Paul Pierce a Clipper?

In the summer of 2014  the Clippers tried to lure Paul Pierce from the Nets to Lob City but ultimately ended up being unsuccessful in their attempts. Pierce ended up signing with the Wizards.

There are now rumours that Pierce will opt out of his Wizards contract and although theirs a chance of his retirement, indications are strong that he may sign with the Clips on a veterans minimum deal. This was reported by nba.com's David Aldridge and is very believable since we know Clippers coach Doc Rivers coached Pierce for nine seasons in Boston.

Clippers lack wing depth and would love to have Pierce's late game shot making, something they haven't had from the wings for a while. Although Matt Barnes performed admirably at SF this season he is not Paul Pierce. If the Clippers do finally do manage land Pierce he could  be the piece that pushes them over the top.

DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul named to NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE first team

The National Basketball Association announced today that Los Angeles Clippers’ Center DeAndre Jordan and point guard Chris Paul have been named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. It is Jordan’s first defensive team honour and Paul’s fourth consecutive year on the first team and the fifth overall time in his career. Jordan received 187 points (84 First Team votes, 19 Second Team votes), while Paul garnered a total of 170 points (67 First Team votes, 36 Second Team votes).

joining Jordan and Paul on the NBA All-Defensive First Team are forward Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs (242 points), forward Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors (229 points) and guard Tony Allen of the Memphis Grizzlies (207 points).

Jordan led the NBA in rebounds per game (15.0), defensive rebounds per game (10.1) and was fourth in blocks per game (2.23). His 1,226 rebounds in 2014-15 were the fourth-most rebounds by any player in the NBA in a single season since 1985-86 and is the most in Clippers franchise history.

Paul was second in the NBA in total steals (156) and fifth in steals per game (1.90). He has led the NBA in steals in six of the past eight seasons. According to data from Synergy Sports, Paul ranked first in the NBA this season in isolation situations, allowing only 0.565 points per play in such scenarios. Paul was previously named to the  NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2009 and was also named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2011 and 2008.

The NBA All-Defensive Second Team consists of New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (47 First Team votes), Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (44 First Team votes), Warriors center Andrew Bogut (33 First Team votes), Washington Wizards guard John Wall (7 First Team votes) and Spurs forward Tim Duncan (5 First Team votes).

2014-15 NBA All-Defensive First Team

Position Player / Team 1st (2 pts.) 2nd (1 pt.) Total Points Forward Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio 116 10 242 Forward Draymond Green, Golden State 107 15 229 Guard Tony Allen, Memphis 88 31 207 Center DeAndre Jordan, L.A. Clippers 84 19 187 Guard Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers 67 36 170

2014-15 NBA All-Defensive Second Team

Position Player / Team 1st (2 pts.) 2nd (1 pt.) Total Points Forward Anthony Davis, New Orleans 47 61 155 Guard Jimmy Butler, Chicago 44 44 132 Center Andrew Bogut, Golden State 33 36 102 Guard John Wall, Washington 7 53 67 Forward Tim Duncan, San Antonio 5 54 64

(NBA.COM)

Clippers come up short in Game 7 113-100 loss to Houston

Emotions were high for the Clipper team as the seconds ticked down on the shot clock and the end of the Clippers season drew closer and closer with each passing second. For a second in the closing stages the Clippers gave themselves a chance but a Trevor Ariza three in the final moments of the game shut the door on a comeback completely.

The Game ended and Houston celebrated as they had just completed one of the most stunning comebacks in playoff history, becoming the 9th team ever to comeback from a 3-1 deficit.

Some of the Clippers players described the defeat as a "bad dream" but luckily they'll have the whole summer to try and wake up from it. Even and hour after the buzzer sounded J.J. Redick was still in a state of shock with the result of this game and frankly, the result of the last 3 games.

“Sadness, disappointment,” Redick added. “You never want to equate sports with death, but it does feel like a wake or a funeral.”

Jamal Crawford felt a flurry of emotions as he struggled to piece  the events of the last few days together. From anger to complete sadness it was a "combination of everything" for the Clippers shooting guard that struggled at times this series.

As tough as it was to believe that the Clippers failed to close out a 3-1 series lead it did happen and it's likely that the whole "Clipper Curse" thing is likely to resurface.

“Game 6 we stopped playing, took our foot off the pedal,” said Blake Griffin. “We got tight. You could say self-inflicted, whatever you want to call it. It’s on us. We put ourselves in this situation and made it tough for ourselves. You can’t do that.”

