Clippers VS Trailblazers (Game 6)

Trailblazers Win Series 4-2

Despite the outcome of the game, the Clippers played great. They had a 2 point lead going into the 4th. The Clippers played great.

So what got them to where they were at. Well, to begin with, Austin Rivers and Jamal Crawford had a combined total of 52 points. J.J. Redick had 15 and so did DeAndre. Jeff Green also pitched in with 11. The Clippers had multiple people scoring at a great rate. Next, they didn't lose in rebounding. Both teams were tied in rebounds with 46. This got them to the 4th quarter.

In the 4th quarter, Jamal Crawford was gassed, he played all 12 minutes of it and only shot 1-9 in the quarter. Doc Rivers would have been smart to take the guy out because he was hurting their offense. Meanwhile, the Blazers were bailed out with plenty of fouls. The Clippers had 9 fouls in the quarter alone. The Blazers had plenty good open shots to. The Clippers just could not hold out through the last quarter.

I am very excited how a Curry-less Warriors will do against the Blazers and how Shaun Livingston will guard Damian Lillard. However, I can't help but wonder what they Clippers next move is. What is going to happen to this team. They still haven't had the success of making the conference finals with this core. What do they do now?

Clippers VS Trailblazers (Game 5)

Trailblazers Lead Series 3-2

The Clippers have lost and are now in a downward spiral. They were doing such a great job. The game was tied in the 3rd quarter, but what happened?

The Clippers played well through the first 3 quarters. They were very aggressive. You could tell that they expected to win the game too. 52 of their points came from the paint. Jeff Green was very active on offense as he had 17 points. J.J. Redick had 19 points as well. These are two guys that need to produce if the team is to win.

Going into the 4th quarter is when the Clippers lost it. Jamal Crawford really hurt them. He played 10 minutes in the quarter and shot just 0-4 from the field in those 10 minutes. They weren't the best quality shots either and none of them were in the paint. Other than that the Clippers offense was fine.

Their defense was a different story. Damian Lillard had 16 points in the 4th quater! They were horrible defending him when a big came up to give him a pick. They kind of laid off him letting him get off the shots. When guarding Dame, you can't let him get an open shot at a 3. He will knock him down. Force him inside the arc where he can't hurt you as much.

Damian Lillard - Shot Chart 4th quarter - www.nba.com/stats

The Trailblazers had a great overall game. They once again beat the Clippers in rebounds. Mason Plumlee was a big reason why. C.J. McCollum played great as he ended the game with 27 points. Harkless had a double-double as he had 19 points and 10 rebounds. These guys really contributed to the game which took pressure off Damian Lillard as he only had to come out and close the game. The play from the Trailblazers was amazing and if they keep it up, they are going to be looking at closing this series next game.

Clippers VS Trailblazers (Game 4)

Series Tied 2-2

Chris Paul went down. So did Blake Griffin. Could it cost them. It sure could. Let's take a look at how it could affect them.

First off, I want to say that Doc Rivers made a big mistake not putting Luc Richard Mbah a Moute in the game during the 2nd half. Aminu took advantage of this as he had 30 points and 10 rebounds in the game. The effort wasn't there defensively from Jeff Green. I also think people forget just how great of a defensive player Chris Paul is. Austin Rivers just doesn't have as great of a defensive game as Chis Paul has. Without him, I think that Lillard is just going to explode in scoring these last games of the series, something the Clippers have been doing a great job of limiting this series.

J.J. Redick needs to produce with these 2 out. So does Jeff Green. You might remember back when Jeff Green was on the Celtics, KG told him he could be a star in this league. That never really happened, but now, Jeff Green kind of has his chance. They are going to rely on him to score. He needs to produce. J.J. Redick had 8 points in the game. He needs to be coming off tons of off-ball screens because that is where he excels. He must be much more aggressive coming off those screens. These two guys need to score.

C.J. McCollum was amazing in this game. While he didn't break 20 points in this game, he was amazing in this game defensively. He played solid defense. I was amazed with his impact defensively. You probably weren't watching, but off the ball, he defended so well getting around screen and just getting in his man's face.

Again, Mason Plumlee was amazing. He has been the surprise of the series. He had just 2 points, but he pitched in 14 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 blocks with those 2 points. He has done so much for this Blazers team. He really helped this Trailblazers team get 58 rebounds in the game while the Clippers had 42!

The Clippers aren't looking good. They need offense, and they need it bad. Someone is going to have to step up, and fast.

Clipper VS Trailblazers (Game 2)

Clippers Lead Series 2-0

This was Portland's game to win. In fact, they might not get a better shot to beat this Los Angeles Clippers team. You have to take advantage of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan having poor nights.

