Game 1: Denver Nuggets (0-0) @ Los Angeles Clippers (0-0) - 7:30 PM PT

[Wammy Giveaway]

It was a strange game anyway. I don't understand when Clipppers lost the lead in the 4th and when they were trailing by 2 why they chose to go for a 3 point shot play , bad look, Patrick wasn't even close, while giving up on Boban. Denver increased the lead to 4 and from that point the game was lost.

I can't help but be reminded of a game in 2013 between Lakers and Pelicans, the last play at time mark 4:20 in particular:

Spoiler:

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With the Pelicans players all huddled up, Steve Blake passes the ball to Kobe Bryant instantly. Only two Pelican defenders jogged their way back to pretend playing defense. It was all a part of the tanking process, a set up to get the highest draft pick possible. Beverley tripping to the floor after fumbling the ball and coincidentally fouling a Nuggets player reminded me of that play.

[QRich3]

Doc needed to let Shai and Lou close out the game. I know he's a rookie but Bev couldn't hit anything and well Avery wasn't much better

Lou and Shai should have been closing this game out. Lou came in too late.

Yeah, that was the biggest takeaway from this game to me. I'm ok with showcasing Bev and Bradley to sell them later and getting lottery position for it, but Sahi and Lou are clearly the better players to me, even when Beverly doesn't have this disastrous a night.

Gortat is another guy that shouldn't be in this team imo, it's not that he's played bad or anything, but Trez should be starting and that would leave more room for Boban smash minutes, and you could fill the rest with Gallo at the 5 which is something that intrigues me a lot.

[mttwlsn16]

Awful loss. Made a nice comeback, took the lead then blew it on the last few minutes. I have a feeling it's going to be a long season. Also, Gallinari is terrible. SGA looks like he's going to be a stud though.

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[Galloisdaman]

I did not see the game but looking at the stats it looks like they got hammered in the back court. Is that what happened?

[Roscoe Sheed]

Awful loss. Made a nice comeback, took the lead then blew it on the last few minutes. I have a feeling it's going to be a long season. Also, Gallinari is terrible. SGA looks like he's going to be a stud though.

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Gallo actually played halfway decent.

I agree with a previous post saying that Harrell needs to play more but against Denver that is difficult because Jokic is too big for him.

As I said earlier Bradley and Beverley should not play together much due to their offensive limitations

[Dunken Dave]

Clips committed too many fouls, Denver shot 42 FT to our 24----18 more foul shots. The 3pt shooting was awful, only made 3's were by Gallo and Tobias. That Was a winnable game----ball movement was not like the PS games.

[Clemenza]

I don't see Pat Bev or Avery shooting well consistently at all this season so hopefully Jerome is ready when his number is called. Gallo and Tobias need to get more shots up as well. Starting Shai would help with that since Bev and Avery have no play making ability for teammates whatsoever. We should trade one of these guys to the Suns for a wing if you ask me. I also have no ideal why Luc is on the team. He's worse than Wes Johnson imo

[esqtvd]

I don't see Pat Bev or Avery shooting well consistently at all this season so hopefully Jerome is ready when his number is called. Gallo and Tobias need to get more shots up as well. Starting Shai would help with that since Bev and Avery have no play making ability for teammates whatsoever. We should trade one of these guys to the Suns for a wing if you ask me. I also have no ideal why Luc is on the team. He's worse than Wes Johnson imo

I was afraid of starting two combo guards. "Combo" means you don't shoot or playmake very well. But Pat and Avery have a lot of rust to scrape off and are playing with a brand-new roster. I prefer to give them a little air before burying them.

Luc had some rust too because he's been dinged up for a week or two. Doc had the good sense not to put him back in after a rotten first half.

Gallo started out lousy but went something like 4-7 in the second half, incl a couple of key 3s. Just like giving Pat and Avery some more burn to close the game, you just don't give up on your guys with 81 1/2 games left in the season.

[Clemenza]

I don't see Pat Bev or Avery shooting well consistently at all this season so hopefully Jerome is ready when his number is called. Gallo and Tobias need to get more shots up as well. Starting Shai would help with that since Bev and Avery have no play making ability for teammates whatsoever. We should trade one of these guys to the Suns for a wing if you ask me. I also have no ideal why Luc is on the team. He's worse than Wes Johnson imo

I was afraid of starting two combo guards. "Combo" means you don't shoot or playmake very well. But Pat and Avery have a lot of rust to scrape off and are playing with a brand-new roster. I prefer to give them a little air before burying them.

