We pretty much told you on Saturday morning that the best Game 7 of the day was going to take place at the Staples Center between the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. While stopping short of announcing ourselves as geniuses because everyone already knew that, what a game it was between these two cross-state rivals.
Golden State opened up hot, taking a 12-point first half lead and leading by eight at the half. Up-and-coming forward Draymond Green had the game of his life, going for a career high 24 points while adding seven rebounds and three assists. Green is definitely a star to watch moving forward.
It was, however, the horrendous defensive play of David Lee that might have cost the Warriors this game and the series. He simply didn’t show the necessary inside technique to go up against the Clippers big men. While DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin are the toughest duo to cover inside in the NBA, Lee simply looked lost at times.
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Speaking of Jordan and Griffin, both made huge plays at the rim in the final two minutes of a close game, pretty much cementing the Clippers’ series win. Griffin put up 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting, while Jordan tallied 15 points and 18 boards.
Warriors’ fans want to point to Andrew Bogut being out in this series as one of the reasons they lost. That may very well be true, but the brass in Golden State knew very well what it was getting in Bogut when it traded for him a few years back. He’s a talented big man that simply cannot be counted on to play throughout the duration of a season due to numerous injury issues. It happened again, and the Clippers took advantage.
Unfortunately, Griffin, who is likely one of the most ridiculous big-men floppers in the NBA, played that actor role to a T. Throughout the duration of Game 7, Griffin flopped to the ground like he was a one ounce pound of flour going up against a Hummer. It’s actually pretty sad to see. Not to blame officiating or Griffin’s style of play for the result of this series, it surely played into the Clippers’ Game 7 win.
Chris Paul was his normally amazing self, going for 22 points and dishing out a ridiculous 14 assists. However, J.J. Redick was the real difference maker in this one. He shot 7-of-13 from the field, compiling 20 points and finishing with a game high +18 on-court scoring differential. Please tell me you saw that coming.
In any event, the Clippers were able to stave off a hungry Warriors team in Game 7 and will now travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Monday evening.
Kyle Terada, USA Today
For the Warriors, it’s a much different story. They weren’t just happy to get to the playoffs. No matter how well they played on Saturday night, this season ended in bitter disappointment. Questions will now be brought up about whether Mark Jackson will return as the Warriors head coach next season. That’s definitely something to keep an eye on in the coming week.
Stephen Curry finished with 33 points and nine assists. He also shot 16-of-16 from the free-throw line in the heartbreaking 126-121 loss.
In this one battle of California, the Clippers came out on top. They will advance to the next round, but you better believe this is just the beginning of a not-so-friendly rivarly between to these two young and talented teams.
Photo: Kelvin Kuo, USA Today