Season Update 1

After 12 games, the Clippers are 6-6, not exactly the start you would expect (still better than the pelicans though). After losing to the Rockets at home, the Clippers went  2-4, beating the Pistons and Grizzlies, losing to the Mavs, Suns, Trail Blazers and intense rivals the Golden State Warriors (14-0 grrrrr).

To be fair the Clippers did suffer minor injuries in Chris Paul and J.J. Redick, so the lack luster performance of late isn't to be unexpected.

Hopefully the Clippers will turn this around on Sunday against the 8-6 Toronto Raptors at home.

Regular Season Game 6: Clippers 109-105 Rockets

It was a rematch of the eastern conference semi finals last year when the Houston Rockets came to L.A. to face the Clippers. Unfortunately, Chris Paul was out for the game because of a groin injury. However, that didn't stop this game being very exciting. The Clippers held a small lead most of the first half before the Rockets took a 10 point lead late in the third and early in the fourth.

The Clippers trailed 105-98. A J.J. Redick layup brought them within 5, two Blake Griffin free throws cut the deficit to 3, a Paul Pierce three pointer then tied the game at 105. James Harden hit two free throws to put the Rockets up by two, Blake Griffin then missed a shot followed by a missed tip-in. The Clippers bench strongly protested that there was goaltending on the play (in fact, it was admitted by the NBA later that it was, but that sort of thing just happens sometimes). Two Ty Lawson free throws ultimately gave the Rockets the 4 point win.

Blake Griffin had another excellent performance, scoring 35, grabbing 11 rebounds and getting 5 assists, if he keeps up this form, he could very well challenge for MVP. Deandre Jordan got 11 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. J.J. Redick scored 19 points. Rivers and J Smoove scored 10 each, Stephenson scored 7, Pierce had 6, Johnson had 5 and Crawford continued his poor shooting form from last game and scored only 2 points.

For the rockets, the lack of Chris Paul's defence was clearly felt by the Rockets' guards with James Harden scored 46 and Marcus Thornton scored 16. Dwight Howard had a rare 20 point, 20 rebound game.

Regular Season Game 5: Clippers 108-112 Warriors

The Clippers' fifth game of the season was against the defending champs Golden State Warriors in Oakland. Tensions were high going into the game considering the hostile atmosphere between the two teams and the game didn't disappoint as we were treated to the second most exciting game of the season so far (behind the OKC-Orlando 2OT game).

It was a fairly even game to start with (the game finished by 17 lead changes) before the Warriors eventually led up to a 17 point lead. The Clippers did not give up like the 4 previous opponent of the Warriors and went on an 11-0 run in the third to take the lead. The Clippers then built up a 10 point lead in the fourth. Then a huge scoring outburst from Harrison Barnes followed by a go-ahead three from reigning MVP Stephen Curry put the Warriors ahead with a minute to go. A series of missed shots from the Clippers and made free throws from the Warriors gave the Warriors the 4 point win.

Blake Griffin had another great game, scoring 23 points, getting 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Chris Paul played much more aggressively than he normally does and scored 24 with 9 assists, I think he should play like that more often. Deandre Jordan scored 11 with 13 rebounds and 2 blocks to make him the all time lead rebounder for the Clippers. While the starters actually outplayed the Warriors, the bench had a poor performance. Jamal Crawford scored scored 8 points on a painful 4-15 shooting.

For the Warriors, Chris Paul couldn't stop Steph Curry scoring 31, shooting 7 of 11 from 3 point range.

Up next for the Clippers, the Rockets at home in the Staples Center.

Regular Season Game 4: Clippers 102-96 Suns

In the fourth game of the season, the Clippers faced off against the Suns in the Staples Center, like the two earlier games against the Kings, the game was close all the way into the fourth quarter when the Clippers led 92-91 with 2:47 remaining, that was however when the Clippers put the game away and sealed the 6 point win.

It was an uninspiring performance from the starters, with only Griffin and Paul playing as you would expect. Griffin had 22 points and 10 rebounds & Paul had 17 points with 5 assists. Jordan scored 7 and grabbed 9 rebounds ending his 34 game streak of double digit rebounds. Stephenson had a 5-6-2 game and Redick scored 10 on 25% shooting. The bench were quite strong however, all the bench except for Mbah a Moute (he only played 25 seconds) scored at least 7 points with only one poor shooting performance (Crawford went 2 for 9).