Luc had some rust too because he's been dinged up for a week or two. Doc had the good sense not to put him back in after a rotten first half.

Gallo started out lousy but went something like 4-7 in the second half, incl a couple of key 3s. Just like giving Pat and Avery some more burn to close the game, you just don't give up on your guys with 81 1/2 games left in the season.

I'm mostly saying don't play them both at the same time on the floor together. That's a disaster. And yes there's still 81 games left but anytime we have a win on our hands which we had last night we need to finish the game and get that win. The next games on schedule are against OKC, Houston, @New Orleans, @Houston, Washington, @OKC, @Philly, etc. Not easy pickings at all. So yeah last night was disappointing

[esqtvd]

I don't see Pat Bev or Avery shooting well consistently at all this season so hopefully Jerome is ready when his number is called. Gallo and Tobias need to get more shots up as well. Starting Shai would help with that since Bev and Avery have no play making ability for teammates whatsoever. We should trade one of these guys to the Suns for a wing if you ask me. I also have no ideal why Luc is on the team. He's worse than Wes Johnson imo

I was afraid of starting two combo guards. "Combo" means you don't shoot or playmake very well. But Pat and Avery have a lot of rust to scrape off and are playing with a brand-new roster. I prefer to give them a little air before burying them.

Luc had some rust too because he's been dinged up for a week or two. Doc had the good sense not to put him back in after a rotten first half.

Gallo started out lousy but went something like 4-7 in the second half, incl a couple of key 3s. Just like giving Pat and Avery some more burn to close the game, you just don't give up on your guys with 81 1/2 games left in the season.

I'm mostly saying don't play them both at the same time on the floor together. That's a disaster. And yes there's still 81 games left but anytime we have a win on our hands which we had last night we need to finish the game and get that win. The next games on schedule are against OKC, Houston, @New Orleans, @Houston, Washington, @OKC, @Philly, etc. Not easy pickings at all. So yeah last night was disappointing

I don't think Pat and Avery together is gonna work either but I also think you don't coach Game 1 of the season like Game 7 in the Finals. You gotta let the hand play out. Actually, one legit criticism of Doc in the past was that he coached too close to the vest in the regular season.

If nothing else, you have to let Pat and Avery--and the team--see for themselves that it's not going to work so they accept being shifted to lesser roles.

_______________

BTW, the new rules seem to have played a part in the discombobulation. Both Pat and Gallo got whistled for 2 quick fouls and finished with 11 combined PFs. Gallo recovered; Pat didn't. [In fact Pat rather threw away a tie game with missed shots and a key turnover.]

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[Popovich]

Boban the beast! Love seeing him get some decent playing time. I hope it's a trend that continues all year.

I would actually agree with Doc , after the game during press conference he even regretted for playing him too long in a 4th. Doc is right again when saying offence can let you down but defense can not. Offence brings you fans but defense bring you wins. Yet do not forget that the organisation is going through some kind of a transition period , I deliberately say LAC organisation, not team because there is not even a one member of the team which was there 2 years ago if we do not count Luc Mbah who was Clipper before.

Don't get me wrong, of course I love Boban, he and Teo are the reason why I am getting up like a vampire to watch LAC, yet Boby is only selectively useful. Even our NT coach Djordjevic did not use him a lot against Slovenia in the EC final. Slovenia had two below average quality centers, not nearly to Boban's level but they were so undersized that Boban had no chance guarding them, specially when one of them could shoot 3pts. Yes we lost that game and there were a number of people who criticized our coach for not playing Boban but he said that if the game would have been repeated he would made a same decisions.

Many people do not see how much he lacks basic abilities to play even average D. It is not only about Boban and his man too, the whole D system collapses when he is on the floor enough minutes so that opponents can adjust and take advantage of his slowness. Indeed he gave spark to the team and played well offensively but Denver figured out how to exploit Boban's weaknesses on the other end of the court. Both Harris, Barton had too many uncontested shots after a pick, it hurt Clippers a lot.

