Clips Nation - Game #2 coverage: Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles ClippersWhat it do babyyyhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47967/clipsnation_fave.png2015-10-31T04:00:02-07:00http://www.clipsnation.com/rss/stream/93980612015-10-31T04:00:02-07:002015-10-31T04:00:02-07:00Film Room: Blake Griffin Carries Clippers
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<p>During a 12-minute stretch of basketball, the Los Angeles Clippers really blew open the game against the Dallas Mavericks. In particular, Blake Griffin's 3rd quarter run was why. Let's watch.</p> <p id="paragraph0" class="pgh-paragraph has-dropcap"><font face="verdana">This episode of the Film Room should have been out on Friday afternoon, but things got in the way of that being the case. Instead, you’re getting it just several hours prior to tipoff on Saturday evening. Either way, this edition is going to take a look at a little third quarter razzle-dazzle by one <span>Blake Austin Griffin</span> – or, Bad A** Griffin if you so prefer. The game was hanging in the balance prior to this level of domination and it just goes to show you how amazing of a player the power forward can truly be. Prepare to fall in love all over again.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">At halftime, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Los Angeles Clippers</a> led the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Dallas Mavericks</a> by just 8 points. The team from the Lone Star State had managed to keep the game close to a respectable deficit despite their depleted roster. While they were doing their best to claw into the game even more, one man routinely kept denying them a realistic chance at victory. There aren’t many things Blake Griffin can’t do on a basketball court. What he does better than most anyone else is actually put the ball through the hoop. Points are fun. Hell, Griffin is fun.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">We’re going to pick up the action just a few moments after the second half gets underway. Already, the Mavericks had cut the lead to just 5 points and it appeared like the Clippers would be sleepwalking through much of the second half before trying to eke out a win in the closing moments once again. Instead, what we got was Griffin being the unstoppable force of nature that he is. So, without further ado, let’s take a gander at the footage for this Film Room and give all praise to the Oklahoma kid.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">This is a pretty long play in terms of time, but it’s one that serves many benefits. The team attempts to run <span>J.J. Redick</span> off of two baseline screens and have him curl to the left elbow for a jumper. It’s a variation of a HORNS set that the team often runs. Griffin sets the screen for Redick and moves up a little bit towards the right elbow. When Redick comes off of the second screen, he has no angle to shoot. Instead, he finds Griffin open at the right elbow because <span>Zaza Pachulia</span> got lost in the defensive spacing. Griffin gets the ball, shoots, and nails a jumper. Just like that, the Clippers see their lead increase.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">As you watch this play develop, two things happen that are of note. The first of which is <span>Lance Stephenson</span> and <span>DeAndre Jordan</span> nearly run into each other at the left elbow. As weird as this is, it also screws up the Mavericks. <span>Devin Harris</span> looks confused and doesn’t know what to do. The second is that Stephenson slips to the corner after setting a worthless screen. This is what forced Pachulia to get lost in the spacing. With no one able to choke down on the corner, Pachulia sort of just hovers there because he thinks a pass might be going to Stephenson. When the pass goes to Griffin, Pachulia is too far away to do anything about it. It’s something that pays off for the Clippers.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">A couple minutes later, the team still is clinging to a 5 point lead and come down the court in a semi-transition opportunity. It forces Dallas to get setup without knowing where to be. As <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="www.sbnation.com/nba/players/21662/chris-paul">Chris Paul</a> flies down the court, he runs into a 1-5 pick-and-roll with DeAndre Jordan. On the backside of the play, Griffin is sort of just hovering the right elbow in case Paul turns down the Jordan screen for a different one. However, that’s not all he’s doing. When Paul comes off the screen and Jordan rolls, <span>Dirk Nowitzki</span> – Griffin’s primary defender – starts to move with Jordan here. This allows Griffin a ton of space. Paul recognizes this and flips a right-handed pass into Griffin’s shooting pocket. Griffin sizes Nowitzki up for a brief moment, and then knocks down the shot.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">This is another case of the team having hard-to-guard players. Jordan’s screen-and-roll game is so deadly and scary that it forces Dallas to rethink how they’re going to even exist. Nowitzki looks clueless as to what to do and that hesitation is all the Clippers needed. It was a brief moment of weakness that was exploited by a superior offense. When Griffin’s jumper is going like this, there’s really not anything a defense in the league can do to stop him. You don’t want to close out on him because he’ll just drive right by you, but you also don’t want the guy taking wide open shots that he’s knocking down. It’s death by massive gashes rather than papercuts.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">This is one of the plays the Clippers run a lot of with their base personnel. <span>Chris Paul</span> probe dribbles until a suitable screen is set by Griffin just below the arc. Paul then threads the needle with a pocket pass to a rolling Griffin. Here, Dallas does a great job of crashing down to stop the Griffin roll to the rim. Except, that’s also a downfall. You see, when Griffin rolls to the rim, Devin Harris leaves Lance Stephenson wide open in the corner so that he can help stop Griffin’s rim run. While Stephenson struggles to shoot at times, it’s still a massively high-quality look for an average shooter. Shots like these went to <span>Matt Barnes</span> the last two years. They’re going to Stephenson now. Stephenson misses, but it’s still a super quality look.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">Despite the miss off of one his passes, Griffin does the smart thing here. Instead of just continuing to drive and probably drawing an offensive foul, Blake makes the intelligent pass to the corner for a wide open three. There’s nothing wrong with missing a shot like this. Theoretically, these are misses you can live with because of how uncontested they are. Would a better shooter have knocked this one down? No one knows. The process matters a lot in basketball and, no matter what the result of this play says, the process was off the charts.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">Nothing elaborate here from Griffin. This is just a good ol’ fashioned hustle play and putback jam. Everything before this play is pretty gorgeous, though. The Clippers run Redick off of a pindown screen that is designed to get him either an open three from the wing or a pull-up jumper in the mid-range. Due to the lack of true contact made on the screen, Redick’s defender never gets lost. This forces Redick to put the ball on the floor and make a quick pass to Jordan, who then makes one pass to his left to Stephenson in the left corner. Stephenson gets another wide open corner three, but he misses this one, too. From there, it’s all Griffin. He spots no one boxing out and makes a rim run that culminates in a thunderous dunk.