2012 NBA Playoffs: (4) Grizzlies vs (5) Clips - Series (0-0)

[illastrate]

It's Chris Paul going supernova time. I trust him with the ball in his hands than anyone else on the court. His superb game management will single-handedly win the series for LAC, although it will take 6 or 7 games to do so. Will be the closest 1st round series.

[illastrate]

Gay is the best player in the clutch in this series

And Chris Paul is (arguably) the best player in the clutch in the league.

[jefe]

Grizz in 6. Clips are horrible on the road and something tells me Blake isn't going to have a great series.

Horrible is a loaded word. There were 7 teams with better road records than the Clippers:

Chicago: 24-9
San Antonio: 22-11
Oklahoma: 21-12
Indiana: 19-14
Miami: 18-15 / Denver: 18-15
Atlanta: 19-16
Clippers: 16-17 / Orlando: 16-17 / Philadelphia 16-17

There aren't a whole lot of >.500 road teams every year. The Clippers were one game under .500, one of the losses at the end of the season was with Chris Paul out, and another with Paul injuring his groin and deferring to end the game (16-15 overall on the road with Paul).

The Clippers are tied as the 8th best road team in the league, with 16 playoff teams, that would make them average on the road amongst playoff teams, and their road wins include OKC, Denver (x2), Memphis, San Antonio, Utah, and Orlando early in the season. Memphis is 15-18 on the road, that would make them poor/below average. If the Clippers are a horrible road team then a lot of teams are a horrible road team. The reality is that the "horrible" road teams relative to teams that are in the playoffs are Utah (11-22), Dallas (13-20), and New York (14-19). Lakers (15-18), Memphis (15-18) and Boston (15-18) are below average, Clippers, Magic and Sixers are average, and the other guys are above average, good, and in the case of Chicago, great.

The Clippers did not win in Memphis.

[TheNewEra]

I hate when people try to list the X Factors of Memphis and act like no other Clipper players stepped up this season outside of Paul. Do people not know that for like 60% of the season we struggled to stay in games because Paul wouldn't look to score for 3 quarters, but we stood strong because everyone bought in and stepped it up lol it was like a Tebow thing he would look to get everyone going but it made the team as a whole stronger.

The Grizz have several guys well so do the Clippers
Bledsoe has been huge pushing the ball and playing strong defense and at times looked to help close games.

Williams/Young-Have been dynamic duo and with rest from Young coming off his sickness Young has shown to be a strong man defender and scorer with Mo's shooting can bust up games any given nights and have proven so against elite teams.

Martin-Has been solid works on the boards and has closed out many games for us this year and has made big plays to even win a few in the crunch.

Overall Talent Clippers are a better team but the drive and execution will determine the series winner and Paul has shown to be a juggernaut in that regard and don't underestimate the impact of Billups on the coaching bench.

[jefe]

Grizz in 6. Clips are horrible on the road and something tells me Blake isn't going to have a great series.

Clippers are a better road team than the Grizz and are one game below.500 overall on the road. Blake has not had one bad scoring game all season against the Grizz. Clip fans are also enjoying the rest Butler, Paul, Martin, and Williams are getting right now while Jordan, Griffin, Bledsoe and Young are all getting more preparation time to go to battle from our vets.

Meh, I'm not too concerned about how the Grizz (or Clippers for that matter) played on the road in January when the team was adjusting to playing without Zbo. This month, however, the Grizz became the only team in the league to win in Miami and OKC.

[TheNewEra]

Grizz in 6. Clips are horrible on the road and something tells me Blake isn't going to have a great series.

Horrible is a loaded word. There were 7 teams with better road records than the Clippers:

Chicago: 24-9
San Antonio: 22-11
Oklahoma: 21-12
Indiana: 19-14
Miami: 18-15 / Denver: 18-15
Atlanta: 19-16
Clippers: 16-17 / Orlando: 16-17 / Philadelphia 16-17

There aren't a whole lot of >.500 road teams every year. The Clippers were one game under .500, one of the losses at the end of the season was with Chris Paul out, and another with Paul injuring his groin and deferring to end the game (16-15 overall on the road with Paul).