For the Suns, Brandon Knight had an 18-8-7 game, former Clipper Eric Bledsoe had a 16-7-4 game and Tyson Chandler had 14 points with 17 rebounds (6 offensive, come on Deandre).

Up next is the 4-0 Warriors on the 4th of November in Oakland and will pose the first real test of this Clippers' squad this season.

Regular Season Game 3: Clippers 114-109 Kings

The third game for the Clippers and the second game against the Kings, this time at home in the Staples Center. Much like the first time these teams met, a brilliant performance from Blake Griffin led the Clippers to a fairly slim victory over Sacramento.

The Clippers finished the first half on a 32-16 run which only put them up by 4 at the half mainly due to the 11 offensive rebounds the Clippers allowed, giving the Kings 16 more shot attempts. After the half, the Demarcus Cousins did not return for the Kings due to a sore achilles. However, the Kings still ended up taking the lead in the fourth (like the last time the Clipps and Kings played) before Blake Griffin lead the team to a 5-point victory (like the last time the teams played).

Blake had a very good 37 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Jordan had 15 points, a massive 18 rebounds and 7 blocks. Chris Paul had 17 points and dropped 11 dimes. J.J. Redick scored 23 on 8-9 shooting. While the starters where amazing, the bench was very poor; Paul Pierce, Wes Johnson, Josh Smith and Austin Rivers combined scored 5 points, got 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 6 turnovers. Jamal Crawford did manage to score 10 points however.

For the Kings, the big story is obviously Cousins only playing half a game due to a minor injury. Rudy Gay, former Clipper Darren Collison and new signing Rajon Rondo all had strong performances for the Kings.

Up next is the Phoenix Suns on the 2nd of November in the Staples Center.

Regular Season Game 2: Clippers 104-88 Mavericks

The Clippers' second game was in L.A. against the Mavericks. There was palpable tension leading up to the game, both as a home game opener and the first Mavs game after Deandre Jordan's eventful offseason. However, the game did not live up to the atmosphere, the Mavericks took a 3 point lead very early on before 4 points from Blake and DJ put the Clips in front and they never looked back, leading to a 16 point win. In fact the only sign of tension among the players was a brief scuffle after a Dirk Nowitzki foul on Deandre Jordan resulting in technical fouls for Griffin, Jordan and Raymond Felton.

Blake once again led the way offensively, scoring 26 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Deandre scored 6, got 15 rebounds and 4 blocks. The rest of the starters (Paul, Redick and Stephenson) scored 18 on 8-22 shooting. Paul also had an unusually low (for him) 5 assists. The improved bench continued to show its strength with Rivers and Crawford combining for 29 points. Wesley Johnson also had a 6 point and 7 rebound game.

The Mavericks were fielding a weakened side with starting guards Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews out injured.

Up next is the second game of the season series against the Kings, this time in the Staples Center.

Regular Season Game 1: Clippers 111-104 Kings

The Clippers' first game of the regular season was against the Kings in Sacramento. The obvious match-up to watch was Deandre Jordan vs. Demarcus Cousins in the paint (although DMC went 4-5 from three). Lance Stephenson started at the small forward position this game confirming Doc Rivers' decision to start Stephenson and have Pierce score off the bench in the fourth quarter. The Clippers led going into the fourth but the lead was quickly slashed to one by successive 3-pointers from Marco Belinelli, Omri Casspi and former Clipper Darren Collison. The lead was then lost after a score by Gay. However, the Clippers were not going to let this game get away from them, a scoring burst from Pierce ultimately lead to the 7 point win in Sacramento.

Blake had an excellent performance with 33 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Chris Paul had 18 points, 10 dimes and 2 steals. Jordan finished with 12 boards and sent 4 shots back. Redick had 15 and Stephenson had 7. Off the bench, Jamal had 11, Pierce had 12 points and 7 rebounds and J Smoove had 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. 

For the Kings, Deandre Jordan couldn't stop Cousins getting 33 points and 13 rebounds (although he had 8 turnovers), Gay had 16-3-6 and former Clipper Darren Collison had 13 points and 6 assists.

Up next is a home game against the Mavs on the 29th.

