Clips Nation - NBA Playoffs Round 2 Game 3 Clippers-Thunder coverage: Two big gamesWhat it do babyyyhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47967/clipsnation_fave.png2014-05-10T16:17:39-07:00http://www.clipsnation.com/rss/stream/54647992014-05-10T16:17:39-07:002014-05-10T16:17:39-07:00Game 3 Clippers-Thunder: you gotta make shots
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<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>In the decisive five minutes of the fourth quarter, the Thunder made some tough shots while the Clippers missed some easy ones.</p> <p>When Blake Griffin overpowered <span>Caron Butler</span> in the post for an easy layin with a little more than six minutes remaining in Game 3 of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a> series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.welcometoloudcity.com/">Oklahoma City Thunder</a>, Los Angeles took a 100-99 lead. And as every Clipper fan knows, Lawler's Law clearly states that first to 100 wins.</p>
<p>But laws were made to be broken. In such a tight game with so much time left, the Thunder had plenty of opportunity to break Lawler's Law, which they did with a 118-12 win, giving them a 2-1 lead in the series and putting them squarely in control.</p>
<p>The conventional wisdom says that the team that executes better down the stretch will win in a close game like this. Sometimes however it just comes down to making shots. And at the end, as throughout the game, the Thunder made shots while the Clippers did not.</p>
<p>Over the next five plus minutes, the Thunder made six of nine shots, including two three pointers, while the Clippers missed seven of their ten shots and split two free throws. Was OKC getting significantly better shots? Not at all. <span>Serge Ibaka</span> and <span>Russell Westbrook</span> each made tough, contested runners in the lane. Westbrook, a 32 percent three point shooter, made a pull up three and <span>Kevin Durant</span> made an unstoppable turnaround 20 footer with <span>Chris Paul</span> draped all over him. On the other end, <span>Jamal Crawford</span> got right to the rim but missed a layup, had a fastbreak layup blocked by Durant and missed an open 18 footer. <span>Matt Barnes</span> missed an open three. Paul missed an open elbow jumper he'd been making all game.</p>
<p>If you review the game film of the key five minutes, from the point where the Clippers were up one until they fell behind eight with just 22 seconds left, the Clippers had perhaps one bad possession (when Paul settled for a long three) -- every other trip, they got great shots, shots that they just happened to miss.</p>
<p>On the other end, they forced two trunovers and contested almost every shot. They did give up an easy one on an offensive rebound by Ibaka, but that was the only true breakdown. I'm not sure why they decided to switch the high screen down the stretch rather than fighting through, and that decision by the coaching staff certainly hurt them. When Griffin switched onto Westbrook, Russell took him off the dribble to get to the rim. When they switched Paul on to Durant, Durant used his extreme length advantage to shoot over him. They both ended up being tough shots -- but the decision to switch made them easier.</p>
<p>If you were to watch the game tape of those five minutes, but took out the results of the shots, you'd think that the Clippers had won the game. They got the better shots. But that's not how basketball works. You have to make the shots too, and sometimes the other team makes more shots.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2014/5/10/5704870/game-3-clippers-thunder-you-gotta-make-shotsSteve Perrin2014-05-09T23:38:54-07:002014-05-09T23:38:54-07:00The Thunder Take Back Homecourt Advantage, 118-112
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<figcaption>Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Game 3 was an enthralling battle between the Clipper and Thunder stars, and in the end, Oklahoma City's new big three - the one featuring Serge Ibaka instead of James Harden - picked a fine time to make it's post-season debut. </p> <p style="text-align: justify;">It's fitting, I suppose, that it took coming back to Los Angeles for all of the stars in this series to come out. After a few sporadic outburts from the faces of these franchises, all of the incredible, unique talents that each team has to offer were on display in Game 3.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">And unfortunately for the <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Clippers</a>, in a game that was all about dueling stars, Oklahoma City's third wheel made his first real appearance of the post-season, and brilliant performances by <span>Chris Paul</span> and <span>Blake Griffin</span> ended up going to waste because of a simple numbers game: three stars to two.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">You can point to <span>Caron Butler</span> and his trio of three-pointers or maybe Reggie Jackson's aggressiveness going to the basket as the difference in this game, but it was Ibaka that really separated these two teams down the stretch. All night long Ibaka burned the Clipper defense, which was constantly collapsing to stop <span>Russell Westbrook</span> and <span>Kevin Durant</span>, by acting as a release valve at the elbows. When you play the <a href="https://www.welcometoloudcity.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Thunder</a>, you have to pick your poison, and pretty much every team is going to concede that Ibaka mid-range jumper in order to contain the more damaging dribble penetration by Westbrook and Durant.