Game 18: Los Angeles (9-8) vs Portland (7-10)

[nickhx2]

doc's complete obliviousness to rotation management when it comes to hacking dj is going to cost this team games at some point.

literally zero reason to have anyone but your best defenders out there. yet here we are with crawford on the floor.

[nickhx2]

really not having fun watching dj play these days. or seeing doc coach.

[Ranma]

If DJ can't even hit half his free throws, I don't ever want to hear any grumbling from him about not being a focal point on the offense. What's the point of throwing the ball to you if the opposing team is just going to send you to the line to brick charity shots?

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DanWoikeSports/status/671571178025148416[/tweet]

[Quake Griffin]

No bitching from me about Terry Stotts' plan.

If you remember, he shocked us at home last year with a Hack a DeAndre on national television.

[LACtdom]

I don't understand how someone's FT style can look fairly similar each attempt but the results are crazy different.

[Ranma]

The Clippers also finally won the battle on the boards for the first time this season...barely with 55 total rebounds to Portland's 54.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/kpelton/status/671572718391721984[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/BenGolliver/status/671573587808022528[/tweet]

[Forte IV]

I loved all 10 of Lance's stolen rebounds tonight

[Roscoe Sheed]

The double tech was ridiculous. They better ask the league to rescind that because it could lead to Blake being suspended later in the season

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DanWoikeSports/status/671576038510473216[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/jadande/status/671574594956865536[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/DanWoikeSports/status/671576224372625408[/tweet]

[Quake Griffin]

how srsly is CP3 injured?

[nickhx2]

no real word yet. but i'd say it's gonna cost a few games at least. maybe two weeks minimum to be safe. muscle strains pretty much require rest and activating your rib muscles the majority of the day makes it tougher to heal.

[Clippers_FTW]

Didn't look like he was in much pain.. more so bothering him than anything..

[Wammy Giveaway]

If DJ can't even hit half his free throws, I don't ever want to hear any grumbling from him about not being a focal point on the offense. What's the point of throwing the ball to you if the opposing team is just going to send you to the line to brick charity shots?

History has shown that every time opposing teams have drawn a Hack-A-Shaq on DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers automatically win. I think the record is 18-2 whenever DeAndre Jordan takes at least 15 free throws or more (the record might have changed, but I know the wins are in the double digits), whether intentional or not. Doc must have seen a variation of the stat and figured that the only way for the Clippers to get easy wins is to leave DeAndre out there and have their opponents force fouls on him. He'll miss free throws, but the damage will have already been done. Consider these positives, if you want to call them such:

1. Players are still susceptible to fouling out of a game. There is a possibility that a superstar can accidentally get himself fouled out of a game all because of a Hack-A-Shaq. Remember our ejection conspiracy discussion, in that the NBA doesn't want to see superstars ejected, let alone fouled out, for fear of damaging their product. That's the only way I can see this rule getting changed, if a superstar accidentally fouls out, and the referees deem it a Hack-A-Shaq.

2. Because the opponent is so wrapped up about forcing misses on DeAndre's part just to get back in the game, they forget how to get back in the game in the first place. Their offense takes a hit, while the Clipper defense is better prepared. As the Time Out King, Doc can use the free throw misses to create a defensive play that would prevent a score, a pass, or a whole possession. We saw back-to-back shot clock violations in last night's game. When DeAndre was continuously getting fouled, Doc had his son Austin in the court - who is now the Clipper's defensive specialist. By the time the free throws are over, the Clippers are already set to defend. And since the Hack-A-Shaq only occurs when the Clippers are already up in the 10's... really, it's just beating a dead horse.

In short, Doc uses the Hack-A-Shaq to psyche out his opponents.

If I were commissioner, I would disallow all off-ball fouls, blocking, offensive and common. The only way to really draw a Hack-A-Shaq, in my opinion, would be to draw a flagrant foul. But it would have to be a type 2, meaning a player would get ejected from a game. Logically speaking, do you really want to sacrifice a player just so you can draw misses and take advantage of an already dead play?

[Wammy Giveaway]

how srsly is CP3 injured?

There were a few tweets about Paul's strained ribs. One said from two to three weeks. The other said up to three months. I have the worst case scenario.

There is a rumor that if Paul's ribs are classified as broken ribs, he could miss the season.

[LACtdom]

If DJ can't even hit half his free throws, I don't ever want to hear any grumbling from him about not being a focal point on the offense. What's the point of throwing the ball to you if the opposing team is just going to send you to the line to brick charity shots?

History has shown that every time opposing teams have drawn a Hack-A-Shaq on DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers automatically win. I think the record is 18-2 whenever DeAndre Jordan takes at least 15 free throws or more (the record might have changed, but I know the wins are in the double digits), whether intentional or not. Doc must have seen a variation of the stat and figured that the only way for the Clippers to get easy wins is to leave DeAndre out there and have their opponents force fouls on him. He'll miss free throws, but the damage will have already been done. Consider these positives, if you want to call them such:

1. Players are still susceptible to fouling out of a game. There is a possibility that a superstar can accidentally get himself fouled out of a game all because of a Hack-A-Shaq. Remember our ejection conspiracy discussion, in that the NBA doesn't want to see superstars ejected, let alone fouled out, for fear of damaging their product. That's the only way I can see this rule getting changed, if a superstar accidentally fouls out, and the referees deem it a Hack-A-Shaq.

2. Because the opponent is so wrapped up about forcing misses on DeAndre's part just to get back in the game, they forget how to get back in the game in the first place. Their offense takes a hit, while the Clipper defense is better prepared. As the Time Out King, Doc can use the free throw misses to create a defensive play that would prevent a score, a pass, or a whole possession. We saw back-to-back shot clock violations in last night's game. When DeAndre was continuously getting fouled, Doc had his son Austin in the court - who is now the Clipper's defensive specialist. By the time the free throws are over, the Clippers are already set to defend. And since the Hack-A-Shaq only occurs when the Clippers are already up in the 10's... really, it's just beating a dead horse.

In short, Doc uses the Hack-A-Shaq to psyche out his opponents.

If I were commissioner, I would disallow all off-ball fouls, blocking, offensive and common. The only way to really draw a Hack-A-Shaq, in my opinion, would be to draw a flagrant foul. But it would have to be a type 2, meaning a player would get ejected from a game. Logically speaking, do you really want to sacrifice a player just so you can draw misses and take advantage of an already dead play?

I like the 'hack-a-shaq' rule and enjoy it when teams risk getting into foul trouble simply for the short term gain of Clippers missing a few FTs which sometimes happens when they employ the tactic before half time.

You have to take that winning stat with a grain of salt though because most teams that foul DJ 15+ times have a big deficit and so it makes sense that they are more likely to lose. If teams were 15+ points ahead and then did hack-a-dj I can guarantee you that the stat would not be as favourable.

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DanWoikeSports/status/671812749979025408[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/ClippersCentral/status/671536488002158593[/tweet]

[Neddy]

man I am loving Luc's D.

**** I deserve this one smfh...

[nickhx2]

lol thought you said it on purpose to be funny