The Clippers show up and punch the Spurs in the mouth
By Wes Goldberg
Apr 19, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) dunks the ball against San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Usually we’ll give the Spurs the benefit of the doubt, but we didn’t think we needed to. San Antonio was rolling on their way to the playoffs, save for a hiccup against the Pelicans in the regular season finale, and seemed poised for another deep playoff run.
A first-round series against the Clippers was a tough draw, but most seemed to believe the ball movement, experience and championship pedigree would send the Spurs through.
Well, the Clippers, homecourt and all, had the three best players on the floor Sunday night. That’s what it all came down to.
After three opening acts on playoff Sunday, the Clippers beat the Spurs 107-92 in the marquee matchup, taking Game 1 of the series.
DeAndre Jordan set the tone early, blocking two shots in the first 3:06, the first on Tim Duncan. Then, later, went SmackDown on this unsuspecting sphere.
Blake Griffin, barreling through and spinning around defenders, couldn’t be stopped.
Chris Paul was sensational with his dribble moves and ability to warp San Antonio’s defense in whatever fashion he wanted.
And this last Vine is really important.
Just as importantly, the Clippers showed they could survive 30 combined minutes from its bench, including nearly 13 minutes and this pathetic attempt at a dunk from Austin Rivers.
The NBA’s top offense looked like just that and, finally, the Spurs looked old. Duncan managed a modest double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, Tony Parker scored 10 points compared to CP3’s 32 and Kawhi Leonard struggled to deal with a consistent double team.
I’m not ready to say that the Clippers will win the series. We can expect the Spurs to bounce back or, at least, we do expect it. Benefit of the doubt, after all. But, in the playoffs, anything can happen when you have the best player on the court. In this case, the Clippers could have the best three.