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">But on this night, Ibaka was just as lethal as Oklahoma City's dynamic duo. Even as he dealt with foul trouble throughout the night, Ibaka was able to stay on the floor enough to punish the Clippers' defense. After making his first seven shot attempts of the game from the mid-range, Ibaka capped off his night with a tremendous finish at the rim around Griffin on a pick-and-roll followed by a ferocious throwdown after straight taking the ball away from Griffin on the offensive glass with about four minutes to go.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Even though Durant and Westbrook combined for an efficient 59 points, that is still a point total that the Clippers can survive. But when Ibaka throws in 20 and the Thunder get 28 from Jackson and Butler, the Clippers don't have much of a chance, particularly when the Clippers don't get a third star performance from one of their role players.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Griffin was as good as he's been all post-season, putting up 34 points on a combination of silky outside shooting and smart, physical moves on the block to neutralize OKC's longer defenders and Paul delivered 21 points and 16 assists with zero turnovers, essentially playing perfect ball up until the final minutes of the game when I thought he launched an ill-advised three rather than running the offense. But that supplemental performance from <span>J.J. Redick</span> or <span>Jamal Crawford</span> was lacking on this night, which gave the Clippers a lack of balance and made life tougher on their stars as the Thunder defense loaded up to stop their pick-and-roll attack.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>Matt Barnes</span> had 14 points, but he was just 1-of-6 from three, and his struggles in particular really hurt LAC's spacing. Redick was 0-of-5 up until he hit a meaningless shot in the final minute, but I still think <span>Doc Rivers</span> made a mistake to go with Crawford over him for as long as he did, especially since Crawford was a mess offensively himself. He had a couple of nice crossovers and drives to the basket, but he also missed a key lay-up and was just 1-of-5 from deep. I'd rather have Redick in the game, which allows the Clippers to keep up a motion-based offense, than Crawford is he is going to shoot 6-of-18 from the floor and reduce the offense to a lot of isolation stuff with Paul off the ball.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">And it was somewhat fitting that Crawford's defense was the main culprit on what was the deciding play of the game. The possession was a bit of a mess from the get go, but when Crawford came up with Ibaka, who was looking to set a high screen for Westbrook with just under two minutes to go, Crawford sagged back from the screen, inviting Westbrook to pull-up for a wideopen three that he drilled to put the Thunder up four. The shot clock was already down to five by the time Westbrook got around the screen, and he is almost always going to launch it from deep late in the clock, but Crawford played back to make sure he didn't get blown by and Westbrook made him pay. At the very least, I'd expect Redick to be a little more aware in that situation.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">After storming out of the gates in Oklahoma City with one of the finer offensive displays we have seen all season, the Clippers have taken a step backwards offensively in terms of ball movement and scoring distribution since while the Thunder are trending in the opposite direction. And after shooting the lights from three in Game 1 (15-of-29, 52%), Los Angeles has regressed far past the mean and made just 16 of their 53 long distance attempts (30%) over the past two games. Paul and Griffin were fabulous in this game and the Clippers had a chance with two minutes to go because of their brilliance, but with nobody else stepping up, it was the Thunder that looked like the more complete basketball team on Friday night.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">And that's not something the Clippers can let continue if they want to make it to the next round.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2014/5/9/5702568/oklahoma-city-takes-back-homecourt-advantage-with-a-118-112-victoryMark Travis2014-05-09T21:13:50-07:002014-05-09T21:13:50-07:00Game 3 Clippers-Thunder second half open thread
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<p>After an exciting and wide open first half, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a> lead the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.welcometoloudcity.com/">Thunder</a> by a basket. This is the game we've been waiting for in this series.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2014/5/9/5702364/game-3-clippers-thunder-second-half-open-threadSteve Perrin2014-05-09T19:15:07-07:002014-05-09T19:15:07-07:00Game 3 Clippers-Thunder open thread
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9wtly7KApFy9-mw6dvmxC5RDX8o=/3x0:3996x2662/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/32799763/20140507_mta_ax3_348.JPG.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>It's the first home game of the second round for the Clippers, an opportunity to make a statement that while the Thunder may have been able to win in Memphis, it will not be quite so easy in Los Angeles.</p> <table align="center" cellpadding="5" border="1" cellspacing="5" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table"><tbody>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center">2014 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-playoffs">NBA Playoffs</a><br>First Round</th>
