NBA 2k11: LA Clippers

[Johnny93g]

February 11, 2011
Game 53

(27-25)at(16-37)
First Meeting

After our worst game of the season, we came out hard and fast in Cleveland. Baron Davis was they key in a 25-12 opening quarter lead. I was feeling good, and the players were feeling good. The Cavs were not feeling very good though, and they played like that the rest of the way.

They came storming back in the 2nd to make this a game. Baron Davis would again key a run in the 3rd quarter to give us some breathing room, but again, the Cavs would not say die. Anderson Varejo scored all 15 of his points in the 2nd half, as well as most of his 14 rebounds.

For the Clippers, Davis and Blake Griffin did everything they could to ensure victory. Griffin ended up hitting the decisive shot with 90 seconds remaining giving LA the lead they would keep for the remainder. This game was escaping with a victory.

The Cavs really shot themselves in the foot here. 7/37 shooting three's is as bad as it gets. They shoot decently, we lose.

Blake Griffin gets out of the way of a Nick Collison dunk

Up next: @ Toronto- Road trip game 6 (3-2)

[Johnny93g]

Feb 11- The NBA announced the rosters for the Rookie/Sophomore game to be played during 2011 NBA all-star game festivities hosted by the Lakers and the Clippers in Los Angeles.

ROOKIES

----
Wesley Johnson Even Turner Blake Griffin Al Aminu DeMarcus Cousins

Eric Bledsoe, Xavier Henry, Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and Greg Monroe make up the remainder of the rookie roster..

SOPHOMORE

----
Tyreke Evans Brandon Jennings Terrence Williams Dejaun Blair David Anderson

John Wall, Demar Derozan, Chase Budinger, Serge Ibaka, Hasheem Thabeet make up the sophomore roster.

**As you can see, John Wall is a rookie, and he's on the sohpomore team. Just go with it.

[Johnny93g]

Feb 12- nba.com posted the following:

RANDY FOYE RUMORED TO BE ON THE BLOCK

• Detroit's Villanueva: "I'd be happy in Los Angeles"
• Rockets GM: Foye would be good fit
• Belinelli is fair offer says Hornets GM

The NBA trade deadline is 6 days away.

[Johnny93g]

February 13, 2011
Game 54

(28-25)at(20-34)
First Meeting

Another winnable game during this road trip. The Raptors have struggled despite a new look lineup featuring Luis Scola. Someone must have told the Clippers this because we came out like this game would be easy. The Raptors worked hard, while we settled for long jump shots, and lazy passing. Fortunately for us, the Raptors decided not to play defense either, letting us hang around.

Linas Kleiza was the key turning the engine. He was unstoppable, while Jarrett Jack beat his man into the lane to many times to count. This was bad. Midway through the 3rd quarter, we were down 71-50.

I changed things up, I pulled a slumping Chris Kamon from the floor and put in Brian Cook. Cook energized the team with 8 straight points. We cut the lead to 11 entering the final quarter.

The 4th quarter was desperate. Every shot mattered, and we played like it. Eric Gordon came to life scoring 16 points. Blake Griffin, who's minutes were limited due to foul shouts, scored 6, including the go ahead basket. That's right, what a comeback.

Down by 2, the Raptors had the final possession. It didn't go well. They settled for a Andrea Bargnani fadeaway from the right elbow. It clanked off the front rim, and the buzzer sounded. Our biggest comeback of the season.

Kleiza finished with an impressive 31 points, while Jack was close to a triple double with 25 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. We decided to showcase Randy Foye at the point today for possible trade suitors. He responded with 8 assists, showing he's more then a capable point guard.

Sonny Weems

Up next: @ Milwaukee- Road trip game 7 (4-2)

[Johnny93g]

What's wrong with Chris Kaman

Feb 14- When Chris Kaman returned from injury, it would be the 1st time since rookie Blake Griffin was drafted that they would actually be on the court at the same time. Clippers fans were giddy. Having 2 potential all-star big men is a luxury in this league. Kaman started fairly fast, proving a nice compliment to the exciting rookie.

Then came along Channing Frye. Frye, who can play center, power forward and small forward can't do what Kaman can. He isn't a rebounder, he doesn't like the paint, and isn't a strong defender. Kaman's role is still important. Nothing Frye does should effect Kaman's game in any way

That leads us to the question, just what the heck is wrong with Chris Kaman?

His numbers are down from his all-star 2009-10 season. That was expected. There isn't enough ball for him to average 18ppg, and 9rpg this season. What's alarming his the last 8 games. Only 3 times has Kaman scored at least 10 points, and he hasn't recorded double digit rebounds in almost a month.

7.6ppg, 5.6rpg, 34% field goals made in the last 8 games. Horrible numbers for any starting Center. So, what's the solution?

It's not like Kaman isn't getting into the paint, it's not like he's chances have gone away. He's just missing everything right now. Blake Griffin is option number 1 inside, and he should probably be option 2 as well, but Kaman shouldn't be ignored, at least until now.

"I know the last few weeks have been tough, but the team is still winning, that's the important thing" said Kaman. He's right, the Clippers are 4-2 on their current road trip, but it's only a matter of time before the LA needs the big man to step up.

[Johnny93g]

February 14, 2011
Game 55

(29-25)at(34-20)
Jan 31...100-82 Bucks win in LA

Baron Davis will be sitting this one out. He says he's tired, he's beat up, and he won't have it today. Who am I too argue with him. How good can he play if he doesn't want to. Randy Foye will get the start at PG, another chance to showcase his talents. We also called up rookie Willie Warren from the Bakersfield Jam of the D-league to see what we have. He is currently averaging 23.2 ppg in the minors, not bad.

It's not a good time to be playing the Bucks. Not only are they the 2nd best defensive team in the NBA, but this is our 7th game of this exhausting road trip, and the 2nd day of a back to back. Aside from Baron's need for a day off, the whole team is tired, well, except for Chris Kaman who played just 17 minutes yesterday. His 0/6 shooting day was so bad, i benched him.

