Los Angeles Clippers VS Memphis Grizzlies
Where: STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA
When: Wednesday, April 13th, 2011 @ 7:30 PM
TV:
/ 
Radio: KFWB News Talk 980
Previous Meetings:
12/11: Grizzlies over Clippers 84-83, Game Thread
3/14: Grizzlies over Clippers 105-82, Game Thread
4/5: Clippers over Grizzlies 82-81, Game Thread
PG: #25 - Mo Williams SG: #10 - Eric Gordon
SF: #15 - Ryan Gomes PF: #32 - Blake Griffin
C: #9 - DeAndre Jordan
Key Reserves
Eric Bledsoe / Randy Foye / Al-Farouq Aminu / Craig Smith
PG: #21 - Greivis Vasquez SG: #32 - O.J. Mayo
SF: #4 - Sam Young PF: #00 - Darrell Arthur
C: #33 - Marc Gasol
Key Reserves
Ish Smith / Shane Battier / Leon Powe / Hamed Haddadi
Inactive List:
Chris Kaman (Knee) and Ryan Gomes (Knee) are out.
Tony Allen (Knee/Rest), Mike Conley (Rest/Injury Prevention), Rudy Gay (partially dislocated left shoulder), Xavier Henry (sprained right knee), Zach Randolph (Rest) and Jason Williams (sore lower back) are out.
Team Leaders
Blake Griffin - 22.4 Points & 12.1 Rebounds (4th)
Mo Williams - 6.6 Assists
DeAndre Jordan - 1.8 Blocks (9th)
Eric Gordon - 1.3 Steals
Zach Randolph - 20.1 Points & 12.2 Rebounds (3rd)
Mike Conley - 6.6 Assists
Tony Allen - 1.8 Steals (6th)
Marc Gasol - 1.7 Blocks
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyUAhPnJCas[/youtube]
Mo, Ike, EJ & Jamario clown around at the end of the team's final practice
In Memory of TobiA couple weeks before the start of the 2010-11 season, Jordan made a promise.
@deandrejordan … #35 @TobiOye....every game this season.
He's kept that promise, tweeting Oyedeji's name and jersey number a few hours before each game, home and away. For Jordan, it's a way to reflect on the fragility of life.
“I just figured in this situation, you never know what's going to happen,” Jordan says. “It could be gone tomorrow. That's what I always think about now. I used to think about it, but when it really hits somebody or affects you you really take it seriously. So I just tweet him and his name and his number, just a reminder that, you know, play like this is your last game because I know that that's the way he would play.”Jordan has experienced similar inspiration this season. He remains the loveable jokester he has always been, but Jordan speaks softly when he reflects on the origin of his new perspective on life.
“You don't know what's really gonna happen,” Jordan says. “I mean, the kid was 17 years old. I'm really blessed to be in the situation that I'm in, definitely the situation that he was gonna be in.”
Then, as Jordan continues to talk about his friend – his lost brother – his eyes light up.
“I’ll just always remember his smile and the way he was so positive about everything. Even if it was something he didn’t like, he was always finding a way to make it into a positive. He was just a real upbeat person.”
Dennis Lin, Clippers.com
The 2010-11 season comes to a close for the Los Angeles Clippers. Aspirations and hopes were high coming into this season as Chris Kaman was coming off of an all-star season, the team had 3 talented rookies from the 2011 draft, Eric Gordon was looking to showcase his new found confidence after earning a gold medal as a key contributor to the Men's 2010 USA FIBA World Championship team, but more importantly was the debut of the 1st pick from the 2009 NBA Draft, Blake Griffin. Griffin would have his opportunity to be like Ludacris and come "back for the first time." There were concerns that he would not be the same player after sitting out the entire 2009-10 season, and there were concerns by many in the basketball world that he was just an athlete and that John Wall was the frontrunner for the league's Rookie of the Year. It didn't take that long for Blake to shatter the perception of his critics and shake the talks of him being injury prone by starting in all 82 games this season. Noone, not even his parents, believed that he would be an all-star in his very first NBA season, which has rivaled many of the greats such as David Robinson, Shaquille O'neal, Tim Duncan and even Larry Bird.
Injuries to starters, trades, a new coaching staff and a heavy reliance on inexperienced youth has given us fans a roller coaster ride of inconsistency throughout the season. We have witnessed this team take out the Goliath's of this league, while also being embarrassed by the David's. The question that arises is: Who is this team? Are they a team that is on the verge of becoming a perennial power or are they a team that is still without a focus and a direction? This offseason will give us and the rest of the league some insight into who this team is. There are no first round lottery selections to be made. However, we must decide who we are going to build around for the foreseeable future. Will we build around the young and athletic Duo of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan? Will we stick with Kaman who has played in Clipper red, white and blue for the last 8 seasons? Will Jordan or Kaman have played in their final game as a Clipper tonight against the Grizzlies? Players such as Blake and Eric Gordon have both put the ball into the hands of management and the owner. They will gladly stay here if a winning product is produced. Is the franchise ready to take the next step?