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<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://thunder"></a>
<p><a href="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/100663/khmovcnezy06c3nm05ccn0oj2.gif" target="_blank"><img alt="Khmovcnezy06c3nm05ccn0oj2_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/100663/khmovcnezy06c3nm05ccn0oj2_medium.gif"></a> <br id="1399263854201"></p>
</center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><b>57-25</b></center></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><center><b>59-23</b></center></td>
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<tr></tr>
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<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center">Game 3 - May 9th, 2014, 7:30 PM <br>
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<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>STAPLES Center</b></td>
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<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>ESPN, KFWB 980 AM, KWKW 1330 AM</b></td>
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<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver">Series Schedule<br>
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<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>The series is tied 1-1</b></td>
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<td colspan="3" align="center">
<b>Game 1 - Mon May 5 in Oklahoma City, </b><a href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2014/5/5/5686040/clippers-thump-thunder-122-105" target="_blank"><b>Clippers 122-Thunder 105</b></a>
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<td colspan="3" align="center">
<b>Game 2 - Wed May 7 in </b><b>Oklahoma City, </b><a href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2014/5/7/5693888/thunder-bounce-back-to-bounce-clippers-112-101" target="_blank"><b>Thunder 112-Clippers 101</b></a>
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<td colspan="3" align="center">
<b>Game 3 - </b><b>Fri May 9</b><b>, 7:30 p.m., ESPN, </b><b>Los Angeles, STAPLES Center</b>
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<td colspan="3" align="center">
<b>Game 4 - Sun May 11, 12:30 p.m., ABC, </b><b>Los Angeles, STAPLES Center</b>
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<td colspan="3" align="center">
<b>Game 5 - Tue May 13</b><b>, Time TBD</b><b>, TNT, </b><b>Oklahoma City, Chesapeake Energy Arena</b>
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<td colspan="3" align="center">
<b>Game 6* Thu May 15, Time TBD, ESPN, </b><b>Los Angeles, STAPLES Center</b>
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<td colspan="3" align="center">
<b>Game 7 * Sun May 18, Time TBD, TNT, </b><b>Oklahoma City, Chesapeake Energy Arena</b>
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<td colspan="3" align="center"><b><i>* if necessary</i></b></td>
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<tr></tr>
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<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center">Win-Loss Breakdown</th>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b>21-9</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">East</th>
<td width="240"><b>23-7</b></td>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b>36-16</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">West</th>
<td width="240"><b>36-16</b></td>
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<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b>34-7</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">Home</th>
<td width="240"><b>34-7</b></td>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b>23-18</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">Road</th>
<td width="240"><b>25-16</b></td>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b>25-18</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">.500+</th>
<td width="240"><b>27-16</b></td>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b>32-7</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">.500-</th>
<td width="240"><b>32-7</b></td>
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<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><b>Probable Starters</b></th>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Chris Paul</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">PG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Russell Westbrook</span></b></td>
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<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>Thabo Sefolosha</span></b></td>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Matt Barnes</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Kevin Durant</span></b></td>
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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>Serge Ibaka</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>Kendrick Perkins</span></b></td>
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<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Key Reserves</b></th>
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<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Darren Collison</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">PG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Derek Fisher</span></b></td>