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">Plays like these are lovely because it shows how huge one play can ultimately be for a team. The Clippers are only up by 5 points here. Had Griffin not followed up the Stephenson miss with this putback dunk, then Dallas has a chance to cut this lead to either 2 or 3 points. That’s a huge swing in a game. We hear it all the time from Mike Smith and Ralph Lawler; sometimes a dunk is worth more than just a couple points. In this instance, it was. It showed that if the star of the team was going to keep playing hard then everyone else had better do the same.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">When we talk a two-man game, usually it’s something far more elaborate than what happens here. Lance Stephenson gets the ball in transition and attempts to push it up the floor. Blake Griffin recognizes that Lance might need help, so he runs up and sets two screens that do enough of a job on Devin Harris. When Stephenson cuts back to his left after the second screen, he passes to Griffin and Blake is left open enough by Zaza Pachulia. Griffin turns, rises, and fires. Two more points as the ball hits the bottom of the net.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">Years ago, this is a play where Griffin probably shot fakes and tries to bully Pachulia to the rim. Instead, we get to see the refinement of his game. This is what years and years of hardwork and dedication can do. It’s not just the fact that he makes the shot. It’s also the confidence that he displays in even attempting it in the first place. He’s calm, cool, collected, and confident. Everything happens in one fluid motion for him. He gets the ball and goes right up with the shot. No wasted motion, no wasted anything. Love it.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">On this play here, there’s a lot going on. Griffin gets the ball in transition and is sort of wild so he passes back out to Paul at the top of the arc. From there, the two initiate a pick-and-roll with the help of DeAndre Jordan. Paul fires a pass back to Griffin at the left elbow and, rather than taking the semi-open jumper due to Pachulia’s quick contest, Griffin takes one power dribble before sizing up the defense. Griffin pivots and passes off to Stephenson on the wing. Griffin then walks up and sets a screen on Harris as he gives Lance the sign to move to the top of the arc. Stephenson adheres to Griffin’s instructions, comes off of Griffin’s screen, and knocks down a three-point shot to give the team a double-digit lead.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">Yet again, we get to see Griffin’s calmness and headiness on display. On the initial part of this, Griffin holds the ball up rather than driving wildly. Couple years ago, this is a turnover or offensive foul. After kicking it out to Paul, he directs Chris where to go. After getting the ball back, Griffin then is smart enough to not force a heavily contested shot. He probes and finds the open man. And then, he tells the open man where to go for a wide open shot. Perhaps he was just in the zone and knew where everyone should be. Still, this is a play that shows you Griffin’s maturity on the offensive end and displays his knowledge of where guys should be, and what shots they should be shooting.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">How do you continue to make the opposition pay? Run more pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop action. Here, we get the pop instead of the roll. Paul comes off of a Griffin screen that rubs <span>Raymond Felton</span> out of the play. As Paul clears Griffin, <span>Charlie Villanueva</span> has to step out and deny any action by the ball-handler. Felton’s recovery is slow, plodding, and lazy. It allows Paul to pinpoint a pocket pass to Griffin. The pass hits Griffin and Blake rises up for a jumper before Villanueva can even recover back. Ball goes in, points go on the board, and the Mavericks are left wondering if there’s anything they can do to stop this blitzkrieg.</font></p>
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<p><font face="verdana">With the team leading by double-digits now, Paul enters the frontcourt and starts to amaze with his ball-handling ability. Griffin runs up to set Paul a double-sided screen. Chris runs through one side and then comes back around the other in an effort to lose Felton. As Paul comes off of the second screen, he sizes up Zaza Pachulia and goes right at him. Pachulia <i>– ahem –</i> falls to the ground, which leaves Felton in a tough spot. Paul turns and passes back to Griffin at the left elbow. Rather than take the extremely wide open jumper, Griffin waits for Felton to move towards him. This gives Griffin the lane he needs to drive. Griffin power dribbles towards the rim and looks to go up for a shot, but he gets grabbed by Felton and fouled.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">Could Griffin have taken the open jumper? Sure. He probably would have made it, as well. However, he clearly wasn’t comfortable with the shot or the rhythm in which he got it. Instead of forcing the shot from distance, he made the conscious decision to drive to the rim. The other alternatives here for him were to pass to Lance Stephenson at the top of the arc when he started to drive, or kick it back to Paul in the left corner for a wide open three. Griffin got greedy here, but it also worked out. It still shows you the kind of things he can work on in the long run. But, primarily, it shows you just how good he can be in all phases.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">Having Blake Griffin on your favorite team isn’t even fair right now. The man has turned into the best offensive power forward in the NBA and continues to light it up on a nightly basis. While we’re only just two games into this current season, it appears as if Griffin is on the verge of something special here. His minutes might be going down this year, especially if the bench plays well, but it doesn’t mean his impact will be felt any less. For one stretch of the third quarter, Griffin was the engine of the offense. Whether he was knocking down jumpers, attacking the rim, or finding the open man, Griffin was someone the Mavericks had no answer for. And, quite frankly, they are not alone in being left in the dark as to how to stop this freight train of a man.</font></p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2015/10/31/9645648/film-room-blake-griffins-3rd-quarter-burst-carries-los-angeles-clippers-over-dallas-mavericksJustin Russo2015-10-29T23:41:30-07:002015-10-29T23:41:30-07:00Game #2 Recap: Clippers 104, Mavericks 88
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<figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Things got testy there for a little bit of time, but the Clippers ultimately used their superior skill and health to distance themselves from the Mavericks. They're now 2-0. </p> <p id="paragraph0" class="pgh-paragraph has-dropcap"><font face="verdana">Can these two teams possibly dislike each other even more than they already do? It certainly doesn’t seem possible. After a kerfuffle broke out in the second quarter between almost-teammates, the game really started to take off. Technical fouls were handed out, barking ensued, and the drama reached a fever pitch for those few moments. After that, the <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Los Angeles Clippers</a> handled their business against a depleted <a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dallas Mavericks</a> squad and cruised to a 104-88 victory. It wasn’t pretty early, especially from a pace and watchability standpoint, but the team is now 2-0 after two games against conference opponents.</font></p>