Our strategy today was to play slow basketball. Take our time, no stupid, quick shots, run the offense, move the ball around, use the bench.

Amazingly, it was working. The Bucks were happy to play slow ball, and they were shooting fairly poorly. Well, most of them were. Michael Redd, the NBA's 2nd best three point shooter seemed on. Makes me wonder why we left him wide open from beyond the ark 3 straight possessions during the 2nd quarter.

Chris Kaman had a monster 1st half. 12 points, 9 rebounds. All of a sudden, he was an all-star again, and the only guy playing above average. Everyone else was bad. Despite this, we led by 2 after 3 quarters. The game plan was working.

Halfway through the 4th, the gameplan stopped working. Jennings and Redd decided to stop fooling around with us. A 16-6 run was too much to overcome, and the Bucks celebrated another win.

Blake Griffin with the slam, a rarity for him and the Clippers last night

I finally got a video to work:

DeAndre Jordan is a MAN

Up next: @ Minnesota- Road trip game 8 (4-3)

[Johnny93g]

February 16, 2011
Game 56

(29-26)at(21-34)
Nov 17..93-86 win for the Timberwolves in Minneapolis
Dec 20..102-85 Clippers win in LA
Jan 19..103-87 Clippers win in LA

No pictures from this one, as 2k servers were down when i wanted to do the uploading. A terrible game from start to finish. I won't spend too much time on this one, as getting blown out sucks. Johnny Flynn was just too fast. He was doing whatever he wanted out there. The Timberwolves had 8 players score in double figures.

The only Clippers note from this game is that Randy Foye did not dress, as we expect to trade him by tomorrow's deadline.

Up next: @ Oklahoma City- Road trip game 9 (4-4)

[Johnny93g]

Feb 17- The LA Clippers have announced a 3 team trade with the Toronto Raptors and the Dallas Mavericks.

--
Sonny Weems Marcus Banks



Jarret Jack


----
Randy Foye Thabo Sefolosha DeShawn Stevenson

The deal started out with me wanting Sonny Weems. I love his game, I love his size, i think he will fit in well with the group we have in LA. He can drive, he has a decent shooting touch, and his size will be a asset defensively.

The Raptors would have made the deal for Randy Foye straight up, but that would leave them with 3 point guards, the same problem Foye had in LA, so i had to find a trade partner for one the the Raps PG. Dallas had traded Jason Kidd away and were starting Rodrigue Beaubois at the point. Jarret Jack would fit in the that spot nicely.

The next step was finding who Dallas had that would make sense for Toronto. Thabo Sefolosha wasn't happy since being traded by the Thunder. He was not going to unseat Jason Terry, and he wasn't receiving very many minutes either. He can give the Raptors minutes at the two and the three, and he'll play. He'll also be a valuable defender who fits into the European theme developing in Toronto.

DeShawn Stevenson and Marcus Banks, both in the last year of their contracts were throw ins to make the salaries match.

So we trade an unhappy PG, and get a sparkplug off the bench, the Raptors gain a new pg(I'm sure the computer will use him better then i could), a good all around swingman, and Dallas gets a new starting PG.

I think it's a good deal for every team involved, which is the goal.

[Johnny93g]

Feb 17- Besides the previously announced deal, 2 other trades were made on a lackluster trade deadline day.

[Johnny93g]

Feb 20- All-star weekend is in the books. The Clipper's and Laker's hosted the league's best this weekend

Rookies 97, Sophomore's 109
--
Blake Griffin scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Brandon Jennings won MVP of the game with 27 point's for the victors.

West 105, East 92

Danny Granger was named MVP after scoring 20 points for the east. He was the only player to eclispe the 20 point barrier


Kevin Durant with reverse layup during last-night's all-star game

[Johnny93g]

February 22, 2011
Game 57

(29-27)at(31-23)
Feb 3..105-97 Clippers win in LA

The trade deadline has come and gone, the All-star break has passed. It's been 6 days since we last played. That's a huge break in this month long road trip. We should be rested and ready to go against the Thunder. Sonny Weems is in the lineup today. He'll back up Eric Gordon at the two spot. Marcus Banks won't dress and Willie Warren has been sent back to the Bakersfield Jam.

4-4 on this road trip, we have proved we can win on the road, but the last 2 games were both tough loses. The 1st quarter against the Thunder is like deja vu of the T-Wolves game. We can't do anything on defense. It's a layup fest! We are able to score some ourselves, but we can't allow 32 point quarters on the road and win consistently.

Baron Davis looked refreshed, dishing out 6 assists in the stanza. Sonny Weems enters the game in the 2nd, and looks good. He scores on back to back drives, and hits a short jump shot before coming out. Very nice energy from him. I can see him becoming option #1 when the bench is out there.

The defense got much much better in the 2nd half. Must have been me calling time out 5 times in the 1st emphasizing defense! We limited the Thunder to just 35 second half points and held NBA leading scorer Kevin Durrant to 14 for the game.

We grabbed the lead in the 3rd, and held onto a safe lead the rest of the game. Eric Gordon was the man today, with 25 points.

Blake Griffin posting up in Oklahoma City

Up next: @ New Orleans- Road trip game 10 (5-4)

[Johnny93g]

February 23, 2011
Game 58

(30-27)at(29-29)
Nov 9..101-76 Hornets win in New Orleans

The New Orleans Hornets host the Clippers in Game 10 our road trip tonight. At 5-4, we guarantee a winning trip with a win. Channing Frye will get the start at center, with Chris Kaman getting a bit of a break. He'll come off the bench. This will be a regular practice on the 2nd end of back to back's now. I'm trying to accomplish two things with this.
Give Kaman a bit of a rest now and then, and make Frye happy. He wants to start, so I'll give him a few.