Preseason Game 6: Clippers 115-109 Trail Blazers

The Clippers sixth preseason game was in the Staples Center after a strong win against the warriors in the game before. This time it was the turn of the Portland Trail Blazers (with 4 new starters) to face the Clippers at home. It was a smaller rotation this game with only 10 players seeing minutes this game (Jamal Crawford was not one of them). Lance Stephenson once again started over Pierce and Johnson, seemingly signifying that Stephenson will start in the regular season.

It was a crazy start for Portland, they scored 45 points in the first quarter including a 20-0 run at one point. The lead swelled to 35 points before the Clippers rallied together with a 25-8 run at the end of the second quarter. Strong performances all around ultimately led to the 6 point victory. Blake Griffin scored 22 and got 8 rebounds, Jordan scored 8 with 10 rebounds, Paul got  8 points and 8 assists, Lance had a 9-4-4 game and Redick scored 16. Off the bench, Rivers had 16 points and Pierce had 19.

For the Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard scored 39 points (this could be what we see from him most nights this season), even against Chris Paul's strong defence.

Up next is the regular season opener on the 27th in Sacramento against the Kings.

Preseason Game 5: Clippers 130-95 Warriors

The first game back from the Clippers' China tour was a huge success. Lance Stephenson joined the starters in the small forward role and was brilliant defensively (and not bad offensively either). The team was back to what we are used to seeing on offense, with only a couple of bad shooting performances and everyone else lighting it up. Blake Griffin scored 29 points, Deandre Jordan had double double, Redick had 15 points, CP3 had 10 dimes and Josh Smith, Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers and Paul Pierce combined for 49 points off the bench. Maybe starting Lance at small forward is the best option after all.

The Warriors didn't have Curry, Igoudala or Bogut. However the remaining very good players were stifled by the excellent defence the Clippers played the whole game.

Up next is the final preseason game at home against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Preseason Game 4: Clippers 71-113 Hornets

With Paul and Rivers back from injury, the Clippers suffered a second frustrating loss in a row to the Hornets, making the Clippers' preseason record 1-3. The game was fairly even at first, but then at the start of the second half, the Hornets went on a 38-8 run. Blake Griffin turned in a 14 point and 14 rebound performance and Chris Paul scored 17 points and dished out 6 assists. If the starters played poorly, the bench was atrocious with only Josh Smith sporting a decent field goal percentage (3 of 6).

It was fairly strong performances from Al Jefferson and new signings Jeremy Lin and Nicolas Batum which led the Hornets to victory although it felt more like the Clippers lost the game rather than the Hornets winning it.

Although the China trip didn't go well for the Clippers in a basketball sense, the team did a lot of team building which will hopefully help the new signings to get used to each other more quickly.

Up next is a home game back in the Staples Center against the Warriors.

Preseason Game 3: Clippers 94-106 Hornets

The Clippers' preseason took them to Shenzen in China where they unfortunately lost to the Charlotte Hornets. Chris Paul and Austin Rivers were both out due to minor injuries and the playmaking was left to Blake Griffin who finished with a near triple double (13 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists). Pablo Prigioni started at point guard and the lack of CP3's defence was clear to see with all of the Hornets' guards scoring. J.J. Redick was the only Clippers' player to play particularly efficiently offensively (23 points on 9 of 16 shooting), the bench still looked to need more time to gel together, but it was good to see Jamal Crawford and Josh Smith scoring 26 points combined.

For the Hornets, former Clipper Spencer Hawes played quite poorly (like he did all last season, not that I'm bitter or anything).

In the end, the Clippers took a 12 point loss. Now it is on to a rematch versus the Hornets, this time in Shanghai.

Preseason Game 2: Clippers 73-93 Raptors

For the Clippers' second preseason game, they played the Raptors in Vancouver. It wasn't as smooth as the first game. Joining the consistent starters of Paul, Redick, Griffin and Jordan was Wesley Johnson (Paul Pierce started in the first preseason game). Of the Clippers' players, only Redick and Jordan were playing well on offense (23 combined points on 9 of 13 shooting). The starters played most of the first half and although the offense was slow, the defense was there. By the end of the first half, the Clippers trailed by 6. Going into the second half, Doc Rivers mainly played bench players. The large number of new bench players lead to a lack of cohesion and the Clippers ultimately lost by 20 points. Kyle Lowry led the way for the Raptors scoring 26 points on 7 of 10 shooting.