At the end that was not the reason for this lost, it was poor execution. Teodosic might soon take a starting role if Patrick Beverly keeps missing open shots. Da hell with clap D if you cannot create anything on a opposite side, OK shots sometimes won't fall for you , yet then you are expected to drive to the basket or make a play for others, right? I am very impressed by SGA as LAC owner is too and many others here, yes he had some unnecessary TO's but that is expected from a player of his age and that was pretty much all from my negative perspective on his game. It was his first NBA game ever and he was the best Clippers small man in the game. Avery and particularly Patrick disappointed my expectations in this first game. Commentators and pretty much everyone are talking about their constant pressure on the ball and their ability to lock down guards but I only saw Harris and Barton doing as they wanted versus them through out a whole game even when defensive liability such as Boban was out. +Plus with this new "no grab at all" rule being strictly implemented maybe those two will have a hard time to live up to mentioned praises on their defensive games.

This year Miloš ought to have a hard time forcing his way into rotation but if Avery and Beverly do not show something near to what SGA is showing us already then Milo (as Doc calls him) has legit right to replace one of them very soon. Gallo made some important shots and in my mind he played well but I think Doc was mostly thinking on him and Williams when he said that near the end he had impression like every guy is trying to win a game on his own. (I will post post-game vid in media thread) However Miloš is even worse in playing D so it will be tough for Doc to find a right rotation. I still think he needs more time and as I predicted , start of the season will be slow.

[Clemenza]

I was afraid of starting two combo guards. "Combo" means you don't shoot or playmake very well. But Pat and Avery have a lot of rust to scrape off and are playing with a brand-new roster. I prefer to give them a little air before burying them.

Luc had some rust too because he's been dinged up for a week or two. Doc had the good sense not to put him back in after a rotten first half.

Gallo started out lousy but went something like 4-7 in the second half, incl a couple of key 3s. Just like giving Pat and Avery some more burn to close the game, you just don't give up on your guys with 81 1/2 games left in the season.

I'm mostly saying don't play them both at the same time on the floor together. That's a disaster. And yes there's still 81 games left but anytime we have a win on our hands which we had last night we need to finish the game and get that win. The next games on schedule are against OKC, Houston, @New Orleans, @Houston, Washington, @OKC, @Philly, etc. Not easy pickings at all. So yeah last night was disappointing

don't coach Game 1 of the season like Game 7 in the Finals. You gotta let the hand play out. Actually, one legit criticism of Doc in the past was that he coached too close to the vest in the regular season.

If nothing else, you have to let Pat and Avery--and the team--see for themselves that it's not going to work so they accept being shifted to lesser roles.

_______________

And when have we ever gotten this far as a franchise?? Pat Bev and Avery on the floor together is not really something to watch to see if it pans out. Even at the start of the game you saw that the pairing was absolute sh*t. I get experimenting with the center position and at the SF position but those two guys on the floor together is a lost cause. Two guys in the backcourt that can't shoot nor dish and assist.. when has that ever worked?? Good defenders indeed but offensively its a lost cause. It is what it is. And we have to get wins when they're available if Ballmer and West claim we're not tanking. If we're tanking then go ahead and let Pat Bev run the point, rack up one assist a game, and be the first scoring option over Tobias and Gallo in the last minutes of the 4th quarter. I'm just trying to make sense of the whole gameplan.

[ChargerMan]

Get rid of Lou and Bradley

Robinson and Milos should get some rotation minutes

Lou should be able to net a good return for a playoff bound team looking for a 6th man super scorer

Milos can play with SGA or Beverley.

[Popovich]

Yeah I know "I prefer to give them a little air before burying them." esqtvd has a point here but I am kinda pissed off too when I see that they showed 0 play-making in a first game and it does not seems that something can be changed there quickly as Clemenza says...

[Popovich]

Get rid of Lou and Bradley.

Can't disagree more. It's like cutting of a left hand of a team, I picture Toby, SGA, Harrell, Gallinari together as a right hand.

[esqtvd]

I'm mostly saying don't play them both at the same time on the floor together. That's a disaster. And yes there's still 81 games left but anytime we have a win on our hands which we had last night we need to finish the game and get that win. The next games on schedule are against OKC, Houston, @New Orleans, @Houston, Washington, @OKC, @Philly, etc. Not easy pickings at all. So yeah last night was disappointing

don't coach Game 1 of the season like Game 7 in the Finals. You gotta let the hand play out. Actually, one legit criticism of Doc in the past was that he coached too close to the vest in the regular season.

