Clipperholics
Fansided

March 1st Mailbag: Playoffs, Free Agency & More

By Ryan Snellings

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 25: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers dunks in front of Maximilian Kleber #42 and Salah Mejri #50 of the Dallas Mavericks during the first half at Staples Center on February 25, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 25: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers dunks in front of Maximilian Kleber #42 and Salah Mejri #50 of the Dallas Mavericks during the first half at Staples Center on February 25, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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DENVER , CO – FEBRUARY 27: Paul George (13) of the Oklahoma City Thunder watches as Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets shoots free throws late in the game during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ 121-112 win on Tuesday, February 26, 2019. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
DENVER , CO – FEBRUARY 27: Paul George (13) of the Oklahoma City Thunder watches as Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets shoots free throws late in the game during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ 121-112 win on Tuesday, February 26, 2019. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) /

Who would you rather play: OKC or Denver?

We discussed this briefly in our Clipperholics Slack the other night after the loss to Denver and came to an agreement.

The answer? Denver.

Neither one is a good matchup for the LA Clippers, but it really comes down to two things: Paul George and the center position. Unless Luc Mbah a Moute comes back and is in perfect basketball shape and has no rust, there is no one on this roster who can defend Paul George.

Just look at our starting lineup. We have been starting Shai, Bev and Shamet. That’s an undersized group who would get torched. PG has been having an MVP caliber season and will just be getting more minutes and opportunities come postseason.

The team’s other issue? Rebounding and defending the center position. There’s no doubt that Nikola Jokic is an amazing player and the Clips cannot stop him, but Steven Adams on OKC is no slouch either. His ability to rebound and control the paint would hurt LA. The Clippers have struggled with rebounding all season and Steven Adams ranks 6th in the league in Offensive Rebounding Percentage. It’s a recipe for a bad time.

The addition of Markieff Morris has made OKC even more dangerous and I just don’t see a way the Clips win a series against the Thunder. Also, this is all not even including Russell Westbrook who can go off at any given moment.

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