Los Angeles Clippers 106, San Antonio Spurs 84: Not much to say

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Games like these happen. The Spurs went into Los Angeles riding a four-game winning streak to start the season, facing a Clippers team that had lost its previous two games at the Staples Center to Golden State and Cleveland. San Antonio walked out a couple hours later, handed a 106-84 thumping by the likes of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

The Spurs’ leading scorer on the night was Danny Green, who had 12 points. The Clippers had four players score at least that many points and seven players total in double figures. Green was really the only player who could get anything going for the Spurs offensively, he knocked down four of his seven shots, three of them 3-pointers.

But Green is a finisher, in a sense. He doesn’t create plays, he simply ends them by taking shots. The guys who create shots (Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili) had a hell of a time getting anything going. The Spurs had 20 turnovers, which kills their offensive efficiency and leads to easy baskets for the opponent. It’s no wonder the Spurs had an 86.1 OffRtg on the night and gave up a 114 DefRtg. In short, they were bad.

I criticized the Clipper defense before the game in a preview over at ClipperBlog. Last night, we saw what Los Angeles’ defense is capable of when they’re playing well. The defensive rotations were solid and they were getting their hands on the ball. They were disruptive, and on nights when the Spurs offense isn’t clicking, that’s going to be a problem. The Clippers deserved a win like this and they got it.

For a long time, the Spurs had said that they were much happier letting Chris Paul score 30 points and only distribute six or eight assists. The idea was that if you force Paul to be a scorer, it hinders the rest of the offense, for whatever team he plays for (Hornets, Clippers). Last night Paul had only 10 points, but racked up 12 assists.

But as I said, games like this happen. You would prefer they didn’t, but it’s not the end of the world. Last night’s performance doesn’t mean that the Clippers are that much better than the Spurs or that San Antonio’s defense is that bad. It was an off-night for pretty much everyone in the silver and black. Luckily for them, they’re back out on the court tomorrow night and 76 more times after that.

I guess we’re going to have to wait a little longer for the Spurs to start a season 5-0.

Advanced statistics on last night’s game courtesy of NBA.com/STATS

  • Nima K.

    What can be done? At the expense of angering some folks, here are some ideas for fine tuning our personnel:

    Think of upgrades with the following **expendable** trade assets:

    Bonner, Blair, Neal, and/or especially Tony Parker.

    I believe this team can afford to lose TP without sustaining much structural damage. Especially if it ends up getting us a quality player. I’m still amazed that Pop is sitting DeColo and Mills (the Olympics top scorer?).

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=173600134 Ryan McShane

    I just think the Clippers really wanted to avenge their WCSF sweep. And I think Pop didn’t want Ginobili to get another broken nose after the foul he gave to CP3. The Spurs were in it.

  • Andrew G.

    We lose one game and TP has to go?

  • Andrew G.

    Agreed. Vinny was playing his starters with 5 minutes to go and a 20 point lead. He was desperate for a win against the Spurs. Pop just smiled and said “See you in San Antonio”.

  • Graham

    classic overreaction. One bad game, let it go.

  • td4life

    First, we have to recognize that TP and each of our “big 3″ took pay cuts to help the Spurs’ stay competitive, and WILL be rewarded with LOYALTY by the Spurs organization. TP won’t be shipped out unless he requests it.

    Second, let’s get an extended look at TP’s improved jumper.

    Third, it is no surprise that talented teams with enviable interior size can give us fits on a given night. Pop and company will overachieve year after year, but another ring is a long shot. After, RC hedged against shipping out a large package (Blair, Splitter, Bonner, and RJ) to get an available to Tyson Chandler, the Spurs window in the TD era became dim. Winning a lot of games playing prideful & pretty basketball is decent consolation prize. Anyway, Miami is gonna run away with a repeat next June, and anyone thinking otherwise is naive.

  • ThatBigGuy

    We’re 4-1 and you want to trade Tony Parker, our best player?

    Go to your room and think about what you’ve said.

  • ThatBigGuy

    Our Bog 3 aren’t going to shoot a collective 7-23 very often, and the Clips 2 bigs aren’t going to shoot 71% on 28 shots very often. Movin’ on.

  • Titletown99030507d

    One of those games no one was hitting and they looked like they just started camp and their psyche was tampered with after seeing all those power dunks resulting in turrible execution but hey just flush it down and waive bye bye to that turd of a game. Next.

  • Titletown99030507d

    Forgot to mention, still not comfortable Neal handling the ball. Oh my.

  • Tyler

    Hear him out - it worked on NBA2K12….

  • GoSpursGo

    Mills is an undersized, shoot first guard. Not really the right guy right now when the offense is clicking, more of a spark off the bench guy.

    Tony Parker is not expendable, unless you are trying to tear down the team and rebuild from the ground up.

    DeColo cannot play D, and this is his first year in the Spurs system.

    Blair, Bonner, and Neal have the combined trade value of a pair of reebok’s, slightly used.

    The Spurs are 4 and 1, and the rest of the west is vulnerable, why would you want to blow up the team right now?

  • DorieStreet

    First of all - Condolences to the Family of Jim Durham, ESPN Radio’s lead play-by-play broadcaster for NBA games. No matter who he was partnered with - former players or coaches - Durham provided a committed team approach to each broadcast that was factful and unbiased. He always included history on each time in that game, be it an outstanding player, an iconic coach, or a great/championship team.
    His partner on many a broadcast - HOF Hubie Brown - said this quite a few years ago: ” In every 82-game season, for every team, there will be games whose outcomes defy basketball logic. You can figure it to be 5% — around 5 games or so, where a loss or a win seems unfathomoble.”
    Those are games where a perennial contender losses to a league dormat; a 25-point league going into the 4th quarter turns into a loss; or an unknown/journeyman/rookie player breaks team/league records in leading his team to victory.
    To me, it seemed like a ‘limited litmus’ test for both the Spurs and Clippers. Clipp joint has to show the home crowd that we need payback for that sweep last spring; Spurs feeling them out-“what do ya’ll got this season” -knowing that the second matchup is less than 2 weeks away @ AT&T Nov. 19th.

  • DorieStreet

    Nima — TP? —- stop and breath - deeply (game 5 of 82).

  • junierizzle

    You need an elite PG to win. I don’t think you can get anything that is better than TP. And Decolo and Mills aren’ t exactly exactly earning minutes. Mills especially. I expected more from him but he has looked nervous out there thus far.

  • Graham

    Heh, it’s almost as if we shouldn’t even bother, just hand the Heat the trophy this year. I have faith this team can get to the WCF. I have fait this team can beat whoever ends up opposing us there. I also have faith they can beat the Heat. Would they be favored? Hell no, but stylistically we match up with them a lot better than you think.

  • JustinFL

    Trade TP? What the heck? The injury proned Tyson Chandler was “available?” What that before or after the Knicks signed him to what 40, 50 million or whatever it was last year? He’s waaaaayyy overpaid anyway.

  • RawJa

    People forget, as well as Miami played in the playoffs and finals, they did the EXACT same thing the year before. Only difference was that they ran into a team (Dallas) that could actually move the ball. The BEST scenario for them was to face the Thunder because Miami is by far the best one on one defensive team in the league. Against teams that move the ball, not so great. They lucked out drawing OKC instead of the Spurs last year.

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