Game 14: Clippers (5-8) visit Cavaliers (8-7) on 11/17 @ 7:30 PM ET

[ejftw]

The injuries do sting greatly, but the Clippers are just playing flat and inconsistent. Obviously I didn't expect them to pitch a shut-out, but when the offense is clicking as well as it did with the ball movement, it needs to continue. Instead, they started nailing the ball in the damn hardwood and forcing P&Rs that just weren't....working. To take something from the World's Game, until the return of Milos, we need to play "Tiki-Taka" basketball, pass and move, pass and move. Off ball screens, back door cuts, v-cuts, etc. Forget trying to run a set.

When it came down to the wire, it was just "dump into Blake and hope for the best." Even after it didn't work.

[esqtvd]

Another game lost by nepotism. It's just sad to watch Austin choke games away knowing that Doc will never bench him.

You can't be serious with this **** bro.

He had 14 4th quarter points. He was bad for most of this game, was good in the 4th, and was bad in OT (Which EVERYONE was)

But that variance is expected given...wait for it...he's an average player (You're going to say he isn't, which is fine, whatever).

The point is, is that down the stretch of NBA games, sets break down, things get foggy, this is where your horse is supposed to carry you. You're pointing the finger at a guy who averages 13, 14 a game on the season who had 14 4th quarter points, and NOT on the 180M guy who went 8-26 and continued to throw up caca because his individual game isn't good enough to be a #1 option.

That's crazy to me.

Haha, you guys still don't understand how MartinToVaught operates, do you? When you do, you will be less bothered by his wild comments. MTV almost always posts with an agenda and trying to promote a narrative. If he dislikes a player, he will spin everything in a negative way about them, will narrate things in obviously incorrect ways, and any compliment will be a backhanded compliment. If he likes a player, he will almost never criticize them, and if he does, it will be a fake criticism in which someone else is at fault for any failure of theirs. For example, look and see if you've ever seen him criticize Blake, you won't find it because it's maybe happened once or twice at the most and out of force likely. If a player he doesn't like has performed in 4th quarters like Blake has been so far, oh man, he wouldn't stop about how they are a choker, etc, etc, but not a peep about Blake. I don't really try to criticize Blake outside of reason because I know what he is and what he isn't, but imagine CP performing like this in 4th quarters, what someone like MTV would be saying. I don't think MTV claims to be an objective poster in any way shape or form though, so if you understand that, then you basically know what to expect from his posts. Right now, you seem to be expecting objectivity, but that's not an option, lol. I literally laughed out loud at your first line.


__________

Blake's 4th Quarter's
Cleveland: 1/8 FG in 4th, 1/4 FG in OT - 2/12 FG in 4th/OT
Philadelphia: 0/4 FG in 4th
New Orleans: 2/6 FG in 4th
Oklahoma: 0/2 FG in 4th
Miami: 2/5 FG in 4th

Blake last 5 games:
22/7/5 and 33.0% FG / 26.3% 3PT

Blake should never be shooting that poorly over 5 games, and his season shooting numbers are bad. He needs someone out there also getting him easy baskets.

Ouch. Those numbers are painful. And he used to have the best point guard in the world to "set him up for easy baskets." If Chris Paul couldn't do it, who will?

It was LeBron vs Blake at the end there. It's a superstar league and their superstar was super, ours is not. As a matter of fact, Austin rather was. He remains the least of our problems.

[MartinToVaught]

Okay, you guys win. It's Blake's fault for not being LeBron James. If only he turned into the greatest basketball player of all time, we would have won!

In reality, Blake is not the problem. Our "coaching" is the problem. Blake is not LeBron, Durant, Westbrook, etc. and that's fine. But it means he needs an actual offensive system to get easier shots. Instead, we have him trying to play like a old-school big from the '90s. Or he's getting the ball with very little time left on the shot clock and he has to chuck up any old trash and pray it goes in. Add in the fact that we're missing three starters, and it shouldn't surprise anyone that he's struggling at the moment. Get a real coach in here with a system and he will prove the haters wrong.

[TucsonClip]

Is it really that hard to actually run basic sets and motion late in games, instead of doing what we have been doing for the last six years? Elbow iso, PNR, no movement, ect.

I was screaming at my TV for us to push the ball off the defensive glass late in the game. Doc always does this... Slow it down, walk it up the court, and then, the same old stuff. We were up two with 90 seconds left and had a fast break opportunity. Instead we walked it up and let the Cavs set their defense.

[Ranma]

Okay, you guys win. It's Blake's fault for not being LeBron James. If only he turned into the greatest basketball player of all time, we would have won!