The blame really falls on to Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. I though both of them played really poor defense on Redick and Chris Paul. They both shot really well from the floor but that is because they were both defended poorly. Both of them also didn't play that great on offense. Both of them scored under 20 points in 38 minutes of play. Not to mention that Mason Plumlee was having a great game with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists and Harkless had a good game as well. It was Portland's chance to win and their stars let them down.

While the stars of the Trailblazers shot horribly from 3 and played poor defense, the rest of the team played very well. They tied the Clippers in rebounds with 52. They also capitalized on points off turnovers and also had 18 fastbreak points. The bench wasn't that great for the Trailblazers but that was mainly because they played with McCollum and Lillard on the floor who weren't able to take over at all.

Meanwhile, the Clippers bench play was amazing. They had 43 bench points as they were very productive and they picked up for Griffin's poor shooting night. They shot well and produced at a great rate. The guards were also great for the Clippers. Chris Paul and J.J. Redick were amazing. They both carried their team offensively.

This was a game that Portland could have very well. If they are going to win, they need Lillard and McCollum to produce on offense but also play much better against these talented guards in Redick and Paul. 

Fantasy Friday: Shooting Guards

A good shooting guard is a good thing to have on your team. The only problem is that they are kind of few and far between. When you read this realize that some sucker will probably pick up Kobe Bryant and you will be laughing and pick one of these guys, because Kobe Bryant will most likely get injured or not be that efficient. Then Kobe Bryant will lead the league in scoring, make about three 3's per game, average a near triple-double, and win defensive player of the year. You will place all the blame on me and say "but Aaron, you said, 'When you read this realize that some sucker will probably pick up Kobe Bryant and you will be laughing and pick one of these guys, because Kobe Bryant will most likely get injured or not be that efficient.'!" And I will reply, hey man, no one said you had to listen to me. Then you will most likely be so mad that you will take your laptop and throw it out the window and your house will burn down. You will place all the blame on me and I will have to pay for the damages. So in advance, I say, take Kobe Bryant if you want to. If you want to take the risk fine, but don't blame me if it doesn't work. If you trust me though, you're best off taking these SGs.

10. Wesley Matthews: He is a risk. We don't know how he will respond. You may want to take K-Mart instead. Will Wes do great in Dallas, or will he be traded mid-season for Festus Ezeli because he is playing so bad. Well, if you take him, let's hope he will do great in Dallas. Wesley Matthews is a great defensive player and is deadly from deep. Watch out for him because he will shoot the lights out.

9. J.J. Redick: He will give you three pointers. He will give them to you. I am a bit worried that he is not doing so well since the playoffs and I fear it could be his down fall. Let's hope he can keep his numbers going up as Chris Paul gets less and less productive. Producing 16.4 PPG last season and 2.6 three pointers per game, he doesn't have much else to offer. Don't forget about Redick though, because chances are, most people will.

8. Victor Oladipo: This man looks like he will be the best player going into his 3rd season. He averaged over 17 PPG last season and contributed in other areas as he averaged 4.2 RPG, 4.1 APG, and 1.7 steals. He is looking good, we just don't know if he will be an all-star and we don't know how much he will improve. Hopefully, he will do great.

7. Paul George: He is in the risk category. So buyer beware. This man is coming off from a severe injury but if Paul George goes back to being regular Paul George, then the results will be amazing. The season before Paul got his injury, he was considered the best fantasy player in the league as he averaged 21.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.9 Steals per game. Great right? And he only averaged 2.8 turnovers. So if you want to take the risk, grab George.

6. Monta Ellis: Another Pacers player whose season is unclear. Monta could again produce a near 19 PPG and 4.1 Assists or his numbers could plummet. He is a great defender averaging a good 1.9 steals but we are unsure how this change of scenery will be for him.

5. Dwayne Wade: He has the skills and is most likely a future Hall of Famer, but  with Dragic, Bosh, Deng, and Whiteside, will his numbers drop? Probably. That's why he is down here. His great fantasy numbers he has been averaging for the last multiple year will most likely go down and Wade hasn't has a season where he played at least 70 games in 5 years. So take the old man if you want. You just better hope for a healthy season.

4. DeMar DeRozan: This boy is still averaging quite numbers in Toronto. 20.1 PPG and 4.6 RPG along with the steals and assists. He will most likely continue to increase his numbers but he doesn't have a lot to offer besides scoring. He is not a shooter if that is what you are looking for. So don't take him for that. But there aren't many players that average over 20 PPG and average just 2.3 turnovers per game.