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<th></th> <th>1</th> <th>2</th> <th>3</th> <th>4</th> <th>Total</th>
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<td class="p-boxscore__team_name" bgcolor="#007DC5"><a href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/"><font color="white">Dallas Mavericks</font></a></td>
<td bgcolor="#007DC5"><font color="white">17</font></td>
<td bgcolor="#007DC5"><font color="white">26</font></td>
<td bgcolor="#007DC5"><font color="white">25</font></td>
<td bgcolor="#007DC5"><font color="white">20</font></td>
<td bgcolor="#007DC5"><font color="white">88</font></td>
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<td class="p-boxscore__team_name" bgcolor="#ED174C"><a href="http://www.clipsnation.com/"><font color="white">Los Angeles Clippers</font></a></td>
<td bgcolor="#ED174C"><font color="white">22</font></td>
<td bgcolor="#ED174C"><font color="white">29</font></td>
<td bgcolor="#ED174C"><font color="white">34</font></td>
<td bgcolor="#ED174C"><font color="white">19</font></td>
<td bgcolor="#ED174C"><font color="white">104</font></td>
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<p><font face="verdana">Say what you want about the Hack-a-Whoever strategy. It might be aesthetically unappealing or not even the least bit exciting, but the strategy behind it is always something that gets debated. For a team that was struggling to keep up throughout some of this game, using that strategy late in the second quarter wasn’t exactly the worst thing in the world. It also helped Dallas trim a deficit in some fashion. It feels right to talk about that first simply because that’ll always be a thing with <span>DeAndre Jordan</span> and, now, <span>Josh Smith</span>. The team had to deal with it multiple times and came through on the other end relatively unscathed.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">The second thing we need to talk about in this game is that DeAndre Jordan’s elbow upside <span>Dirk Nowitzki</span>’s head wasn’t exactly intentional. It was pretty inadvertent and just one of those things that happen when two guys are jostling for position down low. What Nowitzki did on the ensuing position was just a hard basketball play, as well. There was nothing dirty whatsoever about what either guy did, but the referees overreacted because, well, sports! Cooler heads eventually prevailed and nothing really came out of that except three technical fouls because the referees decided that <i>someone</i> had to have done something wrong.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">As far as the actual game is concerned, as in the points and stuff, the Clippers were just coasting through most of it. Same with the Mavericks early on. Both teams were having trouble connecting on anything of note. A lot of that could have been due to both teams having to travel from a considerable distance after a game the night before. Plus, it’s still the beginning of the season and guys are trying to get their legs underneath them. The first quarter was ugly as they combined to shoot just 13-of-44. They started to pick it up in the second quarter, but neither side did much from beyond the arc during the opening 24 minutes.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">The third quarter was a truly wild experience, though, as <span>Blake Griffin</span> absolutely took over the game and scored 13 of his game-high 26 points in that frame alone. He put the team on his back and delivered them as much as a 17-point lead. The bench then came in and held the lead throughout the rest of the game. The final quarter was nothing but a sloppy affair that saw the bench get as much as a 28-point lead at one point before chucking shot after shot mindlessly at the rim. The Mavericks made a run, I guess, and cut the lead down to 16 points which was the final margin of victory for the good guys.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">As mentioned, Griffin was awesome. While he only shot 3-of-8 from outside the paint tonight, Griffin was able to use his superior athleticism and skill to ravage Dallas inside the paint; to the tune of 8-of-9, as a matter of fact. There are few things scarier to opposing defenses than Griffin charging hard down the lane and them having to watch him rise up for a thunderous jam. The man is no more. The machine has been born. Griffin also finished with 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He’s gone 25-of-37 (67.6 percent) from the floor in the first two games and looks like a man among boys. It’s nuts.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">The rest of the starters had their moments. DeAndre Jordan finished with just 6 points and endured the Hack-A-Blah, but he also totaled 15 rebounds in just 25:53 and blocked 4 shots. He rejected Dallas on the court like he rejected them off of it. <span>J.J. Redick</span> had 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting. It’s hard to say since it’s still early, but it does appear like his open looks are slightly decreasing this season. At least so far. <span>Chris Paul</span> didn’t have a great night, finishing with 9 points and 5 assists on 3-of-8 shooting, but he also played within himself and still delivered some classic CP3 moments – one of which was a reverse layup after a crazy dribble move and a three-pointer that helped push the lead up even higher.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">The other starter, <span>Lance Stephenson</span>, only went 1-of-5 but that one was a made three. He had 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in 20:53. The issue with Lance tonight was that he didn’t exactly play with any energy. Well, that’s not true. He had energy, but it was in all the wrong spots. He was standing around defensively, but then he would be slapping his hands on offense when a player he passed to didn’t shoot or if he wasn’t getting the ball as much as he thought he should. Look, there’s some things to like about Lance Stephenson. But <i>this</i> Lance Stephenson needs to stay away. The team has no use for the one that showed up tonight.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">Tonight was a good night as far as the bench is concerned. Maybe not from an overall shooting front, but defensively they did good things and they gave the entire starting unit a break in the fourth quarter. That’s the kind of thing that keep this team successful and healthy throughout the course of the season. The starters need rest. Tonight, they got it. And the bench was partly why. <span>Paul Pierce</span> shot just 1-of-6, but he finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Josh Smith continues to struggle, going just 1-of-5 from the field, but he did have 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 assist. At the very least, Smith provides defense and shot blocking. The team lacked that off the bench from big men recently.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana"><span>Wesley Johnson</span> had 6 points on 3-of-7, but missed all four of his threes. He also had 7 rebounds and 1 block. <span>Pablo Prigioni</span> gunned four shots up in no time flat, but missed each one. <a href="www.sbnation.com/nba/players/35092/luc-mbah-a-moute" class="sbn-auto-link">Luc Mbah a Moute</a> and <span>Cole Aldrich</span> also saw their first action of the season tonight. Aldrich finished with 2 points, which was setup by a nifty Prigioni pass, and Mbah a Moute had 1 assist. Side note: Aldrich has some nice passing skills. The work last year in New York in the Triangle Offense could be why, but he has some actual passing ability.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">The real stories off the bench, though, were supplied by <span>Jamal Crawford</span> and <span>Austin Rivers</span>. They were the only two holdovers from a bad bench last season, but played like two guys who knew their roles tonight. Crawford finished with 15 points, 13 of which were in the first half. Rivers, though, had 14 points and was everywhere defensively. It might be premature, but Austin could be this team’s best perimeter defender not named Chris Paul. He’s worked a lot on that end and it shows. The entire bench, despite bad shooting at times, did what they were brought here to do. They didn’t give up the lead despite struggles and defended their tails off. Major win tonight for them.</font></p>
