Warriors beat Clippers 109-105 in playoff opener

HOW GREAT WOULD THAT BE IF THE WARRIORS WON SENDING DOC BACK TO ORLANDO EARLY!

The Clippers' Blake Griffin throws down over the Warriors' Jermaine O'Neal in the third quarter.

LOS ANGELES -- Klay Thompson scored 22 points, David Lee added 20 and the Golden State Warriors got Blake Griffin and Chris Paul in foul trouble to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 109-105 on Saturday in their playoff opener.

Stephen Curry added 14 points for the Warriors, who trailed by 11 points to start the game before rallying in the third when Griffin and Paul were on the bench together.

Paul led the Clippers with 28 points, and J.J. Redick added 22 points in 30 minutes. Griffin finished with 16 points, fouling out with 48 seconds left and the game tied at 105. DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 14 rebounds.

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GSW and LAC is a pretty even match despite their seeding. LAC's problem was a lack of composure down the stretch and fouling. Blake Griffin fouled out and was never as much of a factor as his team needed.



KJ

I cannot root for the Clips

I was looking at their roster and it is flat out loaded from top to bottom.

But guess what they do not have?

No go to guy!

dboss

Other than CP3, I see a bunch of role players.


KJ

As a Warriors fan, I am of course thrilled that they won the first game of the series, and I do think that enhances their chances to advance significantly, but not having Andrew Bogut is a serious problem. The Warriors are thin in the frontcourt, and the Clippers' strategy of forcing anyone but Curry to beat them may ultimately prove to be the best approach.

As for the non-call on Chris Paul in the last minute, I thought he flailed his arms (a form of flopping) and wanted a superstar call on his home court but didn't get the call, and as a totally biased observer, I thought it was a proper non-call, no matter what the NBA office said. Of course there was contact -- there's contact on practically every play -- but he exaggerated it and didn't deserve the call. This is the playoffs. Man up and make a play, like he had done several times in the prior minutes, instead of flailing your arms and expecting a whistle.

If only the Celtics had a "role" player like Griffin. Or any of the other role players.

In case you have missed it, Griffin had turned into a beast this year.

tardust wrote:If only the Celtics had a "role" player like Griffin.  Or any of the other role players.  

In case you have missed it,  Griffin had turned into a beast this year.

I agree with you about Blake Griffin.
He is a star in the league.
He's not a superstar but he's not close to being a role player.
He averaged 24 points, 9.5 rebs, 4 assists this season.
DeAndre Jordan is not a role player either.
He led the league in rebounding and is as much of a force as a rim protector and defensive presence as anyone else in the league is.
If the Clippers were in the playoffs in the East, they would probably be the second best team in the conference.

While in reality everyone has a role -- LeBron has a role, Kobe has a role, Bill Russell and Larry Bird each had a role -- most people use the term "role player" to refer to someone who has a supporting role to a star, and that "star" is defined by the ability and aptitude to carry a team offensively in general and score at the end of games in particular.

Blake Griffin has improved this year, but I think the question KJ raises is whether he can carry the Clippers in the playoffs or perform in the clutch at the end of games. It's a legitimate question, and Griffin has yet to prove that he is that level of player. Until he does it in the playoffs -- until he is a key reason why his team wins playoff games and advances -- it will remain an open question.

The thing is, it's almost an absurdly high bar in the Western Conference this season. Some very, very good teams will be going out in the first round. But until the Clippers have playoff success -- and for the Clippers this season, that generally means getting to at least the conference finals -- questions about Griffin will remain.

So far in his career, Griffin's teams have won only one playoff series two years ago against Memphis, and they followed that up by getting swept by San Antonio. Last year, they lost to Memphis in the first round. Griffin played hurt in that series, but people don't remember that; they remember that they lost to the Grizzlies, a team they beat the year before.

It will be interesting to see how the Clippers respond tonight, Griffin in particular. Griffin has to play better, and he has to avoid foul trouble.

TJ, Tardust,


There is no doubt that Blake Griffin is a freak of nature with a seemingly endless highlight reel of spectacular dunks. But with that, he still has limitations. He is still immature, still getting into foul trouble when his team needs him, and he's not a true go-to guy to depend on in the closing seconds. In my mind, being a "star" is not the same as being "the man."

DeAndre Jordan is a solid center, but he's not in the same class with the likes of Howard and Noah (NBA's DPOY). He's a liability at the FT line, and is limited in what he can do offensively.

When I said that LAC is CP3 + role players, I think I have a meaningful case to suggest such.

Here's their roster excluding those I've discussed before:

Darren Collison
Glen Davis
Jamal Crawford
Matt Barnes
J.J. Redick
Jared Dudley
Danny Granger
Willie Green
Ryan Hollins
Hedo Turkoglu
Reggie Bullock

Like I said, role players.

Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are talented, but I still think they are role players (until they demonstrate otherwise).



KJ

Like I said no go to player but perhaps the deepest roster in the NBA. Too bad Pop is not coaching them.

dboss

One game doesn't make a series, but Blake Griffin looked pretty good last night.

If Blake Griffin is a role player, then Dwayne Wade is a role player and Tony Parker is a role player. There are not that many superstars in the league but there are plenty of stars like Blake Griffin.
In my opinion, Blake Griffin would be the 2nd or 3rd best player in the East right now.
Blake won't always get a chance to lead his team to a victory.
Some games in could be Chris Paul who is hot, other games it's Jamal Crawford who could score 17 points in the 4th quarter, other games in could be JJ Redick.
It was great to see Blake go for 35 points, 6 reb and 0 fouls in only 30 minutes in a rout over the Warriors.

Once again, Outside hits the mark.  There's no such thing as a role player; and every player is a role player.  I've always said the the Russell Celtics had nothing but role players, as did the Cowens, Bird , and KG Celtics.  The type of player to which people refer as a "role player" is more accurately referred to as a supporting or complementary player.

Sam