Post#1 » by mkwest » Sun Apr 29, 2012 8:15 am
They’ve seen hours of film on the trapping defense that forces a league-best 17 turnovers per game. They’ve heard all about Tony Allen and Mike Conley, the Memphis backcourt duo that snatches 3.98 of the team’s 9.6 steals per night. They’ve been to the perhaps aptly-named “Grind House” before. It was just three weeks ago the Clippers lost there, 94-85.
It’s all part of the talk leading up to the playoffs, the first game in what is widely expected to be a long, gritty series.
“I think we matchup fine,” said Chris Paul, who is expected to start Sunday night after the team limited his practice time over the previous two days with a mild left groin strain.
“We’ve got to worry about what we’re doing, not so much what they’re doing,” Paul said. “We’re not that bad either.”
After Saturday morning’s practice it seemed like a number of the Clippers were aware of what prognosticators are saying about the series.
“People don’t expect us to win and I think we realize that,” Blake Griffin said. “I hope that we play with that chip on our shoulder a little bit.”
“I remember in my first playoff series everybody was telling me what it was going to be like and things like that and my thing was just ‘shut up, let me play,’” Paul said. “Sometimes they make it overdramatic for someone’s first playoff game. You’ve got to go out and play.”
Eric Patten,
Clippers.com