“Give them credit,” Rivers said. “I thought this series changed in Game 5. I thought they were ready to go home if we supplied the pressure, and we didn’t. After that, I thought they looked at it like, ‘Hey, listen, even though we’re down 3-2, there’s only one home game each.’

It's likely Game 6 will haunt the Clippers for a long time considering they game up a 19 point lead and let Houston come back. Unlike Game 7, the Clippers controlled the momentum for 3 quarters of Game 5 yet took their foot of the pedal for the 4th which cost them, in Game 7 it was literally the other way around yet the Clips couldn't complete a comeback.

“The one thing I thought coming into this game, at least to our staff, was not getting behind too quickly,” Rivers said. “In the seventh game, you feel pressure, right? The one thing you don’t want to do is let the home team get a lead. If it’s two or three, it’s one thing, but once you get that double-digit lead, they’re at home, they’re comfortable.”

There were chances throughout where it appeared the Clippers could make a run to tie or go ahead. They brought a 15-point deficit in the second quarter down to six, but it ballooned back up to 10 by halftime. They got within three points in the third quarter, but that quickly turned back into an 11-point deficit.

“Every time we made a run, they hit a big shot,” said Chris Paul. “Tonight, James shot more free throws than we shot as a team. You can’t let him have the threes, the free throws and the lay-ups. A lot of credit goes to Houston. They beat us.”   

Now the Clippers look to the off-season in which their top priority is "resigning DeAndre Jordan" and fixing the broken Clippers bench that just couldn't compete with Houston's. Although It's likely he returns Doc still called his free agency as a concern as it should be until DJ puts pen to paper for the Clips.

Paul finished with 26 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. Griffin had 27 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. DeAndre Jordan added 16 points and 17 rebounds. The trio combined to shoot 29-of-53, but the rest of the Clippers combined to go 12-for-39.

As much as some players saw growth in the team, that silver lining was tougher to fathom for Paul, who once again came close but not as close as he’d like to getting to the Western Conference Finals and, potentially, a championship series.

“So close, I don’t even know what that means anymore,” Paul said. “I don’t know. Like Ricky Bobby says, ‘If you’re not first, you’re last.’ Getting close ain’t good enough.”

Can the Clippers recover after devastating Game 6 loss?

The staples centre was shell shocked as they witnessed one of the most stunning and unlikely playoff comebacks in playoff history. Many thought the game was wrapped, especially considering that the MVP runner-up was on the bench for the 4th period. Now things go back to Houston for a Game 7 and on a surface level it may  seem that Houston has the edge since it's on their home-court, however, the LA Clippers are the team who have been in this precarious position before. During Chris Paul's first playoff series in LA he had to win a Game 7 on the road against Memphis. The team also won a pair of Game 7 last year against Golden State and this year against the Spurs. They should be mentally equipped top handle this pressure.

Doc tried talking to his players after the loss in the locker room afterwards but he got the sense they were not listening, they were too devastated and still shell shocked but the 3pt bombs Josh Smith was firing, and hitting. The Clippers wanted to reach the conference finals so desperately that maybe they wanted it too much, so much so that their offense sunk into stagnation as they milked the clock to try and bring themselves closer to victory. "They wanted it so much they couldn't think straight" said Doc. The Clippers have to regroup in Houston as they once did in Memphis and pull out a victory. If not this will go down as another woeful page in Clippers history and a failure to capitalize but if they win this will go on to be recognized as one of the teams' greatest achievements.

Can they do it? Of course they can.

Clips lose Game 6 in disastrous 119-107 collapse

When the Clippers found themselves up by 19 points near the end of the third quarter it seemed that a trip to the conference finals for the Clips would be imminent. History would be made. However, Josh Smith and Corey Brewer seemed to have other plans as they lead to the Rockets on a huge run in the 4th quarter which ultimately lead the Clippers being outscored 40-15 in the 4th quarter. The basket seemed to have closed for the Clippers.

“What could've went wrong, went wrong,” said head coach Doc Rivers. “We missed wide open threes, layups, dunks. With each miss, I thought the pressure mounted.”

The 4th Quarter seemed bizarre for the team and the fans since the Clippers finished the reg season with the leagues best offense yet they just couldn't put the ball in the basket no matter how many good looks they got, at one point Deandre seemed to miss a point blank dunk. This was crazy considering he lead the league in dunks and FG% which indicates he's the best finisher around the rim in the league or one of the best at the very least.

