injuries but that's just more of an unfortunate string of events than anything that we can truly consider "injury-prone" (unless medical research has established a relationship between falling on one's ankle and later requiring surgery on an ankle). So it's hard not to consider Curry an injury prone player based on his injury history and somewhat unreasonable to think it's not a concern for the Warriors and their chances this season.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><i><b>SP:</b> I really loved <span>Jarrett Jack</span> and <span>Carl Landry</span> off the bench for you guys last year, and while I think the Iguodala acquisition is huge, I get the impression that the losses are being glossed over a bit -- after all, the Warriors super-effective closing unit often featured both Jack and Landry. Are you concerned that depth is going to be an issue this year?</i></p>
<p><b>NP:</b> Well, this team definitely has a depth issue without Jack and Landry: the second unit has struggled to score all preseason and it's not just a matter of preseason jitters. I found it amusing in that preseason game in Sacramento when diminutive <span>Isaiah Thomas</span> tried to step to Curry, never known for his toughness, and Jackson almost immediately threw out The Enforcer Squad of Iguodala, Green, Speights, O'Neal with <span>Toney Douglas</span> coming in shortly thereafter. They don't take no mess. They also don't get buckets.</p>
<p>Basically, they have a bunch of defenders coming off the bench who just aren't going to be explosive scorers. But similar to the matter of who starts, I think the depth problem might be a bit overstated: the strength of this bench is not how they play as a unit that will allow Jackson to make "line changes" but how they can come in and complement the starters in various combinations. As I've already mentioned, I'll be perfectly comfortable rolling into the playoffs with a center rotation of Bogut-O'Neal-Ezeli. At power forward, they can go big or small. They'll obviously be able to throw out a number of looks, defensive and offensive, on the perimeter. The key though is that Jack was the designated finisher last season because he could create his own shot and let Curry play off the ball (and, ok, he had the moxie to take whatever shot came available, which drove me insane most of the season); this season, I'm perfectly comfortable with Iguodala playing that role with the starting unit finishing games.</p>
<p>Overall, the Warriors might end up being an example of where having so many versatile options is as much a blessing as a curse: even as much as I love imagining all these wonderful possibilities, they're going to have to figure out how to fine tune a rotation that maximizes talents with the right combinations. I think it's clear we should see two lineups quite a bit: Curry-Thompson-Iguodala-Lee-Bogut and Curry-Thompson-Iguodala-Barnes-Bogut. Outside of that, since I can't imagine they'll bring in the bench as a full unit of 5 or even 4, I'd expect at least two starters to be on the court at most times. And that's just impossible to predict what combos they'll rely on - or even who the 7th man will be in terms of minutes or next off the bench (O'Neal? <span>Draymond Green</span>? Speights?) - without accounting for the various situations opponents might present. And we could spend days going through those permutations so I'll just spare you.</p>
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<p><i><b>SP: </b>It wasn't that long ago that Andrew Bogut was third team All NBA and among the best defensive centers in the NBA. Obviously he's had myriad injury issues since then, but supposedly he's as healthy as he's been since his All NBA season, and he's still just 28. How do you feel about the Warriors locking him up for three more years? Are you concerned about what that might mean for <span>Klay Thompson</span> when his rookie deal is done, with four players already getting paid big money?</i></p>
<p><b>NP:</b> A number of people have written about how the Warriors should've waited on Bogut's contract, but I have yet to see a reasonable argument for why the Warriors shouldn't have made that deal now (especially given the terms). Three things to consider with that deal: First, Bogut's passing ability, ability to set screens (I'm open to debating their legality) and defensive presence is a perfect fit for a perimeter-oriented team full of jumpshooters. Even if he continues to have a mix of outstanding and lumbering moments, it's very difficult to find another obviously *available* center to replace that role he plays for this unit in next year's class of free agent bigs. Second, if he does hit those incentives in his contract, the Warriors would have to pay more but would also have someone performing as one of the top centers in the league. I'll take that. Of course, even if he doesn't hit the incentives, can we be satisfied with a post rotation of Bogut, O'Neal, and Ezeli at the rate the Warriors are paying them? Yep - I'll take that too. Third - as someone from the GSoM community brought up - after chasing <span>Dwight Howard</span> to replace him, I think it was prudent to show him that they do still believe in him as an important piece to this unit by getting this done and showing a willingness to give him some job security as they pursue bigger goals this season. Call it a Dwight tax, if you will.</p>