3. Klay Thompson: He is a young player rising. Younger than Stephen Curry still. He still has a lot of potential. I would take him in a heartbeat because I see major improvement in Thompson this upcoming season. While he shoots many threes, I can see his 21.7 PPG from last year rising. He made over three 3 pointers per game last year. Not to mention he averaged a little less than 2 turnovers per game last year! This is why Klay is at number 3.

2. Bradley Beal: As Beal enters his 4th season in the NBA, he could very well become an all-star. In the playoffs he had shown that he could lead the team when John Wall went down. This 3 point sharp shooter can score, rebound, and assist and we all know it. He is expected to have his stats increase by a big margin here. We'll see if it happens.

1. James Harden: Of course he is number one. He is going to give you scoring. He will give you rebounds and assists. He will make 3s. And he will give you plenty of free throws. Not to mention he was really healthy last year. James Harden was probably the best player to have in fantasy last year. If you have him this year your team could be the best. The only downside is that James Harden commits turnovers. Oh well. You will obviously have to put up with that but it will be the same with LeBron and Kevin Durant. The way I figure it, he will be either the best or the second best fantasy player this year. Pick him up if you have the chance!

Well, there are your shooting guards. Some notable mentions that weren't on here are Kyle Korver and Kevin Martin so keep them in mind if these guys aren't available (or you just don't trust me). Again, remember that no one is telling you that you have to pick these guys up. So if you place a bunch of money and lose, it's not my fault. But it would be wise to draft these great players. 

Rockets VS Clippers (game 3)

Final Score: Clippers win 124-99



Clippers lead series 2-1

This was a game that both teams needed. Only one could win it of course. This game was won by the Clippers. Let's see how they won this game.

The Clippers stayed calm and got their bench involved in the game which I though was surprising. The Clippers played a total of 13 players. Austin Rivers had 25 points. The whole bench had 46 total points. The best thing about their bench was they played great defense. Except for Glen Davis. He sucked on defense. The Clippers had 50 points in the paint and had only 32 contested jumpers. It is hard to complain with how they did, but they could get J.J. Redick more touches. He only touched the ball 34 times. That should increase and it needs to. This guy plays the most for the team. That's about it though. Blake Griffin played great. As long as Chris Paul has no more delays, I don't see why they can't make it to the next round.

The Rockets did a lot wrong. They shot 58.1% from the free throw line. The team had a defensive rating of 125.1 and an offensive rating of 98.4. That can't happen. They did do great with their turnovers as they kept it under 20. So they fixed that a little. James Harden was great with his passing as he had not only 11 assists but also 4 secondary assists and 1 free throw assist. That is impressive. They really have to pick up the defense for them to win though. That is just to start with. They also have to find a way to contain Blake Griffin. They have a lot of work to do. Let's see what they will change in game 4.

Clippers VS Spurs (game 5)

Final Score: Spurs win 111-107



Spurs lead series 3-2

This was a crucial game. And the Spurs look like they are in great shape for next game. They can put this series away next game. We are all wondering who will win this series. It is probably one of the most interesting series in the playoffs so far. Let's breakdown the Spurs play to start off.

The Spurs had a great bounce back win after the loss they took at home. They had great ball movement and everyone was involved. One guy I really want to look at is Borris Diaw. He had the best plus/minus advantage on his team with +13. What was he doing so great. Just playing great basketball, setting screen, grabbing boards, and just making good defensive plays. Anything that could help his team. His defensive rating (the lower the better) was great at 86.6. You think that good, his offensive rating (the higher the better) was at an astonishing 120.1. That is great. If fact the whole bench had an offensive rating above 120. I was amazed on how well their offensive rating was for the Spurs bench. One thing the Spurs should probably change for next game is the guy guarding Barnes should be in more of a help position. He needs to be able to double team. I really think they should try that out. Another thing is don't have Manu be the main ball handler for the bench. He is more of a shooting guard and had 4 turnovers in just 18:28 minutes.

The Clippers have some work to do. Redick took to many chances and played lazy defense. I would look for him to step it up. This is the playoffs! You need to play your best. Redick fouled out of that game really because of the way he played. Their bench could use a lot more from Jamal Crawford. The Clippers only have 3 people coming off the bench and Jamal Crawford just needs to be regular Jamal Crawford. Again, Blake Griffin just needs to cut down his turnovers. My main problem really was the bench though. Everyone on the bench had a horrible defensive rating all over 125. That cannot happen from your bench. They really need Matt Barnes with the bench and DeAndre Jordan too. Their bench has a great offensive rating. They just need to bring up the offensive rating. Have Austin Rivers, Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, Glen Davis, and DeAndre Jordan all out on the court. That would be a great way to start the second quarter.

This is going to be great so tune into TNT 9:30 PM EST to see game 6. This could be the last game of the series and you don't want to miss it.