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Not to panic yet. There is no time to scheme up and prepare for a young athletic team like the buzzsaw the Clippers ran into in New Orleans. According to Dan Woike in Sunday's Times, the Clippers have had only 7 practices all year. Two consecutive games in Dallas tonight and Wednesday will be a rare chance for some continuity in this bizarre COVID season.


Why the pandemic has virtually killed practices in the NBA

The Clippers have held only seven formal practices this season, like so many other teams in the NBA, saving their best for later.

“We use the games as practice,” Brooklyn’s James Harden said before the All-Star game. “The most important thing is being ready once the postseason starts.”

While coaches would almost unanimously agree that practice is the best way to ensure that a team is at peak functionality come playoff time, there are too many other factors that organizations value. The goal is to make it to the end of the season healthy. Practices, especially the full-contact ones, might not be worth the injury risk.

There’s a cost. Some in the NBA point to the decrease in practice as a reason why games sometimes look so rocky, and to an extent look so individual. Defensive schemes that can become increasingly sophisticated in the postseason don’t get the same attention without frequent on-court team workouts in the regular season.

“We play every other day,” Bradley Beal said. “You have to ask yourself, ‘When do we have time to practice?’”

With schedules crunched even tighter because of the pandemic-compressed offseason and 72-game schedule, teams have been forced to re-evaluate how they handle their time.


Former coach Jeff Van Gundy has seen how practices have changed since he led the New York Knicks 25 years ago.

“More time spent on the floor, more time, with more contact, and more repetitions. And it was more competitive,” Van Gundy said of the old way to practice. “It wasn’t just five-on-zero. It was more drill work and more physical competition, you know? Yeah, I mean, it was just more. More would be the word. More often. Longer. More competitive.”

“It’s shifted big time from when I came into the league, practicing pretty much every day,” Paul George said. “… Now, I’m on a veteran team, a team that has a chance to win. We can’t have any injuries, any setbacks. It’s definitely a different league from the one I came in at.”

“I always felt good practicing because I felt I was conditioning my body and my mind during practices to go hard and put my body through a lot of stuff. So when it came to the game, it was easy. I always felt games were easier because we practiced so hard,” George said. “I would see every coverage, see everything unfold in practice so when it came into the game, I knew how to play through stuff and manipulate offenses and manipulate defenses. There are some pros and cons to it.

“It’s a fine line. I think teams should still have practices. But there’s a fine line of how much you want to practice throughout a year.”

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-03-14/end-of-nba-practice-covid-19-pandemic

Beverley is certainly out and I doubt Ibaka plays. Doncic probably goes off for 40, 15, and 15. Hopefully the other guys have an off night

I am raging at this awful team. They better **** show up today, I don't care what they win by, they need to win both games against the Mavs.

Last year even pre pandemic it was "they never practiced enough". Everyone is dealing with the same issues, I an done with excuses for this team.

Not even sure who we have that can give us a boost. We will be in big trouble without Ibaka moving forward.. dare I say.. Luke Kennard?

We have truly reached bottom.

ANOTHER MUST WIN.

RingColluder wrote:I am raging at this awful team. They better **** show up today, I don't care what they win by, they need to win both games against the Mavs.

Last year even pre pandemic it was "they never practiced enough". Everyone is dealing with the same issues, I an done with excuses for this team.

Not even sure who we have that can give us a boost. We will be in big trouble without Ibaka moving forward.. dare I say.. Luke Kennard?

We have truly reached bottom.

ANOTHER MUST WIN.

Clippers are on a road back-to-back and Dallas is home and rested. Wednesday's game is actually more like a playoff situation--no excuse for not being prepared after tonight's runthrough. Dallas has won 7 of their last 10; the Clips have lost 4 of 5. I have no idea why they're favored.

esqtvd wrote:

RingColluder wrote:I am raging at this awful team. They better **** show up today, I don't care what they win by, they need to win both games against the Mavs.

Last year even pre pandemic it was "they never practiced enough". Everyone is dealing with the same issues, I an done with excuses for this team.

Not even sure who we have that can give us a boost. We will be in big trouble without Ibaka moving forward.. dare I say.. Luke Kennard?

We have truly reached bottom.

ANOTHER MUST WIN.

Clippers are on a road back-to-back and Dallas is home and rested. Wednesday's game is actually more like a playoff situation--no excuse for not being prepared after tonight's runthrough. Dallas has won 7 of their last 10; the Clips have lost 4 of 5. I have no idea why they're favored.

The Clippers are the ultimate stat padding team. They run up the scores, score pts in meaningless blowout games, and sit players so their averages look better.

There's a reason real fans are so furious at the team right now, and yet looking in they don't look that bad.

Most people who writes garbage articles like this probably watch a national game or two and then just look through stats. It's in the OTHER 98% of games that we see how bad this team looks.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2021/3/12/22327456/clippers-juggernaut-kawhi-leonard-paul-george

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esqtvd wrote:

RingColluder wrote:I am raging at this awful team. They better **** show up today, I don't care what they win by, they need to win both games against the Mavs.

Last year even pre pandemic it was "they never practiced enough". Everyone is dealing with the same issues, I an done with excuses for this team.

Not even sure who we have that can give us a boost. We will be in big trouble without Ibaka moving forward.. dare I say.. Luke Kennard?

We have truly reached bottom.

ANOTHER MUST WIN.

Clippers are on a road back-to-back and Dallas is home and rested. Wednesday's game is actually more like a playoff situation--no excuse for not being prepared after tonight's runthrough. Dallas has won 7 of their last 10; the Clips have lost 4 of 5. I have no idea why they're favored.

We're also halfway through the season, looking worse by the game and if the Lakers had not had AD injured, we'd be the laughingstock of the Western Conference right now. We don't have time for run-throughs at all.

If we keep playing how we've looked the last 10, we might be in the PLAY IN game if certain teams get hot. I'm very concerned.

So with that said. A MUST WIN. But unlike the other 2 games, I don't mind if it's by 1 point or 20, we just need to start looking like the contending team we supposedly are. Getting ridiculous.

RingColluder wrote:
Most people who writes garbage articles like this probably watch a national game or two and then just look through stats. It's in the OTHER 98% of games that we see how bad this team looks.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2021/3/12/22327456/clippers-juggernaut-kawhi-leonard-paul-george

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I had a good laugh at that one. The irony is that it's in The Ringer. Bill Simmons' The Ringer. Bill Simmons who just completely trashed every Clipper except Kawhi and Serge.

Ibaka out sucks but expected. Happy to see Zu get the start. Morris also starting in place of Batum.

KL2 wrote:Ibaka out sucks but expected. Happy to see Zu get the start. Morris also starting in place of Batum.

Oh God Zu is starting

Prove me wrong and play monster defense today and score 14-18 points Zu! PLEASE!!!!


At least we have Morris in place of Batum. Finally Lue waking up

Pg handles man

Back and forth early they are still a dangerous team

I kind of like this starting five. Much more of a threat offensively with Morris Sr. starting off over Batum

Great defensive effort. Made a shot with everyone trying to contest

This should be the starting lineup moving forward. Bev in for Jackson, of course, when healthy.

Lue can stagger players so the bench isn’t too weakened.

I'd give Kennard a look over Lou Will right now

I can’t wait until Lou is gone.

4/5 of last year's starting lineup against the Mavs

much more deliberate out there and Marcus looks like a player again

_________________

ADD: Zu too

Ty played them the first 9 minutes with no substitutions for a 9-point lead
familiarity is good

Keep trying

Close game can’t let them get rolling