Game 70: Los Angeles (43-26) @ Golden State (63-7)

[Wammy Giveaway]

Clippers Starters
PG: Chris Paul
SG: J.J. Redick
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Luc Mbah A Moute
C: DeAndre Jordan

Warriors Starters
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Harrison Barnes
PF: Draymond Green
C: Andrew Bogut

This is it, for all the marbles. The chance for the Los Angeles Clippers to do something that can cement themselves as a true title contender for the playoffs: defeat the almighty Golden State Warriors. Just once. Tough task, indeed.

Golden State is in its own class of excellence, making franchise best while breaking league records left and right. They started the season 24-0, eclipsing the 15-0 records set by the 1993-94 Houston Rockets and the 1948-49 Washington Capitals, in addition to breaking a 131-year old American sports record of 20-0 set by the 1884 St. Louis Maroons of Major League Baseball. The 44-straight regular season home game winning streak held by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls is yesterday's news thanks to a record-setting 50-straight regular season home game winning streak by the Dubs, which is still ongoing. NBA MVP candidate Stephen Curry has made 339 3-pointers, topping his personal and league best mark of 286 which he made last year.

All of this, along with an NBA championship, is because of the Clippers. They didn't take them seriously in the 2012-13 season, assuming that lottery teams would easily fold, but these Warriors never did. The 2014-15 season will remain in infamy as the chance for the Clippers to finally make the western conference finals to challenge Golden State, only to blow it in a 3-1 collapse, and temporarily losing DeAndre Jordan to the Dallas Mavericks (until the emoji war happened).

Up until now, the Clippers have suffered a great deal of hardship: losing three games to the Warriors; being a lottery team (under .500) in two occasions; leading the league in technical fouls again; peculiar, unusual ejections to Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Austin Rivers; losing Blake Griffin to a quad injury, followed by the punching incident which left him sidelined for possibly the rest of the season; switching radio stations from KFWB to KLAC just recently; being mired in trade rumors involving Blake Griffin; the birth of Chuck The Condor and the return of Clipper jokes; and worries of a 3-1 collapse from last season spelling the end of the Clippers as we know them, joining the eight previous teams who were forced to rebuild because of losing a playoff series in such a horrific fashion.

Yet, here they stand.

The Clippers may have one last silver lining left. In the first year that Doc Rivers took over for the Clippers, the one thing they excelled at was preventing 3-game losing streaks. Anytime they lost two games in a row, the Clippers found a way to win the next game and prevent the inevitable. No team in NBA history has ever recovered from a 0-3 deficit in the playoffs - if you lost three games in a row, you were automatically eliminated. This mantra of a no-3-losses-in-a-row disappeared last season and continued into this season. When Blake Griffin went out to injury, the Clippers rediscovered this fighting spirit, and the 3-game losing streak spell suddenly stopped. Two losses to Cleveland and San Antonio later, they won the Rockets game.

They've already lost two games to Memphis and New Orleans. Could they finally notch a win in poetic fashion against the historical Warriors at the invincible Oracle?

Prevention Results

Game 5: LAC @ GSW
Game 11: GSW @ LAC
Game 55: GSW @ LAC

Throughout the season, the Clipper defense has been sub-optimal and very depressing. Their defense has dropped like a rock. Compare the regular season numbers I got from last year to now:

Last season: 22.4 shots for 50.8 PTS, 10.3 possessions, 5.1 AST, 10.8 helps (in 78 recorded games)
This season: 17.3 shots for 38.3 PTS, 10.0 possessions, 4.7 AST, 10.8 helps (in 58 selected recorded games)

Check out the Prevention charts for the Warriors by clicking on the links. Look at their lines and be amazed:

Game 1
Clippers: 16 shots for 35 PTS, 14 possessions, 3 AST, 22 TOV, 9 helps
Warriors: 20 shots for 45 PTS, 13 possessions, 3 AST, 18 TOV, 11 helps

Game 2
Warriors: 25 shots for 59 PTS, 8 possessions, 2 AST, 19 TOV, 7 helps
Clippers: 12 shots for 28 PTS, 8 possessions, 5 AST, 13 TOV, 11 helps

Game 3
Warriors: 23 shots for 56 PTS, 9 possessions, 6 AST, 11 TOV, 6 helps
Clippers: 13 shots for 30 PTS, 10 possessions, 3 AST, 13 TOV, 11 helps

Even without team defense, the Warriors will still suffocate you due to superb individual defensive work from the likes of Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green. Clippers will need to raise up the intensity in their defensive stats to outlast Golden State.