Credit to Josh Smith and Dwight Howard for providing some good defense in the 4th Quarter but it mostly seemed like the Clips had shut themselves down more than anything. They were unable to get stops which tried to milk the clock at times which led to a lack of ball movement and stagnant offensive attack.

After a Chris Paul layup with 6:47 remaining, the Clippers didn't score again until Paul hit two free throws with a minute left in the game. Meanwhile, the Rockets stayed hot, outscoring the Clippers by 17 points during that stretch.

“We were trying to run the clock down, and we just stopped playing,” Rivers said. “They kept playing, and then once it got to eight, you could just feel it.”

Usually when Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, the teams two super stars have big games the Clips end up winning but both were cold in the 4th and role players didn't step up either.

“You could tell we kind of got stunned,” said Blake Griffin, who finished with 28 points and eight rebounds but went scoreless in the fourth quarter. “We didn't respond well.”

“Once we get up, we talk about it all year, putting the pedal down and really keep going, not just playing to not lose but play to win and do the things that got us there,” Griffin said. “We didn't do that today.”

Josh Smith and Brewer combined to go 9-of-13 from the field and 5-of-7 from deep in the fourth quarter. Smith, who hadn't made more than one 3-pointer in a game during the series, went 4-of-7 from deep in the game.

The team now finds themselves in a very uncomfortable situation after the loss as they head back to Houston for a Game 7 that will decide the Clippers fate. There is no doubt the Clippers need this win since the last few season the Clips have failed to live up to their championship aspiration but going to the conference finals gives them a legitimate chance to live to their potential. Luckily, they have a couple days off to prepare, something they haven't had for a while and  hopefully the Clips bounce back strong in a game that figures to be the ultimate test of mental toughness.

"This ones for the marbles" said Jamal Crawford. "we'll be ready"

Clippers bench proving critics wrong

There is no question that the Clippers have an excellent starting 5, an offensive juggernaut that so many teams have a difficult time to stop, including the former defending champions the SA Spurs as seen in the first round of this years playoffs. However, for much of the season the Clippers' critics have called out the bench unit as being the weak point on the team. The 'Achilles heal' that holds them back from true title contention, that makes them pretenders instead of contenders.

However, the Clips have firmly cemented themselves as top championship favourites in this years playoffs and a big reason why is due to the stellar play of the bench.

Jamal Crawford, the two time 6th man of the year heard the noise the critics were making and himself, like the rest of the bench had to  tune it our to focus.

“It’s been great, it really has,” Crawford said. “The bench has taken a lot of criticism all year from everybody – in town, out of town, whatever. We’re coming together at the right time, and I think it maybe caught some people off guard.”

The Clippers bench has outscored the Houston bench in 3 of the 4 games in the current series with Jamal Crawford being his usual super-sub self and Austin Rivers having an game 4 explosion to go along with his consistent playoff performances he's had all throughout the postseason. Guys like Spencer Hawes and Lester Hudson have also given the Clips valuable minutes off the bench.

It’s been a breakout series for Rivers, who’s averaging 16 points per game while shooting 55.8 percent from the floor and 55.6 percent from 3-point range, taking some of the scoring burden off Crawford for the second unit. All of those numbers are up for Rivers, who averaged seven points per game on 40.9 percent shooting from the floor and 29.8 percent shooting from 3-point range during the season.

“Our bench has been great, especially during this series,” said J.J. Redick. “Going back to Game 1, Austin filled in well when Chris was sidelined. Austin was great (Friday) and continued to play well (Sunday). Jamal was great. Big Baby (Glen Davis) provides us with a lot of energy. Our bench has been so good for us.”

It's a known fact Spencer Hawes struggled with the Clips all season after a fantastic one in Philadelphia but he accepted his reduced minutes in the playoffs and stayed ready for when his number was called, in Game 4 against Houston Spencer had his best quarter as a Clipper and has generally been good throughout the series. Consequently, his minutes are starting to increase. 

“If we have a guy go down and we want to make a run, especially in the playoffs, we usually have guys step up and perform,” Hawes said. “In this case, we wanted everybody to step up because we knew Chris Paul was a little banged up. We just wanted to take some pressure off Chris the past few games.”

“Austin has been huge, but not just Austin,” said Blake Griffin. “Obviously always Jamal – Jamal always brings a punch for us, Spencer has played great minutes, Big Baby has played huge minutes in this series and the Spurs series. I know he’s a little banged up, but when he’s out there he changes the game with his energy and his presence.

