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Chris Paul, Clippers need to focus to beat the Celtics

By Paul Tooke

Feb 5, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; LA Clippers forward Paul Pierce (34) shoots a three point basket over Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; LA Clippers forward Paul Pierce (34) shoots a three point basket over Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tonight the Boston Celtics visit the (finally) healthy Clippers in LA. We all know what Isaiah Thomas is capable of. It’s up to the Clips to prevent him from doing major damage during the game.

The last time that the Clippers faced the Celtics was February 5th in Boston. It was advertised as the last time that Paul Pierce would play in Boston, (unless, of course, the two teams meet in the NBA Finals). It was one of the most confusing and interesting games of the year.

The Celtics were beating the Clippers on both sides of the court all night while their fans were begging for one of our players to score. NBA employees and fans alike were more concerned about Paul Pierce being on the court than either team winning the game. The Clippers lost 107-102, and it was one of the few times in the NBA that you will hear a whole arena cheer for the opposing team.

Tonight, Paul Pierce will most likely not be in the starting lineup. The Clippers will be able to focus fully on what matters more than anything: beating the Celtics. Tonight’s keys to victory include the following:

Hold back Isaiah Thomas

This “little man” can score big on any given night. He has averaged more than 29 points and 6 assists this season, and even scored 52 points against the Heat back at the end of December. While the Clippers’ defense may not be able to stop him completely, slowing him down would certainly help secure the win. Having a healthy Chris Paul should help the team out tremendously.

Focus on defense and let the offense come naturally

The Clippers are finally healthy, and have plenty of offensive pieces on the team. Seeing the team struggle to score is a rare sight in LA. Our advice here is to focus on not over playing on defense and keeping the three-point plays from the Celtics to a minimum. Remember, defense leads to offense. If the Clippers can get out in transition, Boston’s bigs will run into issues keeping up with DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin.

Finish strong

The Clippers haven’t blown out a team (20 point or more victory) since January 16th in the 120-98 victory against the Thunder. A lot of the games since then have been a head to head battle until the end. That being said, this team needs to go into the fourth quarter as if it were the first, and play smart until the final buzzer. This is especially true with Isaiah Thomas being one of the hottest 4th quarter players in the league.

We look forward to watching these two top-tier teams battle, and especially to the Chris Paul/Isaiah Thomas duel tonight!

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