The Clippers are tied as the 8th best road team in the league, with 16 playoff teams, that would make them average on the road amongst playoff teams, and their road wins include OKC, Denver (x2), Memphis, San Antonio, Utah, and Orlando early in the season. Memphis is 15-18 on the road, that would make them poor/below average. If the Clippers are a horrible road team then a lot of teams are a horrible road team. The reality is that the "horrible" road teams relative to teams that are in the playoffs are Utah (11-22), Dallas (13-20), and New York (14-19). Lakers (15-18), Memphis (15-18) and Boston (15-18) are below average, Clippers, Magic and Sixers are average, and the other guys are above average, good, and in the case of Chicago, great.

The Clippers did not win in Memphis.

Grizz never won in LA. The comments made by the poster were in general anyway to the comment Clippers are a horrible road team when we are actually one of the best.

[TheNewEra]

Grizz in 6. Clips are horrible on the road and something tells me Blake isn't going to have a great series.

Clippers are a better road team than the Grizz and are one game below.500 overall on the road. Blake has not had one bad scoring game all season against the Grizz. Clip fans are also enjoying the rest Butler, Paul, Martin, and Williams are getting right now while Jordan, Griffin, Bledsoe and Young are all getting more preparation time to go to battle from our vets.

Meh, I'm not too concerned about how the Grizz (or Clippers for that matter) played on the road in January when the team was adjusting to playing without Zbo. This month, however, the Grizz became the only team in the league to win in Miami and OKC.

Well considering Clippers did not get to play Miami on the road (yet won at home 9th game of the season with a newly constructed team) and the Clippers beating OKC twice in a week is impressive in itself.

[jefe]

Horrible is a loaded word. There were 7 teams with better road records than the Clippers:

Chicago: 24-9
San Antonio: 22-11
Oklahoma: 21-12
Indiana: 19-14
Miami: 18-15 / Denver: 18-15
Atlanta: 19-16
Clippers: 16-17 / Orlando: 16-17 / Philadelphia 16-17

There aren't a whole lot of >.500 road teams every year. The Clippers were one game under .500, one of the losses at the end of the season was with Chris Paul out, and another with Paul injuring his groin and deferring to end the game (16-15 overall on the road with Paul).

The Clippers are tied as the 8th best road team in the league, with 16 playoff teams, that would make them average on the road amongst playoff teams, and their road wins include OKC, Denver (x2), Memphis, San Antonio, Utah, and Orlando early in the season. Memphis is 15-18 on the road, that would make them poor/below average. If the Clippers are a horrible road team then a lot of teams are a horrible road team. The reality is that the "horrible" road teams relative to teams that are in the playoffs are Utah (11-22), Dallas (13-20), and New York (14-19). Lakers (15-18), Memphis (15-18) and Boston (15-18) are below average, Clippers, Magic and Sixers are average, and the other guys are above average, good, and in the case of Chicago, great.

The Clippers did not win in Memphis.

Grizz never won in LA. The comments made by the poster were in general anyway to the comment Clippers are a horrible road team when we are actually one of the best.

og15 said the Clippers won in Memphis - that is incorrect and is not "in general"- and the Grizz did win in LA, against the Lakers, but in LA nonetheless.

[TheNewEra]

Aww I see the (x2) thing made me skip over the error. lmao yes well Clippers don't dim the lights in Staples so that makes it a little different lol .

[The Redemption]

SO much ignorance so I'm going to lay down some facts for everybody. There are actually statistical facts as to why the Clippers have given the Grizzlies problems in recent years. First let me start with a few points.

1. Everybody keeps talking about the lack of playoff experience the Clippers have but as a unit the Clippers actually have SIGNIFICANTLY more experience in that regard.

2. People keep saying Griffin has never been to the playoffs but guess what? Neither has the Grizzlies go to player Rudy Gay.

3. People keep hyping Zbo up as some huge difference maker right now but he's been coming off the bench and been nothing special. He's still nowhere near 100 percent.


Now let me show some stats as to why the Clippers give the Grizzlies issues.

1. Grizzlies rank 1st in the league in forced turnovers and rely heavily on transition buckets from defense. The problem? That doesn't work on the Clippers who are 2nd in the NBA in turnovers per game and turnover rate. So the Grizzlies have lost a big part of their offense and momentum against the Clippers due to that.