</tr>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Jamal Crawford</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Reggie Jackson</span></b></td>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Jared Dudley</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Caron Butler</span></b></td>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Danny Granger</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">PF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Nick Collison</span></b></td>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Glen Davis</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">C</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Steven Adams</span></b></td>
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<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Advanced Stats 2013-2014 Regular Season</b></th>
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<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">98.39 (7th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">Pace</th>
<td width="240"><b>98.53 (6th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">109.4 (1st of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">ORtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>108.1 (7th of 30)</b></td>
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<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">102.1 (7th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">DRtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>101.0 (5th of 30)</b></td>
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<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><b>Injuries/Other</b></th>
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<tr>
<td style="text-align: right;" align="right" width="240"><b><span>Hedo Turkoglu</span> (back) out</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td width="240"><b>None</b></td>
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<th colspan="3" height="20" bgcolor="silver"></th>
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</tbody></table>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Back Story (The teams split the season series 2-2):</b></p>
<table border="0"><tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; "><b>Date</b></td>
<td><b>Venue</b></td>
<td><b>Final</b></td>
<td><b><br></b></td>
<td><b><br></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; "><b>11/13/13</b></td>
<td><b>Los Angeles</b></td>
<td><b><a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Clippers</a> 111, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.welcometoloudcity.com/">Thunder</a> 103</b></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2013/11/13/5102962/la-clippers-ibaka-less-okc-thunder-111-103-chris-paul-blake-griffin-kevin-durant"><b>Recap</b></a></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20131113/OKCLAC/gameinfo.html"><b>Box</b></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; "><b>11/21/13</b></td>
<td><b>Oklahoma City</b></td>
<td><b>Thunder 105, Clippers 91</b></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2013/11/21/5132244/out-of-sync-clippers-fall-to-thunder-105-91"><b>Recap</b></a></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20131121/LACOKC/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore"><b>Box</b></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; "><b>02/23/14</b></td>
<td><b>Oklahoma City</b></td>
<td><b>Clippers 125, Thunder 117</b></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2014/2/23/5440098/clippers-win-gunfight-at-okc-corral-125-117"><b>Recap</b></a></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20140223/LACOKC/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore"><b>Box</b></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; "><b>04/09/14</b></td>
<td><b>Los Angeles</b></td>
<td><b>Thunder 107, Clippers 101</b></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2014/4/9/5600208/clippers-fall-short-of-oklahoma-city-107-101"><b>Recap</b></a></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20140409/OKCLAC/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore"><b>Box</b></a></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2014/5/9/5701050/nba-playoffs-round-2-game-3-clippers-thunder-open-threadSteve Perrin2014-05-09T11:24:21-07:002014-05-09T11:24:21-07:00Game 3 Clips-Thunder preview: Home court advantage
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oTm4B_L773CV6gUMbd_P_-Hk7hU=/283x90:3643x2330/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/32788515/20140507_mta_ax3_365.JPG.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Clippers-Thunder series comes to Los Angeles all tied at one game apiece. The Clippers can win the series by winning the remaining games on their home court, beginning tonight; but that's easier said than done.</p> <table align="center" cellpadding="5" border="1" cellspacing="5" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table"><tbody>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center">2014 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-playoffs">NBA Playoffs</a><br>First Round</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://thunder"></a>
<p><a href="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/100663/khmovcnezy06c3nm05ccn0oj2.gif" target="_blank"><img alt="Khmovcnezy06c3nm05ccn0oj2_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/100663/khmovcnezy06c3nm05ccn0oj2_medium.gif"></a> <br id="1399263854201"></p>
</center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240"><center><b>57-25</b></center></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240"><center><b>59-23</b></center></td>