Preseason Game 1: Clippers 103-96 Nuggets

It was an excellent opening preseason game for the starting unit who were joined by the veteran Paul Pierce. Jordan led the way with 15 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks. Paul also had nine assists. 

The starting five led the team to an early lead, after which, Doc Rivers decided to give a lot more minutes to the new bench players. It wasn't a very impressive performance from the bench unit, and the Nuggets came within 3 points during the fourth quarter. However, ultimately the Clippers secured the win. 

New signing Josh Smith led the bench with 8 rebounds and 13 points on 5 of 13 shooting. The largely new bench unit simply needs more time to get used to playing with each other, as shown by the poor shooting from every player on the bench (except Jamal Crawford).

Overall, a strong performance for the Clippers in their first game in the Staples Center.

Clippers Preseason Review

This is how I think the rotation will likely look for the regular season:

             Starter                                       Back-up                                      Third Choice
PG:    Chris Paul                               Austin Rivers                                   Pablo Prigioni
SG:    J.J. Redick               Jamal Crawford/Lance Stephenson                 C.J. Wilcox
SF: Wesley Johnson              Paul Pierce/Lance Stephenson
PF:   Blake Griffin                               Josh Smith                                 Luc Mbah a Moute
C:  DeAndre Jordan                           Cole Aldrich                 Branden Dawson/Chuck Hayes


It is still not clear whether Johnson or Pierce will start in the small forward role. Both have started in the preseason games so far. However, I think that Doc Rivers will choose to have the aging Pierce playing fewer minutes off the bench during the regular season, but he will start Pierce during the playoffs.

The problem that has plagued the Clippers for several seasons since they became a very strong team is bench depth. The lack of good players off the bench meant that the starters had to play more minutes, making them more tired for important games (like the playoffs) and when in important games, the starting five would keep pace with every other strong team but the bench would fall dramatically behind teams with deeper bench depth.

Now have the Clippers solved that problem? I think so. The additions of Smith, Stephenson and either Johnson or Pierce into the bench unit have massively improved it and now the burden for bench scoring isn't entirely on Crawford (I will discuss the trade rumours around him at a later date).


So, the important question is: can the Clippers win a championship this year?

Well, this is a tough question. Chris Paul is on the down but is still one of the very best point guards in the NBA and will want to finally win a championship to cement his place as one of the best point guards of all time. Blake Griffin is in the prime of his career and has consistently improved his jump shooting over the years to the point where he is now a proper stretch four, which will force power forwards to mark him out on the perimeter leaving more room inside for Jordan and slashing guards. DeAndre Jordan is still a defensive and rebounding monster. J.J. Redick is still a laser 3 point shooter. The bench is now strong enough that the big three of Paul, Griffin and Jordan can play fewer minutes in the regular season and go all out in the playoffs (like Blake was last postseason).

If the Clippers are ever going to win a championship, it's going to have to be this season, because by next season (and onwards) the lack of young talent will hurt the team as most of the players will simply get worse.

Clippers 2015 Offseason Signings

Along with a new logo and court, the Clippers signed a number of very solid players this offseason. Overall, I would say the Clippers' offseason was stronger than any other NBA team (yes I said it Spurs fans).

Deandre Jordan
Starting Center Deandre Jordan was ultimately re-signed by the Clippers despite a series of talks with the Dallas Mavericks (and a verbal agreement) which DJ turned his back on to return to the Clippers after talking with Chris Paul, Doc Rivers and Steve Ballmer. This lead to a flurry of comments about DJ's integrity from Chandler Parsons, Mark Cuban and several other Mavs players and staff. But I will point out that Jordan didn't break any rules and the Mavericks probably should not have based their entire offseason on Deandre simply saying he would sign without any obligation to do so. Deandre's contract is a hefty $87 million 4 year deal, which is probably worth it (especially when the new salary cap comes into play next offseason).

Austin Rivers
The explosive guard who shone off the bench during the playoffs last season re-signed with the Clippers for a 2 year deal. Jordan and Rivers were the only players re-signed by the Clippers this offseason.

With Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and Deandre Jordan all having around $20 million a year contracts and a few other fairly large contracts, there was not a lot of cap room for the Clippers to sign more free agents. However they still managed to sign a number of solid players.