2. Grizzlies best offensive weapon is scoring in the paint. Well that just so happens to be the Clippers defensive strength. So Clippers have the players to clog the paint on the Grizzlies. Both teams average about the same in rebounds so basically the paint war (Grizzlies biggest edge) is pretty much a draw.

3. Clippers biggest weakness is perimeter defense. They allow teams to torch them from outside. The problem is Memphis is near bottom of the league in 3 point shooting so they can't capitalize on this. Allowing the Clippers to pack the paint for the most part.

4. Another myth I keep hearing is how the slower pace in playoffs will favor the Grizzlies. A straight up lie because the Grizzlies play at a much more frantic pace than the Clippers. So the Clippers should actually have the edge in a slower game.

5. People keep talking about a nonexistent talent disparity in favor of the Grizzlies but look at the rosters. I'd take the Clippers 10 rotation players over the Grizzlies. A bit more inconsistent but when they hit shots they are INCREDIBLY deep and dangerous. It's no coincidence that the team has had over 10 games where they knock down 10+ threes.

6. Clippers are the 4th ranked offense, 17th ranked defense. Grizzlies are the 20th ranked offense, 7th ranked defense. It's going to come down to elite offense vs elite defense.

7. Clippers have the two best players in the series and the best closer in the entire NBA. LOL at the guy who said Rudy Gay is the most clutch player in this series. Even most non Clippers fans would name CP3 the best clutch player in the NBA for this season. In close games Clippers are going to have an x-factor (CP3) that the Grizzlies don't have. Gay is clutch but not ANYWHERE NEAR as clutch as CP3.


8. Biggest problem with Memphis that nobody seems to be talking about is their HUGE scoring lulls they go on. It's not rare for this team to go 5-10 minutes without making a field goal. It happened last night vs Orlando where they only scored like 13 in the 3rd. They aren't a good or consistent offense by any means. In the playoffs when defenses tighten up... this is going to cost them games.



Don't forget.... the Clippers didn't just win the season series. They DOMINATED it. They blew Memphis out twice and almost stole the 3rd one in Memphis. They had it to within 1 with about a minute to go after coming back from 17 down in the 4th quarter. They flat out dominated this series. Last two seasons prior they split. So people acting like Memphis is going to dominate need a reality check.

Only reason Memphis can win this... is the coaching advantage. In the playoffs coaching is obviously HUGE. Hollins is going to straight up embarrass Vinny Del Negro.

[SandsB]

SO much ignorance so I'm going to lay down some facts for everybody. There are actually statistical facts as to why the Clippers have given the Grizzlies problems in recent years. First let me start with a few points.

1. Everybody keeps talking about the lack of playoff experience the Clippers have but as a unit the Clippers actually have SIGNIFICANTLY more experience in that regard.

2. People keep saying Griffin has never been to the playoffs but guess what? Neither has the Grizzlies go to player Rudy Gay.

3. People keep hyping Zbo up as some huge difference maker right now but he's been coming off the bench and been nothing special. He's still nowhere near 100 percent.


Now let me show some stats as to why the Clippers give the Grizzlies issues.

1. Grizzlies rank 1st in the league in forced turnovers and rely heavily on transition buckets from defense. The problem? That doesn't work on the Clippers who are 2nd in the NBA in turnovers per game and turnover rate. So the Grizzlies have lost a big part of their offense and momentum against the Clippers due to that.

2. Grizzlies best offensive weapon is scoring in the paint. Well that just so happens to be the Clippers defensive strength. So Clippers have the players to clog the paint on the Grizzlies. Both teams average about the same in rebounds so basically the paint war (Grizzlies biggest edge) is pretty much a draw.

3. Clippers biggest weakness is perimeter defense. They allow teams to torch them from outside. The problem is Memphis is near bottom of the league in 3 point shooting so they can't capitalize on this. Allowing the Clippers to pack the paint for the most part.

4. Another myth I keep hearing is how the slower pace in playoffs will favor the Grizzlies. A straight up lie because the Grizzlies play at a much more frantic pace than the Clippers. So the Clippers should actually have the edge in a slower game.