</tr>
<tr></tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center">Game 3 - May 9th, 2014, 7:30 PM <br>
</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>STAPLES Center</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>ESPN, KFWB 980 AM, KWKW 1330 AM</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver">Series Schedule<br>
</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>The series is tied 1-1</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center">
<b>Game 1 - Mon May 5 in Oklahoma City, </b><a href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2014/5/5/5686040/clippers-thump-thunder-122-105" target="_blank"><b>Clippers 122-Thunder 105</b></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center">
<b>Game 2 - Wed May 7 in </b><b>Oklahoma City, </b><a href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2014/5/7/5693888/thunder-bounce-back-to-bounce-clippers-112-101" target="_blank"><b>Thunder 112-Clippers 101</b></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center">
<b>Game 3 - </b><b>Fri May 9</b><b>, 7:30 p.m., ESPN, </b><b>Los Angeles, STAPLES Center</b>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center">
<b>Game 4 - Sun May 11, 12:30 p.m., ABC, </b><b>Los Angeles, STAPLES Center</b>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center">
<b>Game 5* Tue May 13</b><b>, Time TBD</b><b>, TNT, </b><b>Oklahoma City, Chesapeake Energy Arena</b>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center">
<b>Game 6* Thu May 15, Time TBD, ESPN, </b><b>Los Angeles, STAPLES Center</b>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center">
<b>Game 7 * Sun May 18, Time TBD, TNT, </b><b>Oklahoma City, Chesapeake Energy Arena</b>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center"><b><i>* if necessary</i></b></td>
</tr>
<tr></tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center">Win-Loss Breakdown</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b>21-9</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">East</th>
<td width="240"><b>23-7</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b>36-16</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">West</th>
<td width="240"><b>36-16</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b>34-7</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">Home</th>
<td width="240"><b>34-7</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b>23-18</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">Road</th>
<td width="240"><b>25-16</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b>25-18</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">.500+</th>
<td width="240"><b>27-16</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b>32-7</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">.500-</th>
<td width="240"><b>32-7</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><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>Russell Westbrook</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>Thabo Sefolosha</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Matt Barnes</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Kevin Durant</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>Serge Ibaka</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>Kendrick Perkins</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Key Reserves</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Darren Collison</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">PG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Derek Fisher</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Jamal Crawford</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">SG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Reggie Jackson</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>Caron Butler</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Danny Granger</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">PF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Nick Collison</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b><span>Glen Davis</span></b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">C</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Steven Adams</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="silver" colspan="3" align="center"><b>Advanced Stats 2013-2014 Regular Season</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">98.39 (7th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">Pace</th>
<td width="240"><b>98.53 (6th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">109.4 (1st of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">ORtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>108.1 (7th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">102.1 (7th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">DRtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>101.0 (5th of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><b>Injuries/Other</b></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: right;" align="right" width="240"><b><span>Hedo Turkoglu</span> (back) out</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td width="240"><b>None</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th colspan="3" height="20" bgcolor="silver"></th>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Back Story (The teams split the season series 2-2):</b></p>
<table border="0"><tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; "><b>Date</b></td>
<td><b>Venue</b></td>
<td><b>Final</b></td>
<td><b><br></b></td>