In reality, Blake is not the problem. Our "coaching" is the problem. Blake is not LeBron, Durant, Westbrook, etc. and that's fine. But it means he needs an actual offensive system to get easier shots. Instead, we have him trying to play like a old-school big from the '90s. Or he's getting the ball with very little time left on the shot clock and he has to chuck up any old trash and pray it goes in. Add in the fact that we're missing three starters, and it shouldn't surprise anyone that he's struggling at the moment.

Doesn't it say something about the influence of Chris Paul that the team was winning 50 regular season games year in and year out with him around in spite of Doc and despite lacking the depth the team currently enjoys? I point this out given your hate on CP3 while it was taken for granted that we would be better off with Griffin instead.

You criticized Paul for his demanding leadership but Griffin's Clippers are lacking the toughness and discipline so far to even be competitive. You could argue that Griffin is inexperienced in the role but he's been in the league for quite a few years with most of them being around a true competitor like Paul. It says something that he hasn't learned much from their time together in how to apply certain principles to his own leadership style.

We can blame Doc all we want and he certainly is responsible for a lot of our woes, but Griffin should be doing more to lead this team both on the court and in the locker room given his experience. It's clear that he's not LeBron James, like you said, but he isn't even Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, John Wall, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Davis, or yes, Chris Paul, who are all leading their respective teams with better records than the Clippers.

If it hasn't been clear by now to even the most ardent of doubters, Chris Paul was clearly the better leader and franchise player than Blake Griffin, who seems more comfortable in the complementary role despite having the team all to himself.

[MartinToVaught]

Doesn't it say something about the influence of Chris Paul that the team was winning 50 regular season games year in and year out with him around in spite of Doc and despite lacking the depth the team currently enjoys? I point this out given your hate on CP3 while it was taken for granted that we would be better off with Griffin instead.

It says that CP3 is a great individual regular-season player, which I've never denied. My criticism of CP3 revolved around the playoffs and the way he treated his teammates. And I don't "hate" CP3. I just don't think he's as great as others do, and I didn't enjoy watching his style of play. There's a difference between criticism and hate.

You criticized Paul for his demanding leadership but Griffin's Clippers are lacking the toughness and discipline so far to even be competitive.

"Demanding leadership" is a very positive way of spinning it. I can't blame the rest of the team for getting tired of being screamed at and blamed for everything by someone who has never led a team past Round 2.

We've seen 14 games of "Griffin's Clippers." It's a work in progress, and there's only so much "toughness and discipline" can do when you're missing three starters and you have the worst coach in the NBA.

[Ranma]

It says that CP3 is a great individual regular-season player, which I've never denied. My criticism of CP3 revolved around the playoffs and the way he treated his teammates. And I don't "hate" CP3. I just don't think he's as great as others do, and I didn't enjoy watching his style of play. There's a difference between criticism and hate.

How can you blame Paul for a lack of postseason success when the team lacks the winning mentality he accused it of during his time here? He was not the only one pointing this out as I've pointed to DJ as being the prime example of such lackluster attitude. On top of that, Doc has clearly been responsible for building a roster lacking in the necessary depth and key players that couldn't get us over the top.

"Demanding leadership" is a very positive way of spinning it. I can't blame the rest of the team for getting tired of being screamed at and blamed for everything by someone who has never led a team past Round 2.

We've seen 14 games of "Griffin's Clippers." It's a work in progress, and there's only so much "toughness and discipline" can do when you're missing three starters and you have the worst coach in the NBA.

Like LeBron, Chris Paul couldn't do it by himself, and he saw first-hand the dysfunction that a lot of us armchair experts have seen for years under Doc's control. No one questions who has the will to win. Imagine dealing with co-workers and a boss who are not on the same page as he is while he's trying to accomplish departmental goals.

You're excusing Griffin's team for a lack of "toughness and discipline" because of Doc despite the fact that Paul himself also had to deal with Doc and even less depth than what the team currently has even without the current 3 starters. Don't forget that we were always missing a starting-caliber small forward and yet the Clippers did better under Paul even with all this and during stretches without Griffin.

You can't place all the burden on Paul when he did everything he could while being handicapped with more issues than what the team is currently going through. Paul himself allowed us to even be competitive and have high expectations for the postseason to begin with. With him gone, we're now a lottery-level team lacking in competitive drive that he said was missing from the beginning.

Don't forget LeBron was unreasonably tough on Love early in their relationship and, quite frankly, a jerk to Erik Spoelstra during his time in Miami and yet he gets a pass from you when Paul hasn't been as troublesome nor given as much support.