It was a back and forth first half. No team could get an edge. The 2nd half was a different story. New Orleans absolutely dominated the third quarter. 37-23. This was an important game, and it was disheartening to watch us throw it away with turnover after turnover.

Chris Paul is good. Really good. It felt like he scored every one of the Hornets points today. In reality, he only scored 32 points, with 14 assists, but that's still good too.

The 4th quarter was the opposite of the third quarter. Al Aminu, Sonny Weems, and DeAndre Jordan keyed a 12-0 run within the first 120 seconds of the 4th. We were back in it just like that. With Chris Paul on the bench for the first time in the game, the Hornets couldn't do a thing right. Weems scored 10 of his 16, Jordan scored 10 of his 13, and we finished with the best quarter of the season. When Paul returned, it was too late,

Marco Bellinelli loses the ball in the Hornets loss

Another video showed up on my 2k account. It's from this game, so here it is.

Up next: @ LA Lakers- Road trip game 11 (6-4)

[Johnny93g]

Just an FYI for anyone following this. I have a bunch of updates written and ready to post, but I have not been able to upload any game content successfully in a week. Pictures, box scores...

From what I am reading 2k servers are messed up right now, so it's a waiting game.

[Johnny93g]

February 25, 2011
Game 59

(31-27)at(39-20)
Dec 8...116-87 Lakers win at Clippers
Jan 16...100-96 Clippers win at Clippers

Game 11, the final game of the month long road trip, and it's not really a road game. We are back in Los Angeles, back in our beds, and back in Staples Center. The Lakers will be the home team, but it's good to be home.

It's common for teams to come home after a long road trip and play terrible. I was thinking that a good start would be vital against the 1st place Lakers. We had an excellent 1st quarter. We led 20-13, Pau Gasol got 2 early fouls, and was sitting on the bench. I was starting to think that we're actually a good team, it's not easy to hold the Lakers to just 13 points.

Then it happened. The final three quarters were a nightmare. It started reigning three's at one end, and bricks at the other. We got dismantled, and it wasn't even Kobe. Lamar Odom, Shannon Brown, and Pau Gasol were the architects. Odom finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds. We held Kobe to just 8 points, and 8 boards. Obviously, the Lakers didn't need him tonight, as they did what they wanted with us.

Baron Davis dives for a ball during last night's loss to the Lakers

Up next: Boston Celtics

[Johnny93g]

February 26, 2011
Game 60

(37-19)at(31-28)
First Meeting

Our first real home game since Feb 2. The Boston Celtics are in town. They are in 1st place in the Eastern Conference. Awesome! Channing Frye getting the start today.

We got a break early. Rajan Rondo, tried to take a charge early and got called for a block, picking up his 2nd foul, and was out of the game. It's big to get the NBA's leading assist man out of the game. We were able to hang with the Celtics in the 1st. Glen Davis was a Clippers killer. He knocked down all 6 of his 1st half shots, and Paul Pierce had 19. Despite this Eric Gordon was keeping us alive. He had 14, including a buzzer beater at the end of the 2nd. We were right there with them, down by 7. It really could have been worse.

Defense is the most important part of this game. It leads to momentum, and when your able to get a run going, you feel invincible. Our defense in the 2nd half was as good as it's been this year, and it led to 3 big runs. DeAndre Jordan had another great game, scoring 11 in just 19 minutes. The Celtics were held to 18 and 15 points, in the third and fourth quarters. 33 points wasn't enough.

Eric Gordon led the Clippers with 26 points. Rajan Rondo had just 4 points, and 4 assists, while Paul Pierce's big 1st half didn't carry over. He finished with just 23. The Celtics went scoreless the final 3:30 of the game, and we pulled out a big upset win.

Eric Gordon celebrates after making a late game shot to seal the win

Up next: @ Sacramento

[Johnny93g]

February 28, 2011
Game 61
(32-28)at(18-39)
Nov 25..130-100 Clippers win in LA
Dec 6... 99-96 Clippers win in LA
Dec 27...120-91 Kings win in Sacramento

We are coming in confident. We have beaten the Kings twice this season, and are coming off a impressive win over the defending Eastern Conference champions. Our confidence is evident in the 1st quarter. We outscored the Kings 32-19, and it could have been worse. Baron Davis was scoring, Chris Kaman was off to a nice start. We were cruising.

The defense let up in the 2nd, but the offense was still there. We were still in cruise control. The Kings weren't content to just play out the remainder of the game. They came out like gangbuster's, and destroyed us for in the 3rd. The run continued into the 4th. At one point, we led by 17. With 5:20 remaining in the game, we were trailing 88-87. Yikes!!

I was panicking. I really want to make the playoffs. A loss to the Kings, in a game where we led by 17 won't get that done. We took a time out to calm down. Eric Gordon took over. We got fouled driving the lane and made 2 free throws. The Kings turned the ball over, and Gordon drilled a 3. Tyreke Evans bricked his next shot, and Gordon stuck another 3. Casspi was fouled, and missed both free throws. Eric Gordon got the ball at the top of the key, took a step back, behind the 3-point line.....SWISH. In 90 seconds, Gordon scored 11 points.

Game Over.

Sonny Weems with a Slam dunk on Retro Day in Sacramento

Up next: vs. Houston

[Johnny93g]

NBA Standings as of March 1, 2011

[Johnny93g]

LA Clippers stats as of March 1, 2011

*Minutes per game is obviously incorrect.
**RPG is Defensive rebounds per game.

[Johnny93g]

March 1- The NBA announced the players and rookies of the month for February

---
Lebron James Evan Turner


---
Carmelo Anthony Blake Griffin

Lebron James of the Miami Heat and Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets were named conference players of the month for February. The Clipper's Blake Griffin, and 76ers Evan Turner were awarded Rookie of the month. Congrats to the recipients.