“It’s great to see guys kind of getting outside of themselves and just saying, ‘I’m going to do whatever it takes.’ It’s really shown. Even games like, even if the bench doesn't come in and outscore a team 2-1, it’s their presence and their spirit on defence.” 

Glen Davis has provided the Clips with his standout energy and effort all season. Although his scoring touch comes and goes he always goes a little bit further, always makes the extra effort plays and he's shown his value to the Clips throughout the postseason.

Due to the benches improvement the huge load has been taken off Jamal and this can be seen with his improving efficiency as he doesn't have to be as much of a gunner and volume scorer although he still strikes fear into defenders with his deadly crossover.

“For pretty much the whole year, we’ve been criticized for having one of the worst benches,” Crawford said. “But this is the most important part of the year and everybody has been stepping up.”

Clip's now up 3-1 against Houston with decisive 128-95 win

The Clippers attempted 44 first-half free throws Sunday night as the Rockets intentionally fouled DeAndre Jordan from the start. The hack-a-DJ strategy still resulted in 60 points by halftime for the Clippers, who would go on to outscore the Rockets by 27 points in the second half and take a 3-1 lead in the series with a 128-95 Game 4 win.

“I thought all of us got kind of freaked out by it early, and after that we were fine,” said head coach Doc Rivers, whose message at halftime had nothing to do with the foul situation.

The NBA Playoffs record was smashed with Jordan's 28 FT's in the game. Overall the Clips went 37 of 63.

But while most people focused on how slow the game became with free throw after free throw, Chris Paul said Rivers’ focus was on defence and the fact that the Clippers only led by six points despite filling up the stat sheet in the first half.

“It’s part of the game,” Paul said. “People talking about should they ban it, no, it’s part of the game. You’re just thinking about, ‘We’ve got to defend.’ That’s one of the biggest things.”

Clippers had created much offence from their stifling defence in the second half, they allowed only 41 Houston points after the half.

“It’s a good win,” said Blake Griffin. “In the first half, we didn’t play that well. We were sloppy on defence. We scored 60 points and were only up by six at halftime. The best part of today is how we responded after the half.”

During the Clips' huge run in the second half came 3 monster dunks from Deandre Jordan which sent Houston reeling and pretty much sealed the deal, it was an impressive blowout win for the Clips have most definity cemented their title contender status and then some. For the Clips to keep their composure through all the hacking was something that Doc and Blake were really impressed by.

“For us to kind of maintain our composure, he hit shots, he hit free throws, we got stops, we just grinded it out,” Griffin said.

Griffin finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers combined for 25 points off the bench. Paul had 15 points and 12 assists in just 25 minutes, with the slow pace helping the starting point guard ease back into action off his strained hamstring.

“I’m sure they’re not fouling to make sure my hamstring feels good,” Paul joked. “If so, I appreciate it, I guess. I’m feeling better. I think that’s all that matters. We’ve just got to stay hungry for the game on Tuesday.”

Los Angeles Clippers' Glen Davis fined for flop

LA Clippers forward brings a lot of good things to the court when he comes off the bench every night for the Clips, however, one thing he is also known for bringing is flopping.

The forward was fined $5,000 for a flopping violation in Game 2 against the Houston Rockets in Friday nights 124-99 against HOU.

The play happened late in the 1st Quarter when Davis purposefully dove to the floor after a minor shove by Dwight Howard's arm. Clipper fans are buy know used to his antics and enjoy the energy he brings but it's reasonable to expect much for flopping from "Big Baby" in the future.

Davis has got to be carefully however since a 3rd flop results in a $10,000 fine and 4th in a $15,000 and so on.
Davis earned his initial flop warning in a March game against the Golden State Warriors.

Despite CP3's return, Austin Rivers dominates at the point in Game 3 win 124-99

The Clips were extremely happen to have CP back on the floor for Game 3 against the Houston Rockets but man commonly referred to as 'The Point God' wasn't the best point guard on the floor that night, mainly due to the explosion of Austin Rivers.

Rivers scored 25 points, contributing to a 23-0 run the second half when the Clippers bench dominated a seemingly lost Rockets team. Austin set the Staples Centre on fire with multiple drives to the rack, step back 3s and And-1 layups. Austin was so good that he got the whole staples centre crowd roaring 'AUSTIN RIVERS' after every spectacular play he made. It was the est game of Doc Rivers' sons career but Doc kept things professional.

"If Lester or Matt did the same thing I would've been proud" Doc said of Austin's performance.

"He played very well, he got it going" said Rockets head coach Kevin McHale.