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<img width="30" height="24" src="https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/blog/sbnu_logo/38/large_mavsmoneyball.com.full.35062.png" align="left"> <font face="Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Grande, sans-serif"><strong>Opposition's Blog:</strong> <a target="new" href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Mavs Moneyball</a></font> <img width="30" height="24" src="https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/blog/sbnu_logo/38/large_mavsmoneyball.com.full.35062.png" align="right">
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<p><font face="verdana">For Dallas, it’s not hard to see why they struggled a lot tonight. They were missing three key starters and played like a team desperate for any spark. <span>John Jenkins</span> finished with a team-high 17 points, Dirk Nowitzki had 10 of his 16 in a second quarter outburst, and <span>J.J. Barea</span> and <span>Devin Harris</span> each had 12 points. Beyond that, there wasn’t much else from a sheer firepower standpoint. Well, besides <span>Dwight Powell</span> (9 points). It seemed like he was doing good things whenever he was on the floor for them. It’ll be interesting to see if he can keep that going in the future.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">This was an injury riddled team with a lack of capable big men and no hope in this game once the Clippers started to get rolling. The end result of this game is not an indictment on their overall skill level or coaching acumen. <span>Rick Carlisle</span> is one of the best coaches in the game today and that should go without saying, but sometimes you have to remind people. Had a few shots gone Dallas’ way earlier on, perhaps this game is a bit closer in the fourth quarter and we have a real game on our hands. Instead, we got what happened tonight. That’s a fighting bunch over there. Don’t be surprised if they knock off some really good teams this season and sneak their way into the playoffs.</font></p>
<center><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="6"><b>PARTING SHOTS</b></font></center>
<p><font face="verdana">The two teams played at a reasonably fast pace (102.06) and the Clippers finished up with an 85.8 Defensive Rating. Paul Pierce led the way in Net Rating at +36.6, with Josh Smith (+34.2) coming up right behind him. This team can defend, at least it seems they can right now. As good as they can defend, though, they still shouldn’t give up 51 uncontested shots to a team. That’s what they did tonight. Luckily, Dallas only made 33.3 percent (17) of those. The Clippers struggled, as well; making just 19-of-50 (38.0 percent) uncontested shots. It was one of those nights for both.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">Up next for the Clippers are the <a href="https://www.sactownroyalty.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Sacramento Kings</a> once again. At least that game will be at home and also in the United States. See, the team is now 5-0 in the United States this season. Well, that is if you count preseason games. Either way, the team is 2-0 to start the campaign and has wins over conference opponents. As noted coming into this game, the first 9 games are against conference foes so getting these early wins is always good. Setting a tone early is never a bad thing.</font></p>
<p><font face="verdana">Don’t sleep on the Kings, though. Word came down today that <span>Willie Cauley-Stein</span> is going to start tomorrow night against the <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Los Angeles Lakers</a>. If he does well, then that will be someone the Clippers have to watch out for on Saturday night. A win is a win, even against a team struggling with injuries. Both teams were on a back-to-back, played like it, and the better team prevailed. Eyes forward. Now they have to focus on Sacramento. Just don’t get scared straight on Halloween, guys. Stay vigilant.</font></p>
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https://www.clipsnation.com/2015/10/29/9641296/game-2-recap-los-angeles-clippers-dallas-mavericks-october-29-2015Justin Russo2015-10-29T22:18:41-07:002015-10-29T22:18:41-07:00Clippers Corral Mavericks, 104-88
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<figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Dallas' plan for revenge went off the rails in the third quarter as the Clippers put away the undermanned Mavs.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Dallas Mavericks</a>, with a double-take inducing starting lineup that included the voluminous Ray Felton, fourth-year shooting guard <span>John Jenkins</span> and his 1300 career minutes, and <span>Jeremy Evans</span> and his largely forgotten dunk title, kept this one close longer than one could reasonably expect before eventually succumbing and taking their rightful place 16 points behind a superior <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a> squad.</p>
<p>Lots to dissect here, including some feistiness, some intentional foulness, some Mark Cuban cattiness, and some <span>Lance Stephenson</span> griping for the ball-ness.</p>
<p><span>Blake Griffin</span> submitted entry #2 into his 2015-2016 campaign for MVP, tallying 26/10/2 in 27 minutes. <span>DeAndre Jordan</span> pulled down 15 boards in 26 minutes. <span>Chris Paul</span> couldn't break into double-digits in points or assists, but had a nifty ballhandling highlight that kept Twitter all atwitter.</p>
<p>Justin Russo will be along with the full recap soon.</p>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2015/10/29/9641286/quick-recap-clippers-corral-mavericks-104-88-deandre-cuban-dallasThomas Wood2015-10-29T19:10:01-07:002015-10-29T19:10:01-07:00Game #2: Mavericks at Clippers GameThread
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KLeSAAARdbxO5PzHMQB0brsKeRk=/0x63:3136x2154/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47542739/usa-today-7679188.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Protect the house. Go Clippers!</p> <table class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" cellspacing="5" border="1" cellpadding="5" align="center"><tbody> <tr><th bgcolor="#ED174C" colspan="3" align="center"><font color="white">2015/2016 NBA Regular Season</font></th></tr> <tr> <td width="240"><center> <img src="https://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4209793/ifk08eam05rwxr3yhol3whdcm.0.png"> </center></td> <th width="20" align="center"><strong>@</strong></th> <td width="240"><center><img src="https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4180880/lacballlogo.0.png"></center></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240"><center><strong>1-0</strong></center></td> <th width="20" align="center"></th> <td width="240"><center><strong>1-0</strong></center></td> </tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#006BB6" colspan="3" align="center"><font color="white"><strong>October 29, 2015 | 7:30 PM (PDT)</strong></font></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3" align="center"><strong>STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, California)</strong></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3" align="center"><strong>TNT, KFWB 980 