[Johnny93g]

March 1- The NBA announced the Player Efficiency leaders for the season today.
EFF: Efficiency is widely believed to be the single best measure of true player skill. The full stat line is used to calculate the players overall contributions to his team. The contributions are bogged down to one single number.

1.
Lebron James- 31.6
2.
Kevin Durant- 27.4
3.
Chris Paul- 26.4
4.
Dwayne Wade- 25.2
5.
Dirk Nowitzki- 24.8
45.
Blake Griffin- 18.1

[Johnny93g]

March 2, 2011
Game 62
(38-24)at(33-28)
Dec 22..100-87 Clippers win in LA
Jan 26...98-88 Clippers win in Houston

The Rockets are in 2nd in the West. Just 2 games behind the Lakers. Their supposed to be good, but we have beaten them twice now, without too much of a problem. Something had to give, and today was the day it caved in.

Aaron Brooks scored 28, Kevin Martin had 27, and Yao Ming scored 24 while grabbing 11 rebounds. Every member of the Clippers was terrible, and the Rockets dominated.

Up next: vs. Denver

[Johnny93g]

March 4- The Sacramento Kings have relieved Paul Westphal of his head coaching duties. The Kings stand at 18-41, last place in the Western Conference

Westphal was in his 2nd season coaching the Kings. His record with the club was 43-98. Westphal has also coached the Phoenix Suns and the Seattle Super Sonics.

The Kings have hired Chase Shaw as head coach. Shaw was an assistant on Westphal's staff. He has no previous head coaching experience.

[Johnny93g]

March 5, 2011
Game 63
(36-27)at(33-29)
Nov 5...94-84 Nuggets win at Denver
Dec 3...101-96 Clippers win at Denver
Jan 5...100-95 Clippers win at LA

Our 4th meeting with the Nuggets, and then we head out on another road trip. This time, it's only 5 games. That makes this game very important. We have fallen to half a game out of 8th place, and we need to win all our home games at this point. Both teams started slow, but the paced picked up quickly. The Nuggets lead us by 6 late in the 1st half, but back to back 3's in the last 30 seconds, including a buzzer beater by Carmelo Anthony crushed us as well as the crowd. All of a sudden, we're down by 12.

We did our best to scratch at the lead. We went to our goto guy, Eric Gordon. Baron Davis was also scoring. The bigmen, Blake Griffin and Chris Kaman were no where to be seen. By the end of the 3rd, we were down by 1.

The 4th quarter was back and forth. The lead changed hands at least 10 times. With 24 seconds left, the Nuggets trailed 101-99. Eric Gordon had made 2 free throws to give us the lead. The Nuggets moved the ball around before Carmelo Anthony took a contested corner 3. Swish!! with 4.9 seconds remaining, the Nuggets led by 1. My plan was to inbound to Gordon, call a quick isolation, and drive. Aaron Affalo was guarding Gordon. Gordon got the ball, fake left, and exploded right, Affalo did a great job and was able to cut Gordon off before he reached the paint, with time ticking away, Gordon pulled up for a quick jumpshot. The ball rattled around the rim, before falling out.. Game Over, Nuggets win.

Carmelo finished with 29 points, rebounds, and 1 dagger through the Clipper heart.

Eric Gordon misses is last second buzzer beater. The shot would have won the game for the Clippers

Up next: @ Charlotte

[Johnny93g]

March 7, 2011
Game 64
(33-30)at(25-37)
Jan 29...102-99 Clippers win in LA

We are in Charlotte tonight, and i'm feeling focused. The Bobcats are 12 games under .500, and we need this game in the competitive west.

Baron Davis set the tone for the game. Three separate times in the opening minutes, Davis was able to post up Bobcats PG DJ Augustin for easy buckets. He easily overpowered him, using is size to the advantage. The Bobcats adjusted by sitting Augustin and playing Sean Livingston, much less of an offensive threat.

We were able to keep a 5-9 point buffer between us and the Bobcats the whole game. Our defense was good, and the offense was timely. Gerald Wallace was the best player on the court today. His 22 points kept the cats in the game, but a 42-25 rebounding margin was too much for them to handle. Clippers lead from start to finish.

Shaun Livingston reacts to a charging call by threatening to throw the ball

Up next: @ New Jersey

[RainMaker]

This is a great thread. Really enjoy following it. You've gotten me motivated to start one too.

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

This is a great thread. Really enjoy following it. You've gotten me motivated to start one too.

Thanks bro, you should, once I found settings to make the game a challenge, yet realistic, it's the most fun I've ever had playing a basketball game. The writeup's aren't work, i love writing them, it's been a great experience so far.

[Johnny93g]

March 9, 2011
Game 65
(34-30)at(39-22)
Feb 26...85-87 Clippers win in LA

We were up for this one. We just upset the Celtics a little more then a week ago, and knew revenge was on Boston's mind.

After 1 quarter, we lead 28-20, that's a nice lead, but it really isn't what it should have been. The Clippers were able to hit 11 of 12 shots to start the game. The best our offense will ever look. We led 26-10 with 3 minutes remaining. So the 28-20 lead was a bit dissapointing. We let the Celtics back in the game.

Ryan Gomes has been struggling, and today was no different. Our starting SF contributes very little offense these days. He's usually the last option on the court, and his shooting has been bad. His minutes are also falling. Today was a perfect example. 3 points in just 22 minutes. He's losing his starting job to rookie Al Aminu. Aminu was great today. Aminu hit clutch shot again and again in the 2nd and the 4th quarters on his way to 18 points and 8 rebounds.

Aminu's contribution's had us on the verge of a 2nd straight win vs. Boston. We led 91-81 with 65 seconds remaining. Paul Pierce hits a three. Eric Gordon is fouled and makes 1 of 2 foul shots. Pierce hits a jump shot. Eric Gordon is again fouled and again makes 1 of 2. Pierce hits another 3. Trying to avoid being fouled, I run into Kevin Garnett and I'm called for charging. Pierce hits a fadeaway. It's 93-91. Our only saving grace is there's 3 seconds left. I was able to run around and heave a meaningless shot up to keep the clock moving. We escape with a 2 points win.