Chris Paul who was slow at times in the game since it was his first back from a hamstring injury was solid chipping in 12 points and 7  assists. He got better and more comfortable as the game progressed and hopefully he'll soon be back at full strength for the Clips.

Although Griffin had struggled with turnovers throughout the contest he did contribute a very solid 22 points and 14 boards in a game where Houston made an extra effort to try and slow him and grind him down. J.J. Redick also exploded with his best ever playoff game with an ultra-efficient 31 points as he was laser accurate from 3.

What was one of the most pleasing things the Clippers can take away from the contest was the fact they played a solid game on Harden, specifically Redick and Rivers.

Harden, who didn't attempt a free throw in the first half, took his first two shots from the charity stripe at the 10:38 mark of the third. He sunk both to whittle the deficit to 64-59.

Five points was as close as the Rockets got in the second half.

With The Clipper bench being dominant in this contest if they can continue this type of play for the rest of the playoffs the Clippers really have a strong chance to go very, very deep this year because when the bench plays like this - they can go toe to toe with anybody in this league.

Game Notes

The Clippers shot 55.4 percent (46-of-83) from the field and nailed 13-of-29 from beyond the arc, while Houston shot 39.8 percent (35-of-88) from the floor and made 11-of-33 from long distance ... Paul started all 82 games during the regular season for the first time in his 10-year NBA career ... The Clippers scored 23 points off 15 Houston turnovers.

No longer can people question Blake Griffin's greatness

"All he does is dunk"

"He chokes in the play-offs"

Yes, people have come up with many ways to citizenship Blake Griffin throughout his career, much of it being overblown. However, there was no telling that even though Blake was an all-star calibre playing coming into the league, he wasn't an all-around one, there was still room for improvement.

Now, with Blake being a very much different player then he was coming into the league 5 years ago there is literally know way the old criticisms of Blake can still count as valid. And this has never been more evident throughout the playoffs, especially in the 2nd round series against the Houston Rockets.

Blake has been unstoppable against Houston. While playing like a point guard in a 250 pound ultra-athletic power forward body he's put up draw dropping statlines of 26 pts, 14 rbs, 13 ast in Game 1 and a monster 34 points and 15 rebounds in Game 2. He's been using a mixture of his gravity-defying athleticism, smooth jumper and vast array of post moves to get the job done and Houston's had no answer. They've given up on stopping Griffin, instead they're scrambling to contain him.

"With Paul out the Clippers offence is to get Blake the ball at the top of the key, that's pretty much it. And it's unguardable" wrote USA today's Nate Scott.

The numbers Blake it putting up in the postseason have not been replicated in the playoff's by anyone but Oscar Robertson in 1963.

"He gets in the middle of the field and picks people apart" said the Clips' tough SF Matt Barnes.

Blake has played so many minutes this postseason, eclipsing 40 min in 8 of 9 played games. This makes it all the more interesting to wonder where the Clips would be without him. Regardless of the greatness of Chris Paul who hit some of the biggest shots of his career in the 1st round against the Spurs Blake has been a teeny bit under the radar with his great play since it was slightly overshadowed by Paul. With Paul out with his hamstring industry all the lights were on Blake and when he lead a Clippers team without it's best player (although Griffin is making a strong case for the title) to a Game 1 victory and at least a split on the road his greatness and value couldn't be denied. The way he's tearing up opponents is similar to the way he ruined opponents on a nightly basis when Chris Paul was injured with a separated shoulder during the 2013-14 for a couple months.

Griffin is thriving in his huge offensive role but best of all he's showing the leadership he was once criticized for not having early.

"My main message throughout the game was just stay together" said Blake. "There was no reason for us to crumble"

Obviously, The Clips need Paul back. Urgently. No way are they better without him. But, if Blake can keep up this unstoppable play when CP returns (maybe 100%, maybe not) then the Clips will go very far this postseason. Maybe further than the franchise has ever gone before.

Despite criticism, Austin Rivers has faith in himself

With Chris Paul on the bench for Game 1 against the Houston Rockets many Clipper fans were left worried about if they would be able to the fill the huge void that his absence left in the team. Austin Rivers, son of Clippers head coach Doc Rivers wasn't worried at all, in fact, he was excited. What he sensed was an opportunity to perform on one of sport's biggest stages and to leave his mark on a very significant game in franchise history.