<td><b><br></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; "><b>11/13/13</b></td>
<td><b>Los Angeles</b></td>
<td><b><a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Clippers</a> 111, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.welcometoloudcity.com/">Thunder</a> 103</b></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2013/11/13/5102962/la-clippers-ibaka-less-okc-thunder-111-103-chris-paul-blake-griffin-kevin-durant"><b>Recap</b></a></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20131113/OKCLAC/gameinfo.html"><b>Box</b></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; "><b>11/21/13</b></td>
<td><b>Oklahoma City</b></td>
<td><b>Thunder 105, Clippers 91</b></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2013/11/21/5132244/out-of-sync-clippers-fall-to-thunder-105-91"><b>Recap</b></a></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20131121/LACOKC/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore"><b>Box</b></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; "><b>02/23/14</b></td>
<td><b>Oklahoma City</b></td>
<td><b>Clippers 125, Thunder 117</b></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2014/2/23/5440098/clippers-win-gunfight-at-okc-corral-125-117"><b>Recap</b></a></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20140223/LACOKC/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore"><b>Box</b></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; "><b>04/09/14</b></td>
<td><b>Los Angeles</b></td>
<td><b>Thunder 107, Clippers 101</b></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2014/4/9/5600208/clippers-fall-short-of-oklahoma-city-107-101"><b>Recap</b></a></td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20140409/OKCLAC/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore"><b>Box</b></a></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Big Picture:</b></p>
<p>As sharp as the Clippers were in Game 1, that's how mediocre they were in Game 2. Overall, you have to be happy about a split in Oklahoma City since all the Clippers have to do now to win the series is defend their home court. But the first two games were such polar opposites that it's difficult to take much away from them about the series going forward. Which Clippers team will show up in LA? Which Thunder team will we see? When you consider that neither Blake Griffin nor DeAndre Jordan have been at their best in the series you begin to feel quite fortunate to have won a game on the road. The Clippers offense picked OKC apart in Game 1, but the length of the Thunder defenders proved to be a big problem in Game 2 as they got deflections and steals and disrupted all of the things that had worked so well the first time around. Still, the Clippers have a lot of weapons, and they just weren't sharp in Game 2 -- if they can execute their offense well, they're going to get good shots, because it's difficult to take everything away, even with OKC's length. If Griffin can get something going with the home crowd behind him, the Clippers should be fine.</p>
<p>
<link href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/3706325/bloglinks.css" rel="stylesheet"></p>
<div class="blog-links-compact-container">
<h4>
<span class="blog-links-star"><img src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/3608771/star.png"></span> The view from Oklahoma City <span class="blog-links-star"><img src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/3608771/star.png"></span>
</h4>
<div class="blog-links-compact-link-container"><a href="http://www.welcometoloudcity.com?utm_source=sbnation&utm_medium=bloglinks&utm_campaign=blogs">Oklahoma City Thunder blog Welcome to Loud City</a></div>
</div>
<p><b>The Antagonist:</b></p>
<p>It's hard to believe that we watched the same team Monday and Wednesday. The Thunder allowed the Clippers to score 100 points through three quarters in Game 1, but took over Game 2 in the third with their pressure defense. Russell Westbrook was a Tasmanian-Devil-whirlwind of activity in Game 2, getting steals, crashing the offensive glass, and basically throwing his body into anything and everything. When he plays like that anything can happen, and in Game 2 it turned out all good for the Thunder. But while one would hope to limit Westbrook and Durant to something below 30 point triple doubles (they came close to having the first such triple doubles in NBA playoff history) at the same time you expect them to put up numbers. It's 14 points from the likes of Thabo Sefolosha -- tying a season high -- that really hurts.</p>
<p><a></a></p>
<p><b>The Subplots</b></p>
<ul>
<li> <b>Series preview.</b> Be sure to revisit the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2014/5/5/5682344/nba-playoffs-round-2-clippers-thunder-series-preview">series preview</a> which contains some of the overarching points for the series. I won't repeat those points here.</li>
<li> <b>Keys to the series.</b> Be sure to check out Mark Travis' <a href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2014/5/4/5680084/keys-to-the-series-calming-the-storm" target="_blank">Keys to the Series post</a> for his insights. Mark will be attending all of the games in Oklahoma City covering it for Clips Nation, so he'll be bringing us on site reporting from Oklahoma throughout the series. </li>