AM, KWKW 1330 AM</strong></td></tr> <tr><th bgcolor="#006BB6" colspan="3" align="center"><font color="white">Win-Loss Breakdown (2015-2016 Regular Season)</font></th></tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right"><strong>0-0</strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">East</th> <td width="240"><strong>0-0</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right"><strong>1-0</strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">West</th> <td width="240"><strong>1-0</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right"><strong>0-0</strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">Division</th> <td width="240"><strong>1-0</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right"><strong>0-0</strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">Home</th> <td width="240"><strong>0-0</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right"><strong>1-0</strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">Road</th> <td width="240"><strong>1-0</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right"><strong>0-0</strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">.500 +</th> <td width="240"><strong>0-0</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right"><strong>1-0</strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">- .500</th> <td width="240"><strong>1-0</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right"><strong>0-0</strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">OT</th> <td width="240"><strong>0-0</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right"><strong>1-0</strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">L10</th> <td width="240"><strong>1-0</strong></td> </tr> <tr><th bgcolor="#006BB6" colspan="3" align="center"><font color="white"><strong>Projected Starters</strong></font></th></tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right"><strong><span>Raymond Felton</span></strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">PG</th> <td bgcolor="#FFD700" width="240"><strong><span>Chris Paul</span></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right"><strong><span>Devin Harris</span></strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">SG</th> <td width="240"><strong><span>J.J. Redick</span></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right"><strong><span>Jeremy Evans</span></strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">SF</th> <td width="240"><strong><span>Lance Stephenson</span></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFD700" width="240" align="right"><strong><span>Dirk Nowitzki</span></strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">PF</th> <td bgcolor="#FFD700" width="240"><strong><span>Blake Griffin</span></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="240" align="right"><strong><span>Zaza Pachulia</span></strong></td> <th width="20" align="center">C</th> <td width="240"><strong><span>DeAndre Jordan</span></strong></td> </tr> <tr><th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#006BB6"><font color="white"><strong>Advanced Stats (2015-2016 Regular Season)</strong></font></th></tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><strong style="text-align: start;">103.58 (12th of 30)</strong></td> <th align="center" width="20">Pace</th> <td width="240"><strong>105.28 (3rd of 30)</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><strong style="text-align: start;">110.3 (5th of 30)</strong></td> <th align="center" width="20">ORtg</th> <td width="240"><strong>108.1 (6th of 30)</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><strong style="text-align: start;">89.2 (4th of 30)</strong></td> <th align="center" width="20">DRtg</th> <td width="240"><strong>96.4 (12th of 30)</strong></td> </tr> <tr><th bgcolor="#006BB6" colspan="3" align="center"><strong><font color="white">Injuries/Other</font></strong></th></tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: right;" align="right" width="240"><strong><span>Chandler Parsons</span> (Out) Knee</strong></td> <th align="center" width="20"></th> <td style="text-align: left;" width="240"><strong></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: right;" align="right" width="240"><strong><span>JaVale McGee</span> (Out) Leg</strong></td> <th align="center" width="20"></th> <td style="text-align: left;" width="240"><strong></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFD700" style="text-align: right;" align="right" width="240"><strong><span>Deron Williams</span> (Out) Knee</strong></td> <th align="center" width="20"></th> <td style="text-align: left;" width="240"><strong></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: right;" align="right" width="240"><strong><span>Wesley Matthews</span> (Out) Precautionary</strong></td> <th align="center" width="20"></th> <td style="text-align: left;" width="240"><strong></strong></td> </tr> </tbody></table>
<table class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" cellspacing="5" border="1" cellpadding="5" align="center"><tbody> <tr><th bgcolor="#ED174C" colspan="5" align="center"><center><strong><font color="white">Clippers won 2014-15 season series against Mavericks; 2-1</font></strong></center></th></tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#006BB6"><center><strong><font color="white">Date</font></strong></center></td> <td bgcolor="#006BB6"><center><strong><font color="white">Venue</font></strong></center></td> <td bgcolor="#006BB6"><center><strong><font color="white">Final</font></strong></center></td> <td bgcolor="#006BB6"><center><strong><font color="white">Clips Nation Recap</font></strong></center></td> <td bgcolor="#006BB6"><center><strong><font color="white">NBA Box Score</font></strong></center></td> </tr> <tr> <td><center><strong>01/10/2015</strong></center></td> <td><center><strong>Los Angeles</strong></center></td> <td><center><strong>Clippers 120, Mavericks 100</strong></center></td> <td><center><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2015/1/10/7526293/clippers-handle-mavs-120-100"><font color="red">Recap</font></a></strong></center></td> <td><center><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://stats.nba.com/game/#!/0021400550"><font color="red">Box Score</font></a></strong></center></td> </tr> <tr> <td><center><strong>02/09/2015</strong></center></td> <td><center><strong>Dallas</strong></center></td> <td><center><strong>Clippers 115, Mavericks 98</strong></center></td> <td><center><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2015/2/9/8010265/clippers-clobber-mavericks-115-98-deandre-jordan-chris-paul-dirk-nowitzki"><font color="red">Recap</font></a></strong></center></td> <td><center><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://stats.nba.com/game/#!/0021400781"><font color="red">Box Score</font></a></strong></center></td> </tr> <tr> <td><center><strong>03/13/2015</strong></center></td> <td><center><strong>Dallas</strong></center></td> <td><center><strong>Mavericks 129, Clippers 99</strong></center></td> <td><center><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2015/3/13/8213181/clippers-mavericks-recap-march-13-2015"><font color="red">Recap</font></a></strong></center></td> <td><center><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://stats.nba.com/game/#!/0021400972"><font color="red">Box Score</font></a></strong></center></td> </tr> </tbody></table>
<p></p>
<div class="read-more" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <img align="left" src="https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/blog/sbnu_logo/38/large_mavsmoneyball.com.full.35062.png" height="24" width="30"> <font face="Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Grande, sans-serif"><strong>Opposition's Blog:</strong> <a href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/" target="new">Mavs Moneyball</a></font> <img align="right" src="https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/blog/sbnu_logo/38/large_mavsmoneyball.com.full.35062.png" height="24" width="30"> </div>
