Game 55: Warriors (48-5) vs Clippers (36-18)

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DanWoikeSports/status/701261125392805888[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/SherwoodStrauss/status/701260328185638912[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/DanWoikeSports/status/701268134867566594[/tweet]

[Roscoe Sheed]

What the effin' hell was Wesley Johnson thinking?! I don't care if it's Stephen Curry. You don't foul a shooter from just inside the midcourt logo.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/TheCauldron/status/701249189758550017[/tweet]

That play shouldn't have been allowed because the Clippers basket was crooked. CP3 was trying to tell the refs that. Quite ridiculous they actually counted that play. Kind of broke the Clippers momentum actually. CP3 was right too- what would happen if the Clips stole the ball or went on a fast break with an off rim?

[Ranma]

That play shouldn't have been allowed because the Clippers basket was crooked. CP3 was trying to tell the refs that. Quite ridiculous they actually counted that play. Kind of broke the Clippers momentum actually. CP3 was right too- what would happen if the Clips stole the ball or went on a fast break with an off rim?

I was thinking the same thing after-the-fact. Wesley Johnson is still a moron for putting himself in that position. Maybe if he hadn't committed that stupid foul, the team would have had a better shot of stopping play or even waiving off a made basket had Curry made it. Instead, the refs took the opportunity of using the stoppage of play from the foul call to adjust the rim and gloss over the point that Chris Paul was making.

[nickhx2]

jeff green looked awful out there. he was lost but he didn't actually have the kind of impact you at least expect for someone who's new. good job canceling practice, doc, since he was gonna be bad anyway, i guess?

kind of annoying he got so many play calls to post up against an extremely good defensive squad. also, i don't give a crap about reserving judgment for later games since i hated the trade before and i still hate it two days later. someone wake me up when he's actually giving us more impact than lance, cause i'm pretty tired of people trying to sell me on one of the most marginal players in the NBA.

[og15]

Jeff Green looked poor, but I really hope posting him up so much does not becoe a thing. Obviously we'll have to give time for adjustment, but I'm not sure how much of a fan I am of posting him up unless it is a mismatch.

[Roscoe Sheed]

That play shouldn't have been allowed because the Clippers basket was crooked. CP3 was trying to tell the refs that. Quite ridiculous they actually counted that play. Kind of broke the Clippers momentum actually. CP3 was right too- what would happen if the Clips stole the ball or went on a fast break with an off rim?

I was thinking the same thing after-the-fact. Wesley Johnson is still a moron for putting himself in that position. Maybe if he hadn't committed that stupid foul, the team would have had a better shot of stopping play or even waiving off a made basket had Curry made it. Instead, the refs took the opportunity of using the stoppage of play from the foul call to adjust the rim and gloss over the point that Chris Paul was making.

In fairness, Wes was scrambling to cover for CP3 and it Curry created a lot of the contact.

[LACtdom]

With the new emphasis on avoiding players jumping on players' backs, the refs should have called the flagrant foul with 6'7", 230 lb. Draymond Green jumping on DJ's back.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/FlyByKnite/status/701247129403072512[/tweet]

I'm glad i'm not the only person who thought this! I kept wondering if Green hadn't picked up that first tech would they have called the foul?

I know we were clearly the poorer of the two teams but it is quite frustrating to lose by 3 points when we gave away 2 points from techs, 4 points from fouling on two 3pt shots all of which come down to lack of discipline. After watching GSW get layups after made baskets, I think the argument of whether Jeff Green will give us more production than Lance is the least of our worries.

[QRich3]

lol I knew I would come back here and guys would find a way to blame Doc for Wilcox' brainfart
You lot are gonna miss him so much when he's gone, he's such a convenient scapegoat. Guys miss shots? it's on Doc's development. They turn the ball over? it's on Doc's gameplan. We just get outclassed? Doc's shoulda added talent. It's so easy and it works for every situation. If he wasn't holding us back I bet we'd be right there with the Warriors fighting for the best record ever.

Anyway, I liked that we were able to dominate them on the boards when they go small, that's a good lesson to take for future match ups. But we just can't seem to get stops against them sustainably. They move the ball too quick and can get hot in a second, and we just can't seem to do anything about it. I thought the gameplan was sound against them yet again, taking the ball from Curry and Green as much as possible and forcing guys like Barnes, Green and Iguodala to take more jump shots than they would, but they still find good quality shots like it's nothing. Our transition defense was very lazy too, and I hope that's not a thing that keeps happening.

Bad news is Luc and Pierce are probably not gonna be playable against them, and that's gonna hurt us a lot.

Jeff Green looked poor, but I really hope posting him up so much does not becoe a thing. Obviously we'll have to give time for adjustment, but I'm not sure how much of a fan I am of posting him up unless it is a mismatch.