Austin wasn't happy about Paul's injury, he just wanted to win, he believed he could help this Clipper team win and that's what's great about Austin Rivers. He always has faith himself. Since coming to the league Austin has faced criticism left and right, ever since his pretty dreadful rookie year, the hate was amplified by the fact he was the son of one of NBA's best coaches. However, this never brought him down as Austin always knew he he could do, what talent he had, and he does indeed have talent, most notably his crazy speed.

"He's a confident person" said teammate J.J. Redick. "He's always been that way". "As a player to get to this level, you have to have something, whether it’s enormous physical talent, size or length or athleticism. Or, you have to be, you know, I don’t know how to put this without using a profanity but you have to be a (expletive), you know. You've got to have an edge. And he has that."

"I’m not Chris Paul. I’m not ever going to be Chris Paul,” Austin said after Monday’s win. "I'm Austin Rivers. I can only be myself."

"I talked to him at shootaround yesterday about our 2009 run (with Orlando),” Redick said. “When Courtney Lee broke his face, I was kind of in and out of the rotation, but I got to start eight playoff games."

"I always tell people that was the turning point in my career, playing in those seven games against Boston and a closeout game in our previous series at Philadelphia. That was the springboard for my career going into my fourth year. And my fourth year on, I’ve been a different player. I think last night can potentially springboard Austin to even bigger and better things."

Will Chris Paul be ready for Game 2?

After a Game 1 win that surprised many, maybe even a few Clipper fans the Clips have continued to play stellar post season basketball on the road, the toughest environment to play.

LA stole home court advantage from Houston in the 1st game which gives Doc some leeway on whether he will play or sit CP3 for Game 2 since they will leave Houston with at least a split.

Dan Woike @DanWoikeSports · 3h3 hours ago

Doc said his gut says CP is 50-50 to play in Game 2.

The Clips have continued to show the mental toughness they displayed in San Antonio in Houston so the Clips will have a good chance of surviving game 2 without CP3, however, it's no secret the Clips need him on the court as soon as possible.

So should Doc keep CP out for Game 2? It will certainly reduce the risk of him re-aggravating the hamstring he injured as he gets more time to heal if he sits. Doc may also want to push the Rockets, to see if their able to stop the Clips' offence running through Blake Griffin successfully. Either way, Doc Rivers has proven over his career that he's a good enough coach to make the right choice and I'm sure he will.

No CP3, No Problem. Blake Griffin leads Clips in 117-101 win over Houston

Many people thought the Clips would have no chance taking a game one from the well rested Houston Rockets without CP3 in the line up due to his hamstring industry but the Clips proved otherwise.

The team en route to victory was lead by a monster Blake Griffin who amassed his 3rd triple double of the post-season with a 26 point, 14 board and 13 assist game. He stepped up as the offensive hub for the Clips and embraced his point-forward role even more with CP3, the teams primary offensive orchestrator injured.

Other players also stepped up in what was a huge team effort, J.J. Redick and Matt Barnes collected 37 points between themselves while DeAndre Jordan came through with a solid double-double (10 points and 13 rebounds).

One of LA's common criticisms this season is there lack of depth but in this game the whole roster seemed to step up adequately. James Hardens well documented struggles against the Clips continued with a disjointed performance of 20 points (6-13) but 9 turnovers. D12 was solid with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Barnes and Redick struggled in the 1st half struggled in the 1st half and Doc was forced to keep things close with the Hack-a-Howard strategy.

James Harden and Doc Rivers going back and forth. Harden giving him grief for intentionally fouling.

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 5, 2015

This led to the Rockets' Head Coach Kevin McHale responding with the Hack-a-DJ strategy to the joy of the Houston fans, either way nothing was enough to stop the Clips taking over later in the game. However, there were times in the game when CP3's absence was felt since the Clippers sometimes looked lost on possessions and miscommunications summed frequent but luckily Houston's frequent turnovers allowed the Clippers to capitalize.

#Rockets SO casual with the ball. Why?? Why??? WHY?!?!?!

— Robert Flores (@RoFloESPN) May 5, 2015

The Clips proceeded after the halftime to outscore the Rockets 27-37 to grab the lead. The Clippers dominance continued into the 4th quarter as Redick and Barnes started to nail shot after shot on route to a 16 point Clippers win.

It's unlikely harden will  struggle as much offensively in future games and the Rockets are likely to step up the game mentally after such a weak showing but the Clips can be proud of what they did without their star point guard. Whether Doc chooses to rest Chris for game 2 after an encouraging game remains to be seen but either way the Clips are ready to go where no Clipper has set foot before. The Western Conference Finals.