Post by Admin on Jun 18, 2021 23:38:05 GMT -5
Terrence Mann going nuts in LA for the Clippers as the Lowell MA product scored 20pts on layups and corner threes in Q3 and continues on fire in Q4 now with 39pts for the game helping the Clips rally from down 25 to up 6 with less than 4 mins remaining in the game ... LAC can clinch tonight 4-2 if they can hold onto the lead over the Jazz.
I haven't seen the Clips miss a three in 20 minutes ... Mann, Jackson, Beverly & George (73pts in 2nd half for Clips)
LAC up 10pts now under 2 mins to go ... Mitchell for Jazz has been seen limping and Gobert ineffective against the speedy, spacing Clippers as he was unable to get out to the perimeter in time to defend the three.
The Jazz have blown their last note in this playoffs and it's the blues for sure ... Congrats to the Clips getting it done w/o Leonard the last couple of games winning the last 4 consecutive games after being down 0-2 ... They advance to the WCF!
How did the Clippers overcome the absence of their best player, who had already authored a number of masterpieces in crucial games this postseason? They boast a considerably lower ceiling without Leonard; unless he returns, this team probably won’t win the first title in franchise history. Yet with a defined rotation and proven system in place, the Clippers still have enough ability to stretch Utah—both metaphorically, to the brink, and literally, across the entire expanse of the offensive end of the floor.
That strategy is simple enough, as a continuation of the small-ball trend that has dominated the past half-decade of the NBA playoffs. With Paul George, Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris, and Nicolas Batum, the Clippers still have four members of the small-ball lineup they used to such great effect against the Jazz in victories in games 3 and 4.
Replacing Leonard with a platoon of Terance Mann, Luke Kennard, and Patrick Beverley isn’t ideal, of course—but the system still stands, exerting the same pressures on Utah’s base defense as it did over the weekend. In Game 5, Rudy Gobert still found himself dragged out to the corners, where he can have little defensive impact while matched up against the likes of Batum, most often, or even smaller guards like Beverley and Mann.
That setup means plenty of open shots for the Clippers, as long as they’re patient enough to drive and kick a couple times to get Utah in rotation. Important, of course, is that those open shots are now mostly directed toward the Clippers’ less consistent role players, whose performance is critical; what was once a luxury is now a necessity, without Leonard’s 30-plus points per game to buoy the offense.
That strategy is simple enough, as a continuation of the small-ball trend that has dominated the past half-decade of the NBA playoffs. With Paul George, Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris, and Nicolas Batum, the Clippers still have four members of the small-ball lineup they used to such great effect against the Jazz in victories in games 3 and 4.
Replacing Leonard with a platoon of Terance Mann, Luke Kennard, and Patrick Beverley isn’t ideal, of course—but the system still stands, exerting the same pressures on Utah’s base defense as it did over the weekend. In Game 5, Rudy Gobert still found himself dragged out to the corners, where he can have little defensive impact while matched up against the likes of Batum, most often, or even smaller guards like Beverley and Mann.
That setup means plenty of open shots for the Clippers, as long as they’re patient enough to drive and kick a couple times to get Utah in rotation. Important, of course, is that those open shots are now mostly directed toward the Clippers’ less consistent role players, whose performance is critical; what was once a luxury is now a necessity, without Leonard’s 30-plus points per game to buoy the offense.