https://www.clipsnation.com/2015/10/29/9634142/game-2-mavericks-at-clippers-gamethreadJustin Russo2015-10-29T10:15:07-07:002015-10-29T10:15:07-07:00Game #2: Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Clippers
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OCSUZ5czQoEBrGRySuKY6OvuCoA=/0x180:2480x1833/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47542733/usa-today-7849841.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After a grind-it-out win last night, the Clippers come home to take on the Mavericks in what should be a hotly contested affair. One team will walk out of STAPLES Center with a 2-0 record.</p> <table align="center" cellpadding="5" border="1" cellspacing="5" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table">
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<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#ED174C"><font color="white">2015/2016 NBA Regular Season</font></th>
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<td width="240"><center> <img src="https://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4209793/ifk08eam05rwxr3yhol3whdcm.0.png"> </center></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><b>@</b></th>
<td width="240"><center><img src="https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4180880/lacballlogo.0.png"></center></td>
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<td width="240"><center><b>1-0</b></center></td>
<th align="center" width="20"><br></th>
<td width="240"><center><b>1-0</b></center></td>
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<td align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#006BB6"><font color="white"><b>October 29, 2015 | 7:30 PM (PDT)</b></font></td>
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<td align="center" colspan="3"><b>STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, California)</b></td>
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<td align="center" colspan="3"><b>TNT, KFWB 980 AM, KWKW 1330 AM</b></td>
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<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#006BB6"><font color="white">Win-Loss Breakdown (2015-2016 Regular Season)</font></th>
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<td align="right" width="240"><b>0-0</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">East</th>
<td width="240"><b>0-0</b></td>
</tr>
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<td align="right" width="240"><b>1-0</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">West</th>
<td width="240"><b>1-0</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240"><b>0-0</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">Division</th>
<td width="240"><b>1-0</b></td>
</tr>
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<td align="right" width="240"><b>0-0</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">Home</th>
<td width="240"><b>0-0</b></td>
</tr>
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<td align="right" width="240"><b>1-0</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">Road</th>
<td width="240"><b>1-0</b></td>
</tr>
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<td align="right" width="240"><b>0-0</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">.500 +</th>
<td width="240"><b>0-0</b></td>
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<td align="right" width="240"><b>1-0</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">- .500</th>
<td width="240"><b>1-0</b></td>
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<td align="right" width="240"><b>0-0</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">OT</th>
<td width="240"><b>0-0</b></td>
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<td align="right" width="240"><b>1-0</b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">L10</th>
<td width="240"><b>1-0</b></td>
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<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#006BB6"><font color="white"><b>Projected Starters</b></font></th>
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<td align="right" width="240"><b><span>Raymond Felton</span></b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">PG</th>
<td width="240" bgcolor="#FFD700"><b><span>Chris Paul</span></b></td>
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<td align="right" width="240" bgcolor="#FFD700"><b><span>Deron Williams</span></b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">SG</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>J.J. Redick</span></b></td>
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<td align="right" width="240"><b><span>Wesley Matthews</span></b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">SF</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>Lance Stephenson</span></b></td>
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<td align="right" width="240" bgcolor="#FFD700"><b><span>Dirk Nowitzki</span></b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">PF</th>
<td width="240" bgcolor="#FFD700"><b><span>Blake Griffin</span></b></td>
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<td align="right" width="240"><b><span>Zaza Pachulia</span></b></td>
<th align="center" width="20">C</th>
<td width="240"><b><span>DeAndre Jordan</span></b></td>
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<th bgcolor="#006BB6" colspan="3" align="center"><font color="white"><b>Advanced Stats (2015-2016 Regular Season)</b></font></th>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">103.58 (12th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">Pace</th>
<td width="240"><b>105.28 (3rd of 30)</b></td>
</tr>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">110.3 (5th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">ORtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>108.1 (6th of 30)</b></td>
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<td width="240" align="right"><b style="text-align: start; ">89.2 (4th of 30)</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center">DRtg</th>
<td width="240"><b>96.4 (12th of 30)</b></td>
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<th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#006BB6"><b><font color="white">Injuries/Other</font></b></th>
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<td width="240" align="right" style="text-align: right;"><b><span>Chandler Parsons</span> (Questionable) Knee</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240" style="text-align: left;"><b></b></td>
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<td width="240" align="right" style="text-align: right;"><b><span>JaVale McGee</span> (Questionable) Leg</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240" style="text-align: left;"><b></b></td>
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<td width="240" align="right" style="text-align: right;"><b>Deron Williams (Probable) Knee</b></td>
<th width="20" align="center"><br></th>
<td width="240" style="text-align: left;"><b></b></td>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="5" border="1" cellspacing="5" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table">
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<th align="center" colspan="5" bgcolor="#ED174C"><center><b><font color="white">Clippers won 2014-15 season series against Mavericks; 2-1</font></b></center></th>
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<td bgcolor="#006BB6"><center><b><font color="white">Date</font></b></center></td>
<td bgcolor="#006BB6"><center><b><font color="white">Venue</font></b></center></td>