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/warriors/status/712725855869472769[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/712719337560219649[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/DanWoikeSports/status/712830328474198017[/tweet]

[Ranma]

Pierce hands Stephen Curry a layup.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/SherwoodStrauss/status/712832838534430723[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/LucasJHann/status/712832852371574784[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/FlyByKnite/status/712832935825530880[/tweet]

[mttwlsn16]

A W tonight would be wonderful

[Quake Griffin]

A W tonight would be wonderful

thinking about what I'd give for a W against the Warriors.

Even when we were better than them, they were getting the season series from us

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DanWoikeSports/status/712837806767218689[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/boppasguy/status/712837862643748866[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/SherwoodStrauss/status/712838058299633664[/tweet]

[Quake Griffin]

Did Austin Rivers not shooting the full courter to protect his FG% just irk the **** out of anybody here?

[Ranma]

Yeah, that and the missed left-handed layup just now. Not to mention the wide open 3 he missed earlier.

[Quake Griffin]

lmao at this basketball club when Chris Paul isn't on the floor.

[Ranma]

The Warriors not only get the likes Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Festus Ezeli, but they also add guys like Shaun Livingston and Harrison Barnes: players I've wanted the Clippers to pursue in the past. Doc, on the other hand, sticks with Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers, Jeff Green, and a Paul Pierce past his expiration date. Besides talent, the difference is also consistency. The aforementioned Warriors can be counted on every night while Doc seems to go out of his way to rely on players who've exhibited inconsistent performances recently in their respective careers.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/gswstats/status/712836965528248324[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/jadande/status/712839100210876417[/tweet]

[og15]

Everytime I watch Livingston, it makes me a little mad because in 2012, then in the summer of 2013, and again in summer of 2014, I really wanted the Clippers to get him. I was content with Hawes, but I wanted the Clippers to use the MLE on Shaun.

He would just be such a good fit on the bench, and a PG with the perfect size to pair next to Paul off the bench. Ah well, I need to get over it.

[Quake Griffin]

Everytime I watch Livingston, it makes me a little mad because in 2012, then in the summer of 2013, and again in summer of 2014, I really wanted the Clippers to get him. I was content with Hawes, but I wanted the Clippers to use the MLE on Shaun.

He would just be such a good fit on the bench, and a PG with the perfect size to pair next to Paul off the bench. Ah well, I need to get over it.

Things I wish I could say without being called a whiner or the commentary being categorized as a retread.

thanks for saying it out loud as the wiser more respected head here.

[Ranma]

I know Curry made the shot, but DJ did a good job on him defending him out on the perimeter when called upon.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DanWoikeSports/status/712845571363438592[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/DanWoikeSports/status/712845738309394432[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/FredKatz/status/712842713884925952[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/FredKatz/status/712842997352816641[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/TheCauldron/status/712845104772419584[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/CauldronICYMI/status/712846289050931200[/tweet]

[og15]

It's nice that the game is close despite the struggles of CP and Redick scoring wise who are 4/15 FG and 1/6 3PT. Of course that doesn't necessarily mean much because if they pick it up, it isn't that likely that the bench scorers stay efficient. We'll see though.

[nickhx2]

you know, i decided i was skipping this game like i did the previous one. saw halftime score and decided, ok, maybe it's worth a watch.

thompson hits two triples, then jordan decides it's a good time to shoot a ft line jumper.

maybe another time. have fun watching the game, guys

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/SherwoodStrauss/status/712853682832977920[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/CauldronICYMI/status/712854880109608960[/tweet]

[Alex DeLarge]

The bench getting murdered, yet again.

Doc has to be on the shortlist of the worst GMs ever. His inability to build an even average bench would be enough to warrant his firing. The fact that one of the pieces he added is his own son is nothing short of a slap in the face to Clippers fans. Instead of doing his job and scouring the earth for a decent backup point guard - an Ish Smith type, for example - he gives his son minutes and money that is totally unearned. It doesn't matter how many regular season games the Clips win - they will remain a clown franchise while ever Doc is making personnel decisions.

[nickhx2]

go away

[mttwlsn16]

Our effort seems pretty piss poor at times

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DanWoikeSports/status/712858011572834305[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/TheCauldron/status/712859454040092673[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/DanWoikeSports/status/712856821749391360[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/LucasJHann/status/712857123198214145[/tweet]