5. People keep talking about a nonexistent talent disparity in favor of the Grizzlies but look at the rosters. I'd take the Clippers 10 rotation players over the Grizzlies. A bit more inconsistent but when they hit shots they are INCREDIBLY deep and dangerous. It's no coincidence that the team has had over 10 games where they knock down 10+ threes.

6. Clippers are the 4th ranked offense, 17th ranked defense. Grizzlies are the 20th ranked offense, 7th ranked defense. It's going to come down to elite offense vs elite defense.

7. Clippers have the two best players in the series and the best closer in the entire NBA. LOL at the guy who said Rudy Gay is the most clutch player in this series. Even most non Clippers fans would name CP3 the best clutch player in the NBA for this season. In close games Clippers are going to have an x-factor (CP3) that the Grizzlies don't have. Gay is clutch but not ANYWHERE NEAR as clutch as CP3.


8. Biggest problem with Memphis that nobody seems to be talking about is their HUGE scoring lulls they go on. It's not rare for this team to go 5-10 minutes without making a field goal. It happened last night vs Orlando where they only scored like 13 in the 3rd. They aren't a good or consistent offense by any means. In the playoffs when defenses tighten up... this is going to cost them games.



Don't forget.... the Clippers didn't just win the season series. They DOMINATED it. They blew Memphis out twice and almost stole the 3rd one in Memphis. They had it to within 1 with about a minute to go after coming back from 17 down in the 4th quarter. They flat out dominated this series. Last two seasons prior they split. So people acting like Memphis is going to dominate need a reality check.

Only reason Memphis can win this... is the coaching advantage. In the playoffs coaching is obviously HUGE. Hollins is going to straight up embarrass Vinny Del Negro.

This is the best post I have read on this website so far. But shhh....just quote yourself when the Clippers win and I will be one of the people that agreed with you . You are SPOT ON

[og15]

Grizz in 6. Clips are horrible on the road and something tells me Blake isn't going to have a great series.

Horrible is a loaded word. There were 7 teams with better road records than the Clippers:

Chicago: 24-9
San Antonio: 22-11
Oklahoma: 21-12
Indiana: 19-14
Miami: 18-15 / Denver: 18-15
Atlanta: 19-16
Clippers: 16-17 / Orlando: 16-17 / Philadelphia 16-17

There aren't a whole lot of >.500 road teams every year. The Clippers were one game under .500, one of the losses at the end of the season was with Chris Paul out, and another with Paul injuring his groin and deferring to end the game (16-15 overall on the road with Paul).

The Clippers are tied as the 8th best road team in the league, with 16 playoff teams, that would make them average on the road amongst playoff teams, and their road wins include OKC, Denver (x2), Memphis, San Antonio, Utah, and Orlando early in the season. Memphis is 15-18 on the road, that would make them poor/below average. If the Clippers are a horrible road team then a lot of teams are a horrible road team. The reality is that the "horrible" road teams relative to teams that are in the playoffs are Utah (11-22), Dallas (13-20), and New York (14-19). Lakers (15-18), Memphis (15-18) and Boston (15-18) are below average, Clippers, Magic and Sixers are average, and the other guys are above average, good, and in the case of Chicago, great.

The Clippers did not win in Memphis.

My mistake, not sure where I got that from, I think I mistook the Jan 26th to be in Memphis, but it was a home game. Anyways, it wasn't part of my main point, the other road victory was @Dallas, either way, the Clippers are FAR from a "horrible" road team.

4. Another myth I keep hearing is how the slower pace in playoffs will favor the Grizzlies. A straight up lie because the Grizzlies play at a much more frantic pace than the Clippers. So the Clippers should actually have the edge in a slower game.

This has been a battle all season, no matter how many times it is mentioned that the Clippers are at the bottom of the league (27th) in pace, and Chris Paul loves the half-court, control the tempo game, people keep saying "the Clippers will struggle when the game slows down". They would have struggled all season long if that was the case.

The Clippers bench plays at a faster pace, so for about 12 MPG while Eric Bledsoe is playing PG, the pace will increase, but for the rest of the 36 MPG while Chris Paul is on the court, there are only 4 teams that play slower than the Clippers - Detroit, Chicago, Orlando, and New Orleans.