<td bgcolor="#006BB6"><center><b><font color="white">Final</font></b></center></td>
<td bgcolor="#006BB6"><center><b><font color="white">Clips Nation Recap</font></b></center></td>
<td bgcolor="#006BB6"><center><b><font color="white">NBA Box Score</font></b></center></td>
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<td><center><b>01/10/2015</b></center></td>
<td><center><b>Los Angeles</b></center></td>
<td><center><b>Clippers 120, Mavericks 100</b></center></td>
<td><center><b><a href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2015/1/10/7526293/clippers-handle-mavs-120-100" target="_blank"><font color="red">Recap</font></a></b></center></td>
<td><center><b><a href="http://stats.nba.com/game/#!/0021400550" target="_blank"><font color="red">Box Score</font></a></b></center></td>
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<td><center><b>02/09/2015</b></center></td>
<td><center><b>Dallas</b></center></td>
<td><center><b>Clippers 115, Mavericks 98</b></center></td>
<td><center><b><a href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2015/2/9/8010265/clippers-clobber-mavericks-115-98-deandre-jordan-chris-paul-dirk-nowitzki" target="_blank"><font color="red">Recap</font></a></b></center></td>
<td><center><b><a href="http://stats.nba.com/game/#!/0021400781" target="_blank"><font color="red">Box Score</font></a></b></center></td>
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<td><center><b>03/13/2015</b></center></td>
<td><center><b>Dallas</b></center></td>
<td><center><b>Mavericks 129, Clippers 99</b></center></td>
<td><center><b><a href="http://www.clipsnation.com/2015/3/13/8213181/clippers-mavericks-recap-march-13-2015" target="_blank"><font color="red">Recap</font></a></b></center></td>
<td><center><b><a href="http://stats.nba.com/game/#!/0021400972" target="_blank"><font color="red">Box Score</font></a></b></center></td>
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<p> </p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="5" border="1" cellspacing="5" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table">
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<th align="center" colspan="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><font size="6"><b>The Trusty Seafaring Ship</b></font></center></th>
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<td><font size="3">It’s hard to take away much from just one game, but it appears that the <a href="https://www.clipsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Los Angeles Clippers</a> might have their starting small forward figured out and found a new way to beat teams – just bludgeon them with Blake Griffin until they can’t handle it anymore. The Clippers topped the <a href="https://www.sactownroyalty.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Sacramento Kings</a> last night, 111-104, and now head home to play a formidable foe. To get off to a truly great start, the team has to take this game seriously and never look back. One at a time should be the motto for the year. And, if last night showed anything, the team might be ready to keep hammering out good performances.</font></td>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="5" border="1" cellspacing="5" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table">
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<th align="center" colspan="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><font size="6"><b>The Daunting Horde Ahead</b></font></center></th>
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<td><font size="3">After a wild offseason, the <a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dallas Mavericks</a> entered play last night and thoroughly dismantled the <a href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Phoenix Suns</a> by 16 points. They had eight players score in double-figures and looked as if they had been playing together for ages rather than weeks. The road to the playoffs won’t be an easy one for them, but having one of the best head coaches (<span>Rick Carlisle</span>) doesn’t hurt matters one bit. To keep the good mojo going, they’ll have to knock off a team that has given them some problems over the last couple years. Will Dallas keep churning along or will this be one of several slipups this season?</font></td>
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<p></p>
<div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" class="read-more">
<img width="30" height="24" src="https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/blog/sbnu_logo/38/large_mavsmoneyball.com.full.35062.png" align="left"> <font face="Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Grande, sans-serif"><strong>Opposition's Blog:</strong> <a target="new" href="http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Mavs Moneyball</a></font> <img width="30" height="24" src="https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/blog/sbnu_logo/38/large_mavsmoneyball.com.full.35062.png" align="right">
</div>
<p> </p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="5" border="1" cellspacing="5" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table">
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<th align="center" colspan="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><font size="6"><b>Comparison of Key Metrics</b></font></center></th>
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<td><font size="3">If only game determined everything, then Dallas is one of the top five teams in basketball. Even better than <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Golden State Warriors</a> if you go off of Net Rating. Yet, that’s not how basketball is truly played. One game is one game. Through one game, however, the Mavericks rank in the top five in both Offensive and Defensive Efficiency while the Clippers rank 6th and 12th, respectively. It’s still early in Pace, but the Clippers played in the second fastest game in the NBA season so far so that’s why they sit where they sit. One key metric to keep note of, though, is that the Clippers suffered against Sacramento when DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin both sat. When either one was on the floor, the team’s Rebound Rate was 50 percent. When Jordan sat, it dropped to 41 percent. When Griffin sat, it dropped way down to 31.6 percent. Rebounding without those two on the floor is a must. They can’t let Dallas create more opportunities than is necessary.</font></td>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="5" border="1" cellspacing="5" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table">
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<th align="center" colspan="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><font size="6"><b>Schedule</b></font></center></th>
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<td><font size="3">While on the surface it appears like the Clippers could make some noise early on in their schedule, it’s best to remember that the team’s first 9 games are against Western Conference opposition. That’s a huge deal considering none of the 9 teams are exactly pushovers. After this game against Dallas, the team plays against Sacramento once again on Saturday then plays Phoenix on Monday before traveling to play Golden State on Wednesday. Dallas is in Los Angeles for a while as they will wait until Sunday to play the <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Lakers</a>. After that, they head back home where they will play 5 out of 6 games. Oddly enough, the Mavericks play both Los Angeles teams twice before November 14th even rolls around. Weird scheduling.</font></td>
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<th align="center" colspan="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><font size="6"><b>Blake Griffin Is Decent</b></font></center></th>