Paul Pierce

The veteran small forward was signed for $10.5 million over 3 years. 'The Truth' is far from his glory days of finals MVP in 2008 as a celtic, but the 10-time all star had a series of clutch performances for the wizards last offseason including several buzzer beaters. It is unclear whether or not he will fill the Matt Barnes shaped hole in the starting five or not.

Cole Aldrich

The 6'11" center signed for a 2-year $2 million contract and filled a back-up center role which appeared after Hawes was traded and Udoh wasn't re-signed. He hasn't looked particularly impressive in training so far, but he will provide Jordan with some well needed rest this season when he comes off the bench.

Josh Smith
J-Smoove is far from his impressive days at Atlanta and a painful experience in Detroit led to him being waived by the Pistons before a strong season performance in Houston. Hopefully he can channel his recent Rockets performances (or maybe even some Hawks ones) into a strong back-up stretch four for Blake Griffin.

Branden Dawson
Not much to say about Dawson, another back-up big (6'7'', so too short for a center, but fine for a power forward). He was drafted 56th by New Orleans this draft and the Clippers bought him from them. He played very well in the summer league, so could really provide for the time coming off the bench.

Luc Mbah a Moute

The power forward signed a 1-year $1 million contract. He could provide some solid production coming off the bench for Blake Griffin. Another solid pick up for the bench.

Wesley Johnson

The former 4th overall pick will have to adapt to playing on a strong, championship contender for once. It is still unclear whether he or Pierce will take the starting small forward role. Either way, he should provide some value for the team (especially for the 2-year $1 million a year contract).

Pablo Prigioni
The argentine/italian guard was signed for a 1-year $1 million contract. He will likely not see many minutes over Paul and Rivers, unless there are some injuries (fingers crossed there won't be).

Chuck Hayes
The veteran big man could provide some rest for Jordan and Griffin coming off the bench, even though he is fairly undersized (6'6'').

Lance Stephenson
As I have mentioned in previous posts, during the offseason, the Clippers traded Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes for Lance Stephenson. This was possibly a risky move. Lance had a great season two seasons ago with the pacers averaging 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4.5 assists, but then had a rather poor season with the hornets. Last season he averaged only 8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4 assists. The Clippers are clearly counting on him having a bounce back season and if he does, he could seriously help the team from his likely bench role.


Stay tuned for my preseason review of the Clippers where I will cover the likely starting five, title chances, bench depth and more.

Clippers 2015 Offseason Departures

The Clippers' offseason I would rank as the best offseason in the NBA (yes, even better than the Spurs). Before I go on to post about who was signed this offseason, let's discuss the departures:

Departures
The Clippers didn't re-sign forwards Hedo Turkoglu and Glen Davis, both of whom still do not play for any other team. Guard Dahntay Jones was signed by the Brooklyn Nets. The center Ekpe Udoh was signed by Fenerbahce in Turkey.

I think it is unlikely that these four players will be missed on the team. None of them played a lot of minutes and when they did, they didn't play particularly well (although Davis and Turkoglu did have their moments).

Starting small forward Matt Barnes and back-up center Spencer Hawes were traded in the offseason to Charlotte for shooting guard Lance Stephenson.

I will miss Matt Barnes' solid defense and offense. However, Spencer Hawes was disappointing for the Clippers after his strong performances in the 2013-14 season for the 76ers and Cavaliers.

The Clippers suffered no particularly costly losses this offseason, with the only problems foreseeable with these departures being a lack of bigs to back up Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan with all three of the back-up big men departing. A new starting small forward would also have to be signed.

Stay tuned for my report on the free agent signings this season and if they solve these problems and others that have plagued the Clippers for years (bench depth).

The New Home for Los Angeles Clippers News

Welcome Clippers fans to your new home for LA Clippers news. I will be posting articles on lobcityclippers.blogspot.com starting from today. This will include game previews and reviews, my thoughts on the Clippers play style, highlights and more. I will start off with my review of the Clippers' offseason (hint: it was a good one), so watch out for that shortly. Until then, sit back, relax, maybe watch some more Blake Griffin and Chris Paul highlights on youtube and prepare for me to take you on a journey through the fast-paced, high-flying, lob-throwing, ankle-breaking world that is the Los Angeles Clippers.