Paul Pierce finished with 18 points, 10 in the final 65 seconds!!

Newest Clipper Sonny Weems

Up next: @ New Jersey

[Johnny93g]

March 11, 2011
Game 66
(35-30)at](40-24)
Nov 15...94-2 Clippers win in LA

No pictures, no story for this one. I played the this game and was getting killed. It was a lost cause. We were terrible, and the Nets were excellent. Due to technical difficulties, I failed to save the game and had to resim it. Here is the box score. New Jersey is amazingly in 2nd place, I probably shouldn't have taken them so lightly.

Up next: @ Washington

[Johnny93g]

March 12, 2011
Game 67
(35-31)at(23-40)
First Meeting

This is the 1st time #1 pick's John Wall, and Blake Griffin will face each. Al Aminu would get the start today, he's outplaying Ryan Gomes lately, so this is a reward for him.

The Wizards started fast, and we struggled to keep pace. Gilbert Arenas is tough to guard. We allowed 52 points in the 1st half, which is bad defensively.

Blake Griffin was struggling with his shot, something I've noticed throughout this road trip. His rebounding was great, but he's hit something of a rookie wall here, with his struggles to be efficient on the offensive end. He shot 4/15 today, and was 4/8 from the foul line. He did grab 16 boards.

We switched to a few different zone defenses in the 2nd half in an effort to confuse the Wizard's offense. It worked, they had their worst quarter of the game, turned the ball over, and we had the lead.

The 4th quarter was back and forth, we had a lead the whole way. Chris Kamam remembered how to be a dominant big man, and the Wizards had no answer. 25 points, including 10 in the final stanza, and 9 rebounds were too much too overcome.

A buzzer beating 3 made it a one point game, but we a one point game is still a win. Clippers Win!

Channing Frye, who started a center today had 14 rebounds, and Eric Bledsoe dished out 11 assists, while not scoring a point

Gilbert Arenas soars to the net during another retro day

Up next: @ Memphis

[Johnny93g]

March 14, 2011
Game 68
(36-31)at[(23-44)
Dec 11...112-64 Grizzlies win in LA

We take on Memphis today, looking for revenge. In our first game, i took them lightly, and after a quarter, it was 32-8. They embarrassed us that day, and it wasn't going to happen again. Ryan Gomes was back in the starting 5. Hopefully last game gave him a kick in the ass to get going.

It happened again. Turnover's and fouls' were responsible for a 27-14 1st quarter disaster. Rudy Gay had 11 points in the 1st, 9 from the foul line. Baron Davis and Eric Bledsoe were so bad in the 1st quarter, that Marcus Banks made his Clippers debut in the 2nd quarter. It only lasted 3 minutes, but we need to calm things down, and it worked.

We again started mixing up our defense with different zone's and were able to force a few turnovers. Channing Frye sparked the offense with 4 three's. He finished with 15 points.

We outplayed Memphis during the final 3 quarters. We shut down the offense and were able to coast in the 4th to a nice win.

Kaman had another good game. 19 points and 9 rebounds, while Blake Griffin continued to struggle scoring just 7 points. Rudy Gay had 24 points for Memphis.

Baron Davis attempts a jump shot

Up next: vs. Philadelphia

[Johnny93g]

March 16, 2011
Game 69
(27-40)at(37-31)
Dec 15...96-91 Clippers win in Philly

We really need to start games better. This is becoming a problem. We've been lucky in coming back to win a bunch of those games, but we haven't played the most difficult schedule lately. It happened again today. Andre Iguodala owned the 1st quarter. Turnover's led to a bunch of big time dunks.

Again, I was forced to play zones in the 2nd quarter, just to try and confuse the offense. Again, it seemed to work. We started getting steals, contesting shots, the paint was no longer wide open. We weren't able to score much ourselves, but we held Philly to just 16 2nd quarter points.

We continued to trail throughout the 3rd quarter. Blake Griffin's slump continued, as he missed all 5 of his shots during the period. Thank goodness for Chris Kaman. His slump is officially over. He scored 17 in the game, grabbing 10 rebounds. He really stepped up to replace the slumping Griffin's production.

Anyway, defense really is the most important aspect in basketball. Our defense was now playing great. We grabbed the lead halfway through the 4th quarter. The 76ers put up brick after brick, they were missing free throws, and throwing the game away. In the last 2 minutes, former Clipper Elton Brand missed 4 straight free throws. We held a 3 point lead in with only seconds remaining. Here are the final seconds of the 4th quarter...

Spoiler

The 76ers were horrible in the final quarter. They shot 6/27 from the field, and just 3/9 from the foul line.

Elton Brand reacts to another missed foul shot in the closing minutes of last nights sixer loss

Up next: vs. Cleveland

[Johnny93g]

Road to the

March 17- The battle for the final western conference playoff birth

• 8th place
• 38-31
• 13 games remaining
• Coming up: vs Cleveland, vs Phoenix, vs Washington

• 9th place
• 36-33
• 2 games back
• 13 games remaining
• Coming up: @ Houston, @ Memphis, @ Oklahoma City

• 10th place
• 35-35
• 3.5 games back
• 12 games remaining
• Coming up: vs Boston, @ Utah, @ Phoenix

[Johnny93g]

March 19, 2011
Game 70
(21-46)at(38-31)
Feb 11...99-91 Clippers win in Cleveland

I don't know what to say. It's hard to believe but for the millionth time, despite knowingly trying hard to start strong, we were terrible in the 1st quarter. 39 points against terrible.

When we get down by so much, i start taking bad shots. I start rushing shot's, I take alot of three's. It's almost all or nothing. We are gonna come all the way back or fall flat on our faces.

