Clippers-Blazers: 5 advantages L.A. has for NBA playoffs
By Tom West
A superior defense
For a start, Paul (as already discussed here) is a far superior defender to Lillard and should be heading towards another All-Defensive spot. That solidifies the point guard battle at this end of the floor, leaving the rest of the duel primarily to McCollum and Redick.
The Blazers’ shooting guard is a star and crowd-pleaser without doubt, but that’s only his nature when he’s scoring. On defense, he can often be as questionable as Lillard, seeming to be far more focused on jetting off to the other end of the floor in order to bury a few threes rather than smothering opponents trying to do the same. And while Redick may not be a great defender and doesn’t necessarily excel in one-on-one situations, he’s better than he’s given credit for, he plays hard, and he’s a solid team defender.
Luc Mbah a Moute has been another crucial addition the Clippers have made this season, adding some size, energy, and hustle to the starting unit. Meanwhile, Wesley Johnson and Austin Rivers have both taken a step forward on defense this year, solidifying the play at that end of the floor for the second unit a little further.
And as for the headline act in the Clippers’ defense next to Paul, it’s none other than reigning All-Defensive first team center DeAndre Jordan. Once again, his aerial help defense, 2.3 blocks per game (2nd in the NBA), solid post defense, and excellent rebounding (10.3 defensive boards per game) watches over the paint. Which, given the rest of the team’s rebounding weakness, the latter is especially important now.
His career-year, along with some new additions and the way the team has come together with more effort over the season, has the Clippers at joint 4th place in defensive efficiency and 2nd in opponent field goal percentage (43.4). After ranking only 15th and 11th, respectively, in those areas last season, the improvement has been undeniable.
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Meanwhile, the same can’t quite be said about the Blazers. The do well protecting the paint which shouldn’t be overlooked, but their perimeter defense — outside of players like Al-Farouq Aminu — isn’t as sound as the Clippers, causing them to sit at 10th in defensive efficiency. Although, given their losses last summer, that’s certainly still an impressive finish.
Finally, after holding the Blazers’ offense to 9.9 points per game below their average over four contests this season (105.1 to 95.2), it’s clear the Clippers can bother them. That shouldn’t change during the playoffs.
Next: More wing depth