As the Los Angeles Clippers face the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, they have a desperate chance to prove themselves and find some new momentum.
Wednesday night is an important one and it couldn’t have come at a worse time when considering the form the Los Angeles Clippers are in right now. They are fresh off two defeats from the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans, both lacking multiple starters with the latter not even having Anthony Davis onboard. They should have been easy wins to continue the Clippers’ surge as the 4th seed in the West and confirmed their legitimacy as a worthy second-tier contender, but instead they did the opposite.
Dropping two easy games back to back has allowed worrying questions to resurface. Can the Clippers survive if they only bring back Blake Griffin just before the playoffs? Even then, will they be able to successfully readjust to his presence once the postseason begins?
And more to the point, if they couldn’t beat two inferior teams at a great disadvantage with so many starters missing, do the Clippers have any chance of defeating the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night?
Before considering how much stronger the Warriors currently are, especially while Griffin is still out, the defending champions are dealing with their fare share of significant injuries, too. Festus Ezeli is out with a knee injury, Andrew Bogut is doubtful with a left foot injury, and Andre Iguodala is out with a left ankle sprain. If Bogut continues to be absent after missing the last two games, the Warriors are technically at a disadvantage already without their top two centers and one of their best defenders in Iguodala.
This can only help the Clippers. Any team reduced from full strength with multiple key players out is a bonus for Doc Rivers’ reeling group, but that was the case with Memphis and New Orleans and look how well that turned out.
Then there’s the matter of how both teams will adjust to their injuries. Nothing will change for the Clippers as they’ll still be forced to use small-ball lineups for essentially the entire night, receiving some minor comfort in the fact that Jeff Green has been cleared to play and will return after suffering a head laceration. And while the Clippers’ offense has been clicking with Chris Paul at the helm, ranking 6th in efficiency, everything changes when he’s off the floor.
Their offensive rating plummets from 113.9 with him to 97.6 when he’s on the bench, giving the second unit an immense challenge to hold up against the superior depth of the Warriors.
After soaring to 7th in defensive efficiency this season, the Clippers’ defense and energy has faltered immensely over the last week as well, allowing an average of 110 points per game to their last five opponents.
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The final challenge for the Clippers is the worst of all. Without Bogut and Ezeli, the Warriors will be going small too, giving their “death lineup” far more time on the floor. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Iguodala (who will likely be replaced by Brandon Rush on Wednesday), Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green form a lineup with the kind of defensive versatility and perimeter shooting that can be impossible to stop at times.
The idea of facing this lineup is a terrifying thought for anyone, let alone an opponent who is forced to try and play them at their own game.
The Warriors are the kings of small-ball with that group and there’s no way to deny it. No one comes close and the best way to defeat them is to stay big, hassle them defensively, force shooters off the three-point line, and do everything in your power to slow down the pace of the game. It worked for the San Antonio Spurs as they defeated the 87-79 in their latest contest, suffocating the Warriors with each of these tactics and forcing them into their worst offensive performance of the season.
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However, there’s a slight difference between the Spurs and the Clippers. Firstly, the former are clearly a better team and secondly, the Clippers will need to go small tonight. Whether it’s Paul Pierce or Green at the four, they won’t be able to do much to bother the Warriors and they’ll suffer in the paint whenever they’re matched up with Green in various rotations, giving Golden State a clear advantage on the boards, too.
In the last matchup on February 20, it was CP3 that allowed his team to compete. He had 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists while shooting 52.6 percent from the floor, doing all he could in an effort to lead his team without Griffin. It still wasn’t enough, though, and without a frantic fourth quarter run by the bench to drastically cut down the lead, the score wouldn’t have been as close as 115-112.
In the matchup before that on November 19, the Warriors completed a 23-point comeback to defeat the Clippers 124-117, overcoming Paul’s 35-point night. As a heated rivalry with history and competitiveness, these kinds of contest are what we can always expect to see.
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However, the Clippers are a different team than they were in November. Yes, they had Griffin then, but their defense was worse, there was no unity in the second unit, their three-point shooting was off, and they stumbled to a 16-13 record before Christmas.
So, ideally, they should be able to compete against the Warriors on Wednesday. Paul has performed incredibly well against them and the Warriors are depleted by injury. That’s got to count for something, hasn’t it?
Well, until their last few performances, that could have been the case. But with the Warriors’ significant advantage with small-ball lineups, depth, and the worrying form of the Clippers, it’s impossible to not give the champs the advantage. And on top of everything else, they’re at home in Oracle Arena, the deafening backdrop to a perfect 32-0 record this season.
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Now, the Clippers are left with a desperate chance to prove themselves. If they come close, compete with passion, or somehow stun the world and win, they can rid themselves of more doubt and turn things around before Griffin’s return with far more certainty and momentum.
They just need to remember that if the Lakers can do it, so can they.