We opened the 2nd half down 64-49. Eric Gordon scored 7 straight points in the 1st 45 seconds. I'm thinking that we are gonna come back and win. The all or nothing strategy is gonna work again.

WRONG!! We were outscored 34-14 the rest of the quarter. We sucked today

8 Cavs scored double figures, including 19 points and 9 rebounds for player of the game Anderson Varejo.

The New Orleans Hornets upset Boston 104-103. That win moves them to within a 1.5 games of us and 8th place.


Mo Williams leads the NBA in scoring for the month of March with 27ppg.

Up next: vs. Phoenix

[Johnny93g]

March 20, 2011
Game 71
(42-25)at(38-32)
Nov 26...Suns win in Phoenix
Dec 26...106-87 Suns win in LA

DeAndre Jordan will get the start today, as we search for a good start defensively. He's our best defensive big man. Phoenix will not be easy to stop. They are currently 2nd in the league in points scored, and Steve Nash is a nightmare to guard.

After a quarter, I was happy. We were down 24-19. First off, we were losing, never a good thing. Second, 24 points is average, it's not good, it's not bad, it's right down the middle, but after the last few weeks, I will take it. So, it's a successful 1st quarter for the LA Clippers.

The 2nd quarter would not qualify as successful, unless you support the Suns. Allowing 36 points kinda eliminates any progress we made in the 1st. The 5 points lead after one became 21 points. 30 more points in the 3rd, and this game was over.

7 Suns scored in double figures, including former Clipper Rasual Butler.

It was another massive failure. Sure, this isn't the Cavs, Phoenix does this alot, but it's frustrating losing so badly at home during a close playoff race.

The Jazz lost to Houston 113-92, remaining 1.5 games behind us for 8th.


Steve Nash finished with 17 points and 11 assists

Up next: vs. Washington

[Johnny93g]

March 21- The Indiana Paces have fired head coach Jim O'Brien today. The Pacers have struggled to a 27-44 mark, but still within the eastern conference playoff picture.

O'Brien took over the Pacers back in 2008, but failed to finish above .500 during any of his 4 full seasons. He was a career record of 313-344 as a NBA coach.

The Pacers appointed assistant coach Jerry Battle as head coach. He has no previous head coaching experience.

[Johnny93g]

March 23, 2011
Game 72
(25-44)at(38-33)
March 12...107-106 Clippers win in Washington

A rematch with the Wizards is on tap. They are still fresh in our minds after a Clipper win 11 days ago. We are expected to win this game, but I won't make the mistake of taking them lightly. With the Lakers coming up next, a loss today could very well mean a 4 game losing streak, and any breathing room we had over Utah and New Orelans will be gone.

I was very happy with how the 1st half played out. We weren't shooting too well, we were turning the ball over, but we only allowed 33 points to the Wizards!! At least 10 of those points were on dunks. The Wizards were shooting horribly, but i'll take it. I'm sure we had atleast a little to do with it.

We built the lead upto 18. It was 58-40 halfway through the 3rd. I took out the starters a little early, anticipating a chance to rest them a bit. OOPS.....
Our net starting burning up from all the shots that swished in. 18-5 the remainder of the quarter and the Wizards trailed by just 5.

2 minutes into the 4th, and friggin Kirk Hinrich had 6 straight points. Wizards lead by 1.

Enough of this fooling around. The starters came back in much earlier then usual. We went back and forth, but Eric Gordon was just too much. He hit a few key shots, that just broke the back of the wizards. We went on a nice run and put a little distance between us, and that was that. Despite the little hiccup(18-5 run), it was a very complete game for the Clippers.

Andray Blatche actually scored 17 first half points. More then half of the total points scored by the Wizards in the 1st. He only scored 2 in the 2nd half though.

The Jazz beat Memphis 107-84 on the 21st of March, keeping pace with us.

Up next: @ L.A.

[Johnny93g]

March 25, 2011
Game 73
(39-33)at(47-24)
Dec 8...116-87 Lakers win at Clippers
Jan 16...100-96 Clippers win at Clippers
Feb 25...92-76 Lakers win at Lakers

If the season ended today, the Lakers and the Clippers would meet in the 1st round of the NBA playoffs. It's probably the most exciting matchup we could hope for. Whoever we play, should we make it, will be huge favourites, but a battle of L.A. would be alot of fun. I'm hoping for it.

The Lakers did their best to show me why I should want to avoid them in the 1st round. Despite hanging with them for a full half, Kobe and company just have too much fire power for us. They completely dominated the 2nd half. The offense ran through Kobe who got whatever he wanted offensively, and they shut us down on defense.

I don't like Kobe guarding Eric Gordon. It's a mismatch, he's so big, it's hard to get shots off against him. The Lakers were so good, only 2 Clippers were able to score in double figures. It was one of those nights.

Kobe finished with 25 points, 6 rebounds. Lamar Odom had 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Shannon Brown came within an assist of a double double off the bench with 13 points, and 9 dimes.

Blake Griffin is smothered by the Lakers double team

Up next: vs Toronto

[Johnny93g]

March 26, 2011
Game 73
(25-47)at(39-34)
Feb 13...109-107 Clippers win in Toronto

Randy Foye returns to Staples Center with the new look Raptors with revenge on his mind. He won't be starting, but a quick glance at the stats shows he's been playing very well since the deal.

We get off the our best start of the season. A 19-2 run opened the game, and I started to relax. I guess it's just natural, but it's always a mistake. The Raptors responded with 8 straight points, and thoughts of a blowout were over.

I did my best to get Sonny Weems, the former Raptor, opportunities to score, but he had a very so-so game. Weems would finish with just 6 points, but 1 highlight reel dunk.

Our offense overall was still lacking. Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin were the only guys scoring consistently. DeAndre Jordan saved the bench production with a 10 points night, but it's a bad sign going into the final stretch of the season

The Raptors were able to fight all the way back and briefly grabbed the lead in the final minute of the 3rd. It would be a back and forth contest for the remainder, until Eric Bledose hit his 1st three pointer in weeks. That gave us a lift. Gordon and Griffin would score all the remaining points, and we were able to take the game 99-92.