If nothing else, you have to let Pat and Avery--and the team--see for themselves that it's not going to work so they accept being shifted to lesser roles.

_______________

And when have we ever gotten this far as a franchise?? Pat Bev and Avery on the floor together is not really something to watch to see if it pans out. Even at the start of the game you saw that the pairing was absolute sh*t. I get experimenting with the center position and at the SF position but those two guys on the floor together is a lost cause. Two guys in the backcourt that can't shoot nor dish and assist.. when has that ever worked?? Good defenders indeed but offensively its a lost cause. It is what it is. And we have to get wins when they're available if Ballmer and West claim we're not tanking. If we're tanking then go ahead and let Pat Bev run the point, rack up one assist a game, and be the first scoring option over Tobias and Gallo in the last minutes of the 4th quarter. I'm just trying to make sense of the whole gameplan.

Well, first of all, Pat launched those [missed] shots at the end on his own initiative, in an effort to be a hero, a leader, and make up for his wretched shooting night. There is no 'game plan' this early in the season. The open man shoots. Pat was open. He missed. One of them badly, a three.

Hey, you know I'm on record agreeing with you. I've been questioning all along whether Pat can handle the point and said Shai and Milos might see a lot of minutes if he can't. [Avery can't, and never has.] But Pat had 6 assists last night and only one turnover [unfortunately in the last minute]. Six-to-one is fine, and there are a lot of winning teams that get by with a lead guard who only averages 6 assists.

Pat Bev was pressing, no question. He was Mr. 93 Feet last night--and that last foot between him and the bucket was like a million miles. But if only for trade showcase value, you gotta see this through and see what he's got. He was the only one who wanted the ball and maybe you remember the pre-CP3 days when nobody wanted that last shot. It was a joke. At least Pat stepped up and we're going to need that kind of leadership. Yes, Tobias should be the one, but he wasn't calling for the ball, right?

[TheNewEra]

On to the next

[Clemenza]

don't coach Game 1 of the season like Game 7 in the Finals. You gotta let the hand play out. Actually, one legit criticism of Doc in the past was that he coached too close to the vest in the regular season.

If nothing else, you have to let Pat and Avery--and the team--see for themselves that it's not going to work so they accept being shifted to lesser roles.

_______________

And when have we ever gotten this far as a franchise?? Pat Bev and Avery on the floor together is not really something to watch to see if it pans out. Even at the start of the game you saw that the pairing was absolute sh*t. I get experimenting with the center position and at the SF position but those two guys on the floor together is a lost cause. Two guys in the backcourt that can't shoot nor dish and assist.. when has that ever worked?? Good defenders indeed but offensively its a lost cause. It is what it is. And we have to get wins when they're available if Ballmer and West claim we're not tanking. If we're tanking then go ahead and let Pat Bev run the point, rack up one assist a game, and be the first scoring option over Tobias and Gallo in the last minutes of the 4th quarter. I'm just trying to make sense of the whole gameplan.

Well, first of all, Pat launched those [missed] shots at the end on his own initiative, in an effort to be a hero, a leader, and make up for his wretched shooting night. There is no 'game plan' this early in the season. The open man shoots. Pat was open. He missed. One of them badly, a three.

Hey, you know I'm on record agreeing with you. I've been questioning all along whether Pat can handle the point and said Shai and Milos might see a lot of minutes if he can't. [Avery can't, and never has.] But Pat had 6 assists last night and only one turnover [unfortunately in the last minute]. Six-to-one is fine, and there are a lot of winning teams that get by with a lead guard who only averages 6 assists.

Pat Bev was pressing, no question. He was Mr. 93 Feet last night--and that last foot between him and the bucket was like a million miles. But if only for trade showcase value, you gotta see this through and see what he's got. He was the only one who wanted the ball and maybe you remember the pre-CP3 days when nobody wanted that last shot. It was a joke. At least Pat stepped up and we're going to need that kind of leadership. Yes, Tobias should be the one, but he wasn't calling for the ball, right?

Yeah he wanted to be a hero alright.. just so he could make a big Instagram post after the game about #clampcity #toughness #bestteaminLA #ImBack #gamewinner and twenty other hashtags along with a pic of him on the court screaming with "intensity and fire". Man I'm just tired of his theatrics and big talk. Lets just play ball and win games.

[Ranma]

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