I thought they were purposely trying to get him involved since he looked a bit lost and timid for much of the game, but yeah, hopefully it doesn't become a thing.

[Quake Griffin]

Well, what is he responsible for then?

[QRich3]

lol there's nuff things without having to exaggerate, want me to make a list?

[Quake Griffin]

he's responsible for CJ Wilcox's development, skill wise and mentally…especially since he's wearing both hats.

I don't expect much from Wilcox in high leverage situations because I think he is always looking over his shoulder.
he's nowhere close to being comfortable as a contributor. He's still very much a rookie a year and a half into his career.

over/under: 0.5 25 point games from Wilcox at some random d-league warehouse in Idaho before his career is over?
I'm going over.

Could it be Wilcox's own fault? Sure. No doubt you're 100% sold that it's his own fault.
Given Doc's track record with rookies and his ability to burn draft choices like nobody's business, it's hard for me to not give him any blame.

[ranlamjon]

way to compete at the end.....

[og15]

GS might be a team where the Clippers keep both bigs at the basket for offensive rebounds because a couple extra opportunities help. The 1-3 all need to be getting back though because you can't give up more than necessary in transition to them.

[nickhx2]

i agree with that strategy. but i don't think nba coaches would ever allow for it in this day and age.

[mattd13]

you are not going to win many games when your starting 3 and 4 score 2 points between them. plus the refs were awful. jj gets hammered on a layup with no call the gets tech and on it goes. I am very disappointed in the overall play of paul pierce. he still thinks he can shoot and keeps trying to find something that will not be found.

[og15]

Lol, ouch on Pierce, but if he doesn't give you shooting he won't have any other value

[nickhx2]

one thing i found to be irritating were doc's postgame comments saying that the team was playing too much iso ball, not enough defense, and not doing the things they had previously gone over.

if that's the case, isn't it the job of the head coach to pull players or discipline them when they start doing jamal crawford type things? or maybe you shouldn't criticize the team for not doing what you wanted when you are the one who canceled their practice?

i mean, whatever. pretty standard doc stuff by now to have a giant hand in the bad stuff but blame others for it.

[Roscoe Sheed]

you are not going to win many games when your starting 3 and 4 score 2 points between them. plus the refs were awful. jj gets hammered on a layup with no call the gets tech and on it goes. I am very disappointed in the overall play of paul pierce. he still thinks he can shoot and keeps trying to find something that will not be found.

The refs made some very strange calls- waiting to pause the game when the rim was off- allowing Curry to get fouled before stopping the game. Also, the refs allowed GS to score while Green was bitching and moaning- then the called the tech after they scored.

I think that the perception of the Clippers is so poor with regard to the refs that they just have to expect that the opposing team will be spotted at least 5 points every game. It is hard to overcome that against very good teams.

What frustrates me is that this GS team is beatable. Yes, they are very good- but they are not flawless. I think Blake Griffin will be vital if they match up in the playoffs. He is one of the few players in the league who could really make them pay for going too small. I also think that the Clippers have to fix the defensive lapses. I understand you have to have your head an a swivle (sp?) with Curry and Thompson running off screens, but you can't let your man cut to the basket for a wide open lay up or not get back in transition- you cannot gift the GSW too many points.

[QRich3]

Could it be Wilcox's own fault? Sure. No doubt you're 100% sold that it's his own fault.
Given Doc's track record with rookies and his ability to burn draft choices like nobody's business, it's hard for me to not give him any blame.

Eh, I'm not the one's who's blaming 100% of things on one person. I'm just saying Wilcox is just probably not good enough, and it's funny that guys will blame a stupid mistake he did in this particular play on the coach, like he should have teached him to be the perfect player. Doc by the way, has a really solid track record of developing late-1st-round rookies into good role players in Boston and Orlando. And he's burnt exactly 2 draft choices here, so that's a bit of an hyperbole.

It's funny that I've become the guy who defends Doc at every turn here, when I don't even like his personality or many of his choices usually. But it just baffles me how the beehive just keeps blaming him for random stuff since everyone agreed to get on the hate Doc train. And I get that it happens on the GB, but Clippers fans are supposed to watch Clippers games and form their own opinion and sh*t.

[mattd13]

I am not in the hate or fire doc camp. it is not personal. I think he is trying to do the best with what he has. however I totally agree about the draft. people just do not understand how difficult it is to make it in the nba. good players spend years trying. my main issue with doc is the end of game plan and his use of Austin. at some point he has to see that problem. pp, luc, and wes are just not that consistent to make the clips a contender and that is what doc has to work with. lets hope that green can make that difference.