Clippers In For Rise Of Their Lives

[Sħãlïq™]

Clippers are in for the rise of their lives

 

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Yes, there were Griffin slams, including one as he was falling backward after a bounce pass from Paul. Yes, there was CP3 magic, Paul dribbling around forever before driving to the basket and scoring, a one-man shot clock. But there were also Jordan blocks that sailed into the delighted hands of stunned spectators. There were fluttering three-pointers by Williams and Butler and Randy Foye off impossible passes from Paul. It was so crazy, late in the first quarter, after the whistle, Butler casually threw up a halfcourt shot to earn a delay-of-game warning and, yeah, you guessed it. Swish. For the record, the first alley-oop in this place now known as Lob City occurred with 6:03 left in the first quarter when Butler threw up a pass that the left-handed Jordan slammed down with his right hand in such powerful fashion even the big kid ooohed.

 

Of course, amid all this excitement, there are issues. Del Negro has his hands full with a team that seems so intent on making the big play, they forget to do the little things. The Clippers' quest for glitter has sometimes come at the expense of grunt work, as they have been continually beaten inside and thus outrebounded in all three games. Those grand attempts at blocked shots are not great rebounding techniques. They also don't seem to have figured out an offense, as sometimes they simply stand around waiting for somebody to do something spectacular. On Friday, while the Clippers were flying, the Bulls were forcing, leading to a 34-20 advantage in free throws attempted.

 

Then there are potential internal issues. Late in the first quarter, after Williams missed a shot on a fastbreak, Butler shouted to him to "Pass the ball!" The two players exchanged words at the other end of the court, which makes it even more important to address the Williams situation now. After spending the lockout acting as a team leader, Williams is clearly not happy suddenly coming off the bench. He has been feeling so ignored lately, it was perhaps no surprise that during pregame introductions Friday, he was accidentally introduced as the injured Chauncey Billups. The Clippers need to either figure out a way to make him happy here, or trade him for a backup big man.

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Edited December 31, 2011 by Šhãłïq