Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers: Postgame Grades and Analysis: One of the most exciting series in the first round is over after a 126-121 win by the Los Angeles Clippers over the Golden State Warriors in Game 7. The Clippers were able to overcome a three-point barrage from the Warriors thanks to an incredibly balanced effort. Four Clippers scored at least 20 points, led by Blake Griffins 24 points. Chris Paul, Jamal Crawford and J.J. Redick were the other three to reach 20. Paul also had 14 assists, and DeAndre Jordan posted a double-double with 18 rebounds and 15 points. The Warriors got a huge game from Stephen Curry, who scored 33 points and dished out nine assists, but his Splash Brother Klay Thompson struggled, going 4-of-11 from the field. Draymond Green filled in admirably for Thompson, scoring 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Key Player Grades: Los Angeles Clippers Chris Paul, Point Guard Paul was completely unstoppable in the biggest game of the Clippers season to this point. It didnt matter what Golden State threw at him—Thompson, Curry, a zone—he got to wherever he wanted on the floor and made the right play just about every time. His 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, 14 assists and four steals tell part of that story, but what you dont see in the box score is how many times that production happened in crucial moments. Paul somehow manages to elevate his already stellar play whenever momentum or the entire game is on the line. Grade: A+ Blake Griffin, Power Forward He scored 24 points, but Griffin actually had his fair share of struggles against some physical defense from David Lee, Draymond Green and any other Warrior who rotated onto him. At least that was the case until the fourth quarter. He wound up shooting 10-of-18 from the field, and some of those makes came in crunch time. He had one of the biggest buckets in the game in the fourth: an and-one that he celebrated by landing a back somersault. In other areas of the game, Griffin was checked on the boards, but did a great job of distributing. He handed out six assists and grabbed five rebounds. Grade: A DeAndre Jordan, Center Jordan has to be one of the best role players in the NBA. Hes asked to rebound, block shots and finish alley-oops and putbacks around the rim. He does all those things extremely well, and doesnt try to do more. Such was clearly the case Saturday, as he finished the game with 18 rebounds, three blocks and 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting. Grade: A+ J.J. Redick, Shooting Guard The Clippers trailed by 10 at halftime, before Redick unleashed a barrage in the third quarter that helped turn the game around. He scored 13 of his 20 points in that quarter, scoring from all over the floor and shifting the momentum to the home team. Grade: A Matt Barnes, Small Forward Jordan isnt the only excellent role player the Clippers have in their starting lineup. Barnes does exactly what hes supposed to as well—play solid D on the perimeter and knock down shots on the rare occasions his number is called on offense. Saturday, he went 5-of-8 from the field for 13 points and played solid defense on Thompson when he had that matchup. Grade: B Jamal Crawford, Shooting Guard He doesnt do much besides score, but when thats rolling, Crawford becomes a very important weapon for the Clippers. His ability to create his own shot takes a ton of pressure off Paul. And his ability to hit tough shots takes pressure off everyone else. In Game 7, Crawford went off for 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting, and even got one of his patented four-point plays in the first half. Grade: B+ Bench Darren Collison was the only other Clipper to play more than seven minutes, and he logged 15. Glen Davis and Danny Granger were the other two who saw time on the floor. Those three combined to go 3-of-11 from the field for 10 points and really didnt make much of an impact on either end of the floor. Grade: D Key Player Grades: Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry, Point Guard Curry shot 7-of-17 from the field, but still managed to score 33 points because of his ability to get to the free-throw line. He went a ridiculous 16-of-16 from the stripe. Being able to manufacture those points against hands-on defense from Paul and others said a lot about Currys toughness. He also handed out nine assists and grabbed five rebounds. The only knock on Curry was his defense against Paul when Thompson wasnt on that matchup. But complaining about someone not being able to stop Paul is almost asinine. Grade: A David Lee, Power Forward/Center Lees 13 points and 13 rebounds gave him a comfortable double-double, but he clearly lost his matchup with Griffin. Its not all his fault, obviously. Griffins an excellent player and Lee got only nine shots in the game. He faced a tough situation with starting center Andrew Bogut out of this series with broken ribs. Without him, Lee had to carry the Warriors inside. And it was a heavy load against Griffin and Jordan. Grade: B+ Klay Thompson, Shooting Guard Thompson struggled with his shot, going just 4-of-11 from the field. He still managed to score 15 points, though, thanks to hitting two threes and five free throws. He also did a good job of creating for his teammates, as he dished out seven assists. Where Thompson was most important in this series was on the defensive end, though. He had his moments in earlier games against Paul but was shredded in Game 7. Grade: C Andre Iguodala, Small Forward As usual, Iguodala played a solid, all-around game that led to a pretty good looking stat sheet. He finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists. But he struggled mightily on defense, trying to chase Redick around screens and on cuts, and he turned the ball over five times. Grade: C+ Draymond Green, Power Forward/Small Forward You know whom you absolutely cant blame for the Game 7 loss? The recent insert into the starting lineup, Green. He was fantastic throughout the game, scoring a playoff career-high 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-8 from three-point range. He also collected seven rebounds, handed out three assists and grabbed two steals. Grade: A Harrison Barnes, Small Forward/Power Forward Barnes got the most time off the bench, and he was a complete non-factor. He posted a whopping two rebounds and zero points on 0-of-1 shooting. The Warriors need to figure out whats going on with this former lottery pick this summer, because he essentially disappeared this season. Grade: F Bench Two Warriors who played fewer minutes than Barnes were fantastic off the bench. Jordan Crawford and Marreese Speights each shot 5-of-9 from the field and scored 12 and 10 points respectively. The starters were solid, so it may have been hard to find more minutes, but it wouldve been nice for these two to be able to put more of an imprint on the game. Grade: B+ Whats Next? The Clippers now have to turn around and get ready another team that advanced after a Game 7 victory on Saturday. Against the No. 2 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, the Clippers will have to be prepared for several different challenges. The teams split their regular-season series 2-2. For the Warriors, they head into the offseason with plenty to be excited about. They pushed a title contender to the brink of elimination, and their core is still very young. Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Read more NBA news on BleacherReport #NBA #GameRecap #2014NBAPlayoffs #fantasybasketball
Posted on: Sun, 04 May 2014 08:48:36 +0000
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