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<td><font size="3">It’s not really news to us since we watch him on a nightly basis, but Blake Griffin is something of a behemoth right now. He finished with 33 points last night on 14-of-20 shooting. The shooting numbers are great, especially since he was 8-of-9 inside of 8 feet and 6-of-10 in the 16-to-24 foot range. He was on fire. Griffin also had 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and was very active defensively. There might be no better power forward in the game today than a fully unleashed Griffin, and thank goodness the Clippers have him on their side. In this game, he’ll be going up against future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki and a slew of not-so-good defenders at that position. This should be another good night for Griffin.</font></td>
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<th align="center" colspan="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><font size="6"><b>Are These Mavericks For Real?</b></font></center></th>
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<td><font size="3">There’s no way of knowing if they are or not, but the Mavericks certainly looked for real last night in Phoenix. They whipped the ball around the floor, generating 24 assists and 8 secondary assists while shooting 22-of-41 (53.7 percent) on uncontested shots. Eight players tallied double-digit points and Dallas’ offensive system was just humming along. Raymond Felton and Deron Williams looked great, Dirk Nowitzki and Wesley Matthews looked fine, and the team got contributions from other players across the board. 56 of their 85 shots (66 percent) came from inside 8 feet or from three. The Clippers allowed the Kings to get 72 percent of their shots in those areas last night. For the Clippers to be successful, they have to clamp down and put Dallas into inefficient zones. Nothing easy.</font></td>
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<th align="center" colspan="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><font size="6"><b>Lance's Promising Start</b></font></center></th>
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<td><font size="3">Box score wise, it was nothing special. It was just 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal on 3-of-5 shooting from your starting small forward in 19:08. Except it was so much more than that. Stephenson made a three to start the game, hit a mid-range jumper later on, and made a basket inside the paint. Stephenson only touched the ball 25 times during his time on the floor, but he was active defensively and made <span>Rudy Gay</span>’s life rough. According to the data, opponents shot just 2-of-5 against Stephenson last night. He ball denied, stifled, and defended. That’s the kind of stuff you want to see out of him. The other stuff will come soon, at least you would hope, but the defense is what is required as of right now. The Clippers starting lineup flourished with him, tallying a Net Rating of +34.5 in the 15 minutes they played together. He’ll have to show up again tonight as Wesley Matthews isn’t a slouch.</font></td>
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<th align="center" colspan="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><font size="6"><b>Owner vs Coach</b></font></center></th>
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<td><font size="3">The ongoing saga between these two sides was further embellished and enhanced by Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban and Clippers’ coach Doc Rivers. They keep yapping and yammering about the couldas, shouldas, and wouldas. Both need to shut up at this point and move on. The season has started so it seems like they’re both eager to get on with bigger and better things, but both will surely have something to say tonight before the game or even during the game. And, as always, expect a little bit of Hack-a-Jordan during this game. Rick Carlisle has used it before, Mark Cuban isn’t going to not want to use it, and it just seems like something that is inevitable. At least Sacramento didn’t do it last night. Thank you so much, George Karl. You are a true gentleman and a scholar.</font></td>
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<th align="center" colspan="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><font size="6"><b>DeAndre's Betrayal</b></font></center></th>
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<td><font size="3">Some people still think that DeAndre Jordan actually signed with the Dallas Mavericks. That’s not the case. They had a verbal agreement that was basically against <i>– wink wink –</i> NBA policy in the CBA, and then Jordan went back to the Clippers because he realized this was the better fit for him. A lot of stuff was overblown – i.e. the Chris Paul situation – and he couldn’t be happier to be back. The team loves him, the fans love him, and the city loves him. Dallas’ loss is the Clippers’ gain and both teams have to move on with that fact. While it stinks for Dallas with how everything played out, all’s fair in love and basketball. Should Jordan have called Mark Cuban and told him he was having second thoughts? Maybe. But we can all agree on one thing; Dan Fegan sucks.</font></td>
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<th align="center" colspan="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><font size="6"><b>Protect Your Home</b></font></center></th>
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<td><font size="3">Last season, the Clippers went 30-11 on their home court. Two years ago, it was 34-7. In 2012-13, it was 32-9. So, for the last three seasons, we’re looking at a 96-27 (.780) record at STAPLES Center. There have been some weird losses during that time. This game cannot be one of them. Early season losses happen to every team across the league. Even weird early season losses happen. After all, the <a href="https://www.fearthesword.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cleveland Cavaliers</a> lost to the <a href="https://www.postingandtoasting.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New York Knicks</a> on like the third day of the season last year. Weird stuff happens. The key early on is to try and avoid some of that weird stuff. You have to protect your home court; especially in the Western Conference against other potential playoff teams. The team has started 2-0 just twice in the Chris Paul Era. Let’s make it three times after this game.</font></td>
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<th align="center" colspan="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><font size="6"><b>Video Game Reference</b></font></center></th>
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<td><font size="3">There’s no fancy reference here. Rather, it’s kind of like a cheat code. In <b>NBA 2k15</b>, Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki was immortalized with a special card one day. If you were lucky enough to get him in the pack, which I believe was about the top scorers in NBA history, then you would have received one of the greatest advantages ever – the Nowitzki post fadeaway. It was simply unstoppable and just pure money. If you played MyTeam, you were living the dream with him. It was inconceivable how many times in a row you could isolate to Nowitzki in the post, fake one way, and then fadeaway the other way. Nothing but net. No idea how unstoppable it is in <b>NBA 2k16</b>, though, since MyTeam is now robbing people of fun by making it impossible to get good players in Domination mode. Thanks a lot, 2k!</font></td>
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https://www.clipsnation.com/2015/10/29/9634016/game-2-preview-dallas-mavericks-at-los-angeles-clippersJustin Russo