Randy Foye had a very nice night, scoring 8 points, with 6 assists. Great production for a backup.

Demar Derozan drives past Eric Bledsoe

Up next: vs Dallas

[Johnny93g]

March 30, 2011
Game 75
(44-29)at(40-34)
Oct 31..115-106 Mavs win in LA
Jan 25...89-79 Clippers win in Dallas

The third team in my deadline deal visit's today. They have been doing pretty well since acquiring Jarret Jack. Jack has been averaging over 9 assists per game.

Both teams had rough 2nd quarters. Caron Butler suffered a sprained ankle, after scoring 16 points in a quarter and a half. He'll miss 2 weeks, but should be ok for the playoffs. Chris Kaman went down in the final minutes of the 2nd. He strained his back and is currently listed as day-to-day. I'm not gonna risk it and play him until he's 100%, so Kaman sits the rest of the game.

It's a competitive game. Both teams are doing what they need to do. I am very impressed with Dallas, as they are forcing alot of turnovers. Alot of the time, it's my fault, but today, i have to credit the defense. They are reading alot of passes and have been active in the passing lanes.

After Butler left the game, the Mavs started to get cold. We took full advantage of em, and built up a 13 points lead minutes into the 4th. Ofcourse, cue the comeback. A 15-0 run gives the Mavericks a lead and me a migraine.

We went back and forth over the final few minutes. With the scored tied at 89, we got a final possession with 26 seconds remaining. Baron Davis milked the clock and called a play for Eric Gordon. The play just took way too long to develop. Davis was forced to drive. He pulled up at the foul line, faked right, and took a fadeaway jump shot. Swish!!!

2.5 seconds remain, and Dallas called a timeout. The inbounds pass came to Jarret Jack. He drove from the top of the key to the left, and took a running jump shot. It bounced in and out as the buzzer sounded. PHEW!!

Baron Davis and Jarret Jack meet in the lane

Up next: @ Phoenix

[Johnny93g]

NBA Standings as of April 1, 2011

[Johnny93g]

LA Clippers stats as of April 1, 2011

*Minutes per game is obviously incorrect.
**RPG is Defensive rebounds per game.

[Johnny93g]

April 1- The NBA announced the players and rookies of the month for March

---
Lebron James Evan Turner


---
Kevin Durant Blake Griffin

Lebron James of the Miami Heat and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder were named conference players of the month for March. The Clipper's Blake Griffin, and 76ers Evan Turner were awarded Rookie of the month. Congrats to the recipients.

[Johnny93g]

Road to the

April 1- The battle for the final western conference playoff birth

• 8th place
• 41-34
• 7 games remaining
• Coming up: @ Phoenix, vs Oklahoma City, @ Memphis

• 9th place
• 39-36
• 2 games back
• 7 games remaining
• Coming up: vs Memphis, vs Indiana, vs Houston

• 10th place
• 38-37
• 3 games back
• 7 games remaining
• Coming up: vs Lakers, @ Sacramento, @ Lakers

[Johnny93g]

April 1- The NBA announced the True Shooting leaders for the season today.
TS%: True Shooting % calculates what a players true shooting percentage would be free throws and three pointers were accounted for. More specifically, it properly weighs the degree of difficulty of various shots and outputs a single percentage

1.
Anthony Morrow- .633
2.
Andrew Bynum- .628
3.
Yao Ming- .614
4.
Steve Nash- .613
5.
Kevin Martin- .613
42.
Eric Gordon- .562

[Johnny93g]

April 1, 2011
Game 76
(46-28)at(41-34)
Nov 26...Suns win in Phoenix
Dec 26...106-87 Suns win in LA
March 20...115-91 Suns win in LA

72 and 26. Those 2 numbers are what decided this game, but I'll get to that later. Our 4th and final game against the Suns this season. The previous 3 haven't been pretty. They have had their way with us. I'm optimistic about this one though. We have had 3 days off, so we are as rested as possible. Channing Frye gets the start at center, while Chris Kaman will not dress with the back strain.

We did a pretty good job in the 1st half. Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin were doing their thing. I usually play a team game, trying to get everyone involved, but i focused on those 2 early on. We needed to score consistiantly to have a chance tonight, and they did. They combined for 31 or our 49 first half points. We led by 1.

Channing Frye got involved in the 3rd quarter, scoring 8 of his 11 points. When's he gets to the top of the key, it really opens up the offense. I generally don't run anything for him, so it's a big boost when he hits double figures. Our team defense was playing well also. The Suns weren't exactly struggling, but they weren't getting whatever they wanted.

The 4th quarter went like this. Swish, Brick, Swish, Brick, Swish, Brick, Swish, Brick, Swish, Brick, Swish, Brick...... You get the picture. One team shot 72% on their way to 34 points. The other's shot 26%, and 15 points.

Congrats to the Suns on their season sweep. Steve Nash finished with 25 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds.

Grant Hill helps the Suns win another over the CLippers

Up next: vs. Oklahoma City

[Johnny93g]

April 2, 2011
Game 77
(46-29)at(41-35)
Feb 3..105-97 Clippers win in LA
Feb 22...95-88 Clippers win in OKC

I don't have alot to say about this one. I'm very disappointed in how we played. 3 Thunder scored 20+ points. Kevin Durant had 24 points, 11 rebounds. Jeff Green had 26, while Russel Westbrook finished with 23.

The Jazz and Hornets both sit 1 game behind us for 8th place. Each team has 5 games to play.


