With the NBA Playoffs right around the corner, LA Clippers’ coach Doc Rivers has announced he will start Paul Pierce over Blake Griffin.
Coach Doc Rivers addressed the media today and announced that in order to mix things up, he will be starting veteran Paul Pierce over Blake Griffin once the NBA Playoffs begin. This will be a big change for the LA Clippers as they look to finally move past the second round.
Doc informed the media that by switching Griffin and Pierce in the rotation, he thinks that the team will be better off when the bench unit gets on the court.
Doc stated:
"Austin, Raymond, Jamal, Blake and Mo is a lineup that can compete with any bench in the league. They may even be a playoff caliber starting five. Bringing Paul [Pierce] into the starting group will also give DJ some more room in the paint to work and we can use his savy on the court."
Pierce, who has only averaged 12 minutes per game this year, will have to be a threat now that he will be soaking up more minutes. He’s only averaging 3.2 points per game in his limited appearances.
He has not looked like the All-Star he once was since joining the LA Clippers. Currently, he has a box plus/minus of -4.8. His defense has not looked great, partly due to a lack of athleticism, which Pierce never really boasted in the first place.
When asked about this, Doc Rivers replied:
"Paul is a smart guy. He can guard someone like Kevin Durant just fine. He’ll figure it out, just like we figured it out when we won our championship in Boston. You guys remember that, right? I’m a championship coach. Brandon Bass was part of the Celtics as well. Maybe starting him over DeAndre wouldn’t be too bad either… He can make some free-throws."
Meanwhile, the move to the bench will give Blake Griffin more time to brainstorm on his projects over the summer. Blake is already signed on to produce a couple of movies, so the extra down time could really benefit his creative process.
And if it’s not completely obvious yet readers:
Happy April Fool’s Day!
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