[anish23]

one thing is for sure this series is gonna be close

[Sofia]

Gay is the best player in the clutch in this series

wtf

[TheNewEra]

I kind of hope we pick up the pace next year. I understand being a halfcourt team will help us in the playoffs but felt we lost some games not pushing the tempo more often. Paul loves to see the floor and work his way into something but we can get stagnant after a while waiting for him.

The development of Bledsoe would be huge next season if he can come in and continue to push the tempo and play strong d while not turning the ball over as much.

[jman3134]

Look, if you are going to point out that Zach isn't at full strength, I would be remiss to not point out Chris Paul's injury, which he has had less time to recover from. And, as a previous poster mentioned, the lack of Clippers turnovers has a lot to do with one of if not the best point guard in the NBA. If he is not at full strength, the Clips will turn the ball over and the Grizz will be able to take advantage.

Zach is not at full strength, so this is a big question mark. Offensively, Mayo has been better this year and Rudy Gay can score. Do you think Butler can match up with him? He has the experience, but I'm not so sure about that. Marc Gasol is the X Factor in this series. If he is able to bully Jordan with his fundamental post game, it's going to be a tough road ahead for the Clips.

I think that Paul's health is a much bigger factor in this series than most are letting on. Even at full strength though, the Grizz are gelling now, at the right time. So I think it is fair to say that the Clips are a bad matchup, but that they are catching the Grizz in stride. (and with homecourt advantage)

[RamenStyle]

Grizzlies in 6, and I could see them in the WCF.

[sfernald]

Look, if you are going to point out that Zach isn't at full strength, I would be remiss to not point out Chris Paul's injury, which he has had less time to recover from. And, as a previous poster mentioned, the lack of Clippers turnovers has a lot to do with one of if not the best point guard in the NBA. If he is not at full strength, the Clips will turn the ball over and the Grizz will be able to take advantage.

Zach is not at full strength, so this is a big question mark. Offensively, Mayo has been better this year and Rudy Gay can score. Do you think Butler can match up with him? He has the experience, but I'm not so sure about that. Marc Gasol is the X Factor in this series. If he is able to bully Jordan with his fundamental post game, it's going to be a tough road ahead for the Clips.

I think that Paul's health is a much bigger factor in this series than most are letting on. Even at full strength though, the Grizz are gelling now, at the right time. So I think it is fair to say that the Clips are a bad matchup, but that they are catching the Grizz in stride. (and with homecourt advantage)

I think the end of the season looked great for the Grizzlies and bad for the Clippers for the casual fan only (other than hca, obviously).

While the Grizzlies eked out wins against the garbage teams of the NBA, the Clippers were playing tough playoff like games against playoff quality opponents. Each one was a challenge and should help the team grow. Even the last two losses against tough playoffs teams on the road on the east coast were close at the end and the Clippers had a chance in each. The Grizzlies haven't played a non-tanking playoff team since the Utah game on 4/14. That's eight games ago. Do they even still remember how to grit and grind?

The Clippers, therefore, should hit the playoffs running. I would say 5 of the last 6 were absolutely no-holds barred playoff type games. They are battle tested and ready to go.

If the Grizzlies come out complacent because of their winning streak thinking it means any thing to barely beat tanking teams, then they are in for a huge surprise. The Clippers have one of the best road records and always rise to the competition. They have beat the Spurs in San Antonio. Okc in Okc. Dallas in Dallas, etc.

They will be trying hard to steal one of the first two games in Memphis and watch out if they do.

[The Redemption]

Can't compare CP3's minor groin pull to Zach's surgically repaired knee. Zach has been back two months yet hasn't cracked starting 5 or looked good at all. CP3 could of played other day and sat for extra rest. He's going into playoffs with a week rest and will be highly motivated. Grizzlies should be very worried. All these analysts that aren't giving the Clippers a chance are in for a shock.

In fact Marc Gasol's knee bruise is worse than Paul's minor groin pull which is mostly healed. Injuries won't be a factory come Sunday night most likely outside of the still recovering Zbo.

[vincecarter4pres]

This was a tough one, but I'm going with Clippers in 6.