Los Angeles Clippers Ready For The Spurs
This year’s playoffs are projected to be the most competitive that the Western Conference has ever seen. Of all the first-round matches across the league the Clippers have the tallest order in facing the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. While the Spurs may have lost their final game of the season they still went on an 11 game win-streak prior to it and are still favorites to win the west.
“The Spurs are a tall order, but the Clippers have all the talent to get the job done.”
For the Clippers, their seven-game win streak to end the season is the best out of any team in the NBA. With the return of reigning sixth-man of the year Jamal Crawford as the high point of the last stretch, the Clippers had seven players in double-figures going into their final game against the Suns. With the third seed secured, four of the possible seven games will be played at the Staples Center. Before the series begins, let’s take a closer look at the Clippers toughest assignment to date.
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Veteran Experience:
We’ve all heard the jokes and probably all seen the memes. The Spurs are old, so old that they’ve forgotten how to lose. The reality is that the Spurs have plenty of championship tested veterans that have overcome the likes of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James to win titles. At the end of this season, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli surpassed the Celtics’ (former) Big 3 for the most games played by a trio of teammates. Last year the Spurs overcame a gritty Dallas Mavericks team that pushed them to the seven-game limit in the first round, two games more than the finalists Miami Heat did. En route to their five-game demolition of the Heat, the Spurs faced a young but untested Portland Trailblazers before defeating the resilient Oklahoma City Thunder that was led by league MVP Kevin Durant. The Spurs quite simply, know how to win. If that’s not enough, they are one of only two teams to defeat the NBA leading Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena showing that they are a team that can overcome not having home-court advantage.
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Depth:
The East leading Atlanta Hawks are lauded as the future of the NBA. No superstars to speak of but instead any of their five, or all five, can be the star. The Spurs front office is commended by teams and analysts alike for having built a team that has led the way for teams like the Hawks. The Spurs organization has done the work of recruiting the best talent from here in the states and internationally. On the court, Tim Duncan has taken a pay cut to keep his teammates while creating space to sign players like 2014 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. As a unit, the team has become a formidable force with veterans like Duncan and Parker and young talent like Leonard, Danny Green, and Tiago Splitter. If that’s not enough, their bench is led by 2x All-Star Manu Ginobli. Together and healthy, as the Spurs are now, there is a reason their firepower has led them to back-to-back Finals appearances.
Apr 5, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) is defended by Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Talent:
The years headlines have been spent in awe of a league full of explosive and talented point-guards. While the likely MVP is the three-point wizard for Golden State, the leagues’ most underrated guard is Tony Parker. This year Parker has averaged 14.4 points per game and 4.9 assists. He may not be going coast-to-coast with a two-handed slam on highlight reels like Russell Westbrook, but there is no denying that the guard from France has held his own against the league’s best and is as integral to the Spurs success as Duncan or Popovich.
While the Spurs have excellent role-players across the board, the future of the franchise has put his own stamp on the season. Kawhi Leonard found his own groove without much time to spare for the post-season as he’s averaged 19.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. By comparison, Tim Duncan averaged 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds. Greg Popovich has stated himself that he believes Leonard is not just a star but also the future for the Spurs. At 23 years old, he provides the youth and athleticism to keep up with the Western Conference loaded with explosive young talent.
The Spurs came back from a seven game heartbreaker to defeat LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the Finals. Needless to say, the Clippers will need to bring their A-game if they are to stop the defending champions.
And they have everything they need to get it done.
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Betsided
There is a reason that casual fans that don’t know anyone beyond Kobe and LeBron, can see Chris Paul as that guy who is “born to assist.” He’s a star in his own right who in the last ten games of the season averaged 21.7 points, 10.6 assists and 4 rebounds per game. Far and beyond multiple time champion Tony Parker.
On the defensive end, the front-runner for defensive player of the year is the Clippers DeAndre Jordan who averaged 16 rebounds in the last ten games of the season. With his impending free-agency, Jordan and the rest of the Clippers know that a championship would be the perfect end to a chapter regardless of whether he stays or takes his talents elsewhere. Team leader Blake Griffin has also shown that he brings his best against the Spurs, averaging 25 points per game; his average for the season is 21.9. Th Clippers split their regular season matchup with the Spurs at 2 a piece including a victory in San Antonio. Factor in Jamal Crawford scoring double-digits in the final game of the season and the Clippers have shown they are on track to give the Spurs all they can handle in the first round.
Game 1 of the playoffs against the Spurs will be on Sunday April 19 at 10:30pt on TNT at the Staples Center.