<li> <b>Griffin's struggles.</b> Blake Griffin was an unstoppable force in Games 2 and 3 of the first round series; in the six games since, he's been pretty stoppable. In two games against the Thunder, Griffin has shot 12-29 and grabbed 11 total rebounds. Is it a coincidence that Griffin has been held below 50% shooting in four of the six games since the Sterling story broke? Is he perhaps still a bit more distracted than we would hope? Serge Ibaka has always done a good job on Griffin, he always makes him work and he (obviously) always plays him very physical. Blake needs to take Ibaka away from the basket, face him, use his quickness and make plays against him. It should be noted that in Game 1, even though Griffin didn't shoot real well, he was a terrific playmaker in the center pick and roll. Backing down Ibaka is not going to work very often. Blake needs to use his full range of skills in that matchup.</li>
<li> <b style="font-size: 13px;">Sustainability.</b><span> Chris Paul scored 32 points on 14 shots in Game 1. Russell Westbrook had a (dubious) triple double in Game 2 while making a slew of jump shots. The first two games were more or less decided by the amazing performances of those two individuals. But which team has the advantage when they both play well, but not ridiculously so? </span> </li>
<li> <b>Westbrook.</b> Westbrook has a history of struggling against the Clippers -- but you wouldn't know it from the first two games in which he's averaged 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. More surprising, he's shooting 61 percent from the field in the series -- a very non-Westbrookian number. If Westbrook continues to be this hyper-efficient version of himself, the Clippers could be in trouble. But I'd say he's about due for a 5-19 game.</li>
<li> <b>Granger and Dudley.</b> Kevin Durant has sat out about three minutes in the first half of each of the first two games. He would almost certainly have played the entire second half of each had the games been close. Scott Brooks has every intention of playing Durant about 45 minutes per game if necessary, if not more. The Clippers don't have a great defensive option to put on him, but in theory they can put a few different guys out there and keep those guys fresh. Matt Barnes certainly isn't going to play 45 minutes. Danny Granger and Jared Dudley are the next options against Durant, but both have struggled mightily lately. Granger is one for his last 15 in the playoffs and can't buy a three pointer right now. Dudley was completely out of the rotation in the first round; he was 0-4 in Game 2 against the Thunder, and the misses were all pretty ugly. If one or both of these guys -- who were supposed to be key acquisitions when they first joined the team bear in mind -- can rise above the level of useless on the offensive end, it's going to make a big difference.</li>
<li><span><b>Rebounding.</b> As great as everything was on Monday there was one dark cloud in Game 1 -- the Clippers got killed on the boards. Then they got killed on the boards again Wednesday in losing Game 2. The Thunder have grabbed 16 more rebounds in each of the first two games, and they've pulled down 15 offensive rebounds in each. It's not as if OKC was a terror on the offensive glass in the season -- they were sort of middle of the pack. But the Clippers have struggled off and on protecting their defensive glass all season and they're going to have to do a better job. In Game 2 Russell Westbrook was everywhere and part of his huge impact on the game came in the form of six offensive rebounds. Chris Paul isn't used to defending someone who is crashing the offensive boards like Westbrook, but he's going to have to get a body on Westbrook going forward. </span></li>
<li> <b>DeAndre.</b> After being arguably the best player on the court in the Golden State series, DeAndre Jordan has been very quite in the first two games of the second round, especially in the aforementioned department of rebounding. He averaged over 15 boards per game against the <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Warriors</a> -- he had 13 total rebounds in the two games in Oklahoma. Part of that is simply minutes -- the Clippers won Game 1 easily and Jordan didn't play the fourth quarter, while foul trouble limited his court time in Game 2. But even on a per minute basis, Jordan's rebounding is way down. The Warriors played small a lot, and Kendrick Perkins presents a different obstacle than <span>David Lee</span>, but Jordan was a force in Round 1 and the Clippers need him to be a force again.</li>
<li> <b style="font-size: 13px;">Connections.</b><span> Blake Griffin was born and raised in Oklahoma near Oklahoma City and played his college ball at OU in Norman. Thunder coach <span>Scott Brooks</span> was on the Clippers for about a month in January 1999, though he never got into a game. Former Clipper Ryan Gomes began the season with the Thunder, while former OKC player </span><span>Byron Mullens</span><span> began the season with the Clippers, but both are now gone. In Gomes' place is another recent Clippers small forward, Caron Butler. Chris Paul played his first two seasons in Oklahoma City while the Hornets were displaced from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook were teammates at UCLA, where Collison started at the point pushing Westbrook to shooting guard. <span>Doc Rivers</span> coached Kendrick Perkins at Boston, where they won a title together and might have won another had Perkins not torn his ACL in the playoffs.</span> </li>
<li><b style="font-size: 13px;">Get the OKC perspective at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.welcometoloudcity.com/">Welcome to Loud City</a>.</b></li>
</ul>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2014/5/9/5696630/round-2-game-3-clippers-thunder-preview-home-court-advantageSteve Perrin