<p>Thompson is indeed the next biggest concern now, but Bogut reportedly made the deal he did - at the risk of giving up money next offseason - in part to help accommodate the signing of Thompson. That plus Curry's bargain basement deal gives the Warriors a very cap friendly point guard - center combination for the next few years on a team of guys that by all indications want to stay together. I'd have to think the culture being built and Bogut sacrificing a bit will be part of Thompson's thought process.</p>
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<p><i><b>SP:</b> The Warriors had so much success with small lineups last season. They played most the regular season without Bogut, and most of the playoffs without David Lee. Do you think those two will play together a lot this season? Should they?</i></p>
<p><b>NP:</b> Of course without Barnes available currently and <span>Festus Ezeli</span> definitely out until 2014, we're going to see plenty of Bogut and Lee playing together just as a matter of who's available. However, with Barnes back and Iguodala now on the team, I'd have to think small ball looks way more attractive than it did even when things were clicking during the playoffs.</p>
<p>But to get concrete, in the 31 games the two played together last season, they averaged about 23 minutes per game (with Bogut playing a number of games with a cap on his minutes). I'd honestly like to see that combination drop to the 15-20 minute with the Barnes option available as well as Speights and Green available at the 4 and O'Neal at the 5. In theory, Bogut covers up some of Lee's defensive deficiencies; in practice, Bogut can't magically eliminate Lee's defensive deficiencies (sidebar: a number of Warriors fans hated <a target="_blank" href="http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/52811/courtvision-david-lees-interior-defense-a-k-a-the-golden-gate">Goldsberry's paper on Lee</a>, but that pretty quantified everything that I find frustrating about Lee defensively).</p>
<p>This ultimately comes back to the same thing: the Warriors have options and I'd love to see this team mix it up with different combinations to keep our guys fresh and opponents off balance.</p>
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<p><i><b>SP: </b>During training camp, Mark Jackson hadn't really committed to a starting lineup yet, and <span>Harrison Barnes</span>' pre-season foot injury served to keep things a bit muddled. Jackson <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/gswscribe/statuses/395288623542595584">recently said</a> that when Barnes is healthy (he won't be playing against the Clippers), he'll come off the bench, but is that just a factor of returning from injury, or a final decision? If it were up to you, who would be your starters and who would you bring off the bench?</i></p>
<p><b>NP:</b> First, I have to say that this issue is probably getting a bit blown out of proportion: the Warriors' top six lends itself to a number of configurations, including players in any given lineup playing multiple different roles. So no matter who starts, that top 6 is just going to be tough to deal with because they can go big or small with multiple shooters and ball handlers without sacrificing too much defensively.</p>
<p>So in short, I'm not sure I care who starts as long we have the right combinations on the floor for significant minutes depending on the matchup.</p>
<p>That said, I've been a proponent of starting Thompson from the day the Warriors picked up Iguodala (there are also obviously arguments for bringing Iguodala or Lee off the bench, but I don't think that was ever realistically on the table for the staff). For me the reason is pretty simple: when the primary scorer is Curry, putting him opposite a player like Thompson and running them both off screens can really stretch a defense. With Iguodala with them on the floor, they have an alternate ball handler who can get the ball to either of those two other guys in addition to Bogut who is a more than capable facilitator. And defensively, Thompson is just ahead of Barnes.</p>
<p>This is not at all to negate Barnes' obvious potential - or even to make a commentary who will end up getting the most minutes game-to-game, which will depend a lot on how the staff reads matchups - but at this point Thompson is ahead of him as a ball handler, defender, and (obviously) shooter which just makes that starting unit far more dangerous and will force opponents to make some early decisions about how to respond. If you put any value on landing the first punch, I think a unit with Thompson gives them a better shot.</p>
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<p>Thanks for taking the time to provide these insightful answers, Nate. But I do hope you're not suggesting that I'm blowing anything out of proportion. I <i>never</i> do that. On a related note, the Clippers need to fire Doc Rivers after that horrible loss to the <strike>Clippers</strike> Lakers.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2013/10/30/5047774/clippers-warriors-the-questionable-blogger-with-nate-parhamSteve Perrin