Jason Kidd has magic powers as he jumps right through DeAndre Jordan's arm

Up next: vs. Oklahoma City

[Johnny93g]

April 5, 2011
Game 78
(41-36)vs(26-51)
Dec 11...112-64 Grizzlies win in LA
March 14...99-91 Clippers win in Memphis

We are starting a 4 game road trip. We visit Memphis, Oklahoma City, Dallas and Houston, before concluding the regular season at home against these Grizzlies. Looking at that schedule, this game is a must win.

We started the game flawlessly. Execution was perfect. Baron Davis was running the offense as good as possible. He was getting everyone open shots. Before we knew it, we led 18-6. We kept it up and led 27-16 after 1.

In came the backups, and the drop off happened. Eric Bledsoe was horrible. I had success with Davis so i continued to try and use Bledsoe by driving and kicking out. BIG MISTAKE! Bledsoe shot 0/5, and turned the ball over 4 times in 7 minutes. His night was done. We couldn't afford to let the rookie play through it tonight.

Early in the 3rd, Blake Griffin twisted his ankle and had to come out of the game. The diagnosis wasn't bad, just day-to-day, and he would be able to return. I ruled against it though, and told Blake he won't be returning to the game.

We had a nice lead at this point, and i wasn't gonna risk it with the franchise. With Griffin out, Zach Randolph controlled the boards collecting 16 rebounds.

The Grizzlies continued to claw their way back, but it wasn't too be. They were able to get as close as 5. Baron Davis dished out 12 assists, and Eric Gordon scored 21. A big win for L.A.

Baron Davis makes a pass around OJ Mayo

Up next: @ Oklahoma City

[Johnny93g]

April 6, 2011
Game 79
(42-36)vs(48-29)
Feb 3..105-97 Clippers win in LA
Feb 22...95-88 Clippers win in OKC
April 2...112-78 Thunder win in LA

The hottest team in the NBA are the Thunder. They are a legitimate title contender. Hell, they got Jason Kidd, Antwan Jamison, Dejaun Blair, and James Posey coming off the bench. Thats a pretty great mix of skill, offense, defense, and leadership to backup the starters. Kevin Durant
is also about to win the league scoring title.

We started last game flawlessly. This game would be the opposite. Blake Griffin is still day-to-day, but will play today. It was apparent he would be slow defensively and unable to muscle people on offense. Jeff Green picked on him early, scoring 9 points, and grabbing 7 rebounds in the 1st.

Griffin ended up playing 30 minutes, and pulled down 14 rebounds. I wasn't planning on playing him that much, but Channing Frye picked a bad time to be terrible. He finished that game with 0 points. 0/7 shooting. I just couldn't leave him in there.

Despite Griffin's rebounding, the Thunder dominated the boards. Green, Durant, and point guard Russel Westbrook all had more then 10 rebounds.

The Thunder lead from start to finish. We had a horrible time scoring. The 2nd half was much better, but most of that was against the backups to the backups.

2 games in 5 days against a championship contender, and we averaged 80 ppg. Not good.

Chris Kaman doesn't like the call

Up next: @ Dallas

[Johnny93g]

April 8, 2011
Game 80
(42-37)vs(48-30)
Oct 31..115-106 Mavs win in LA
Jan 25...89-79 Clippers win in Dallas
Mar 30...92-89 Clippers win in LA

Game 80, and we are holding onto a slim lead over both Utah and New Orleans. Utah beat Portland last night, while the Hornets host Phoenix tonight. We lead Utah by 1 game, and the Hornets by 2.

Blake Griffin is still feeling some pain in his ankle, but he still start anyway. At this point in the season, you gotta play through it. Like last game, I hope to limit his minutes to around 20. Hopefully, Channing Frye will figure out how to score again and let Blake rest a bit.

It was a weird game. Both teams were a bit off. Jarrett Jack provided all his offense in the 1st half, and totally disappeared in the 2nd.
Offense was hard to come by, Eric Gordon was his usual self, scoring 25, but noone else was able to do much.

Defense was the name of the game. We played great defense. We held the Mavs to under 20 twice. 9 block shots, and 12 steals are numbers that will win alot of games in this league. We led from start to finish.

Eric Gordon breakaway dunk

New Orleans beat Phoenix 110-99. They remain in 10th, 2 games behind the Clippers. The Jazz now trail by 1.5. The Jazz and Hornets each have 3 games left, we have 2.

Up next: @ Houston

[Johnny93g]

April 9, 2011
Game 81
(43-37)vs(50-29)
Dec 22..100-87 Clippers win in LA
Jan 26...98-88 Clippers win in Houston
Mar 2...122-84 Rockets win in LA

Utah is playing the Spurs today. We are playing the Rockets. A win by the Clippers, and a loss by Utah eliminates the Jazz.

Blake Griffin is healthy today. He feels great and is ready to resume a normal workload.

The Rockets suffered a early setback when Aaron Brooks hurt his ankle. He would miss most of the 1st quarter, but returned in the 2nd. The Rockets offense suffered during his absence, but we weren't able to take advantage. It was a slow, low scoring game for the most part. I wasn't feeling the run n gun style today. We were running the half court offense very well, and I felt we're better off sticking to that.

It was a very team oriented game today. 16 first half assists lead to a 32 points 2nd quarter and a 9 point half time lead.

Brooks took over the 3rd, dishing out 9 of his 13 assists, and the Rockets took the lead going into the 4th.

That's when Houston decided to build a house brick by brick(LAME, I KNOW). They scored just 15 points in the 4th. 6 in the final minute. It wasn't our defense, it was them. They just missed every shot they took. 6 Clippers were able to score in double figures. Clippers win!

Late in the game, both teams suffered injuries. Courtney Lee reinjured an already sore ankle, and looks to miss 2 weeks. Baron Davis also did something to his ankle. He's day to day, but with 3 days before the season finale, I'm not worried about it affecting his play.

Travis Outlaw challenges a Chris Kaman shot

Utah beats the Spurs 96-88. They remain 1.5 games back with 2 remaining. We have clinched nothing

Up next: vs. Memphis