53 replies to this topic

[TheCalmInsanity]

First and foremost I would just like to say good game, I was there last night with LD2k and it was alot of fun. I'm very pleased with how the Clippers did against the best team in the NBA and again much respect to the Lakers.

Just wanted to give a little shout out to KWAME IN MY CLOSET and would like to ask him if he enjoyed Camby's defense- 4 blocks in 16 minutes- and hope he has seen the impact of the Clippers REAL starting 5

On another note, I've been writing these optimistic post game blogs/experiences I had at Staples Center after all the games, and posting them on Clippers Topbuzz (the biggest Clippers forum). The admin PMed me recently and told me that he really liked them and wants me to post my articles on the front page (which I'm very grateful for!)

Here's my optimistic article from last night on TopBuzz, and again, great game guys. If it were against any other team last night Clippers would have most probably obliterated them. But they ran into the Lakers again... Then again this was their first ever LEGIT game with their real starting 5 so what can you expect.

Time to take a good look at the Clip Ship. Who's still on board?

All I can say is, LAND HO!

To all those that jumped ship, drowning is the only option. No room for traitors and bandwagoners here, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Why, do you ask? Until now, all my write-ups have been from blind faith. It's all been "Hopefully, if this happens, hopefully if that happens".

Well I was at the game tonight, and I must say, most Laker fans were absolutely shocked at what they saw. A close game, till the very last few minutes? From the team that they just blew out by 38?

Especially during halftime of this game. I was walking around the halls of Staples center, smiling, with an instant replay of an amazing up and under left handed layup by Al Thornton, right in the face of Bynum replaying over and over in my brain. Laker fans are all quiet. Most of them are just shocked. What is happening?

First quarter. Camby gets his second foul of the game. At this point I'm thinking "It's going to be a long quarter." Surprisingly enough, the Clippers fight through it.

Baron did not look even close to 100%, as one of my Laker fan friends pointed out he was slightly limping. He wasn't running fast breaks as he usually does, he was jogging very slowly. One of the plays, Ricky Davis and Cat Mobley were sprinting ahead while Baron was jogging it up.. He threw it ahead to them with a kind of "Go on without me" mentality. You can tell something is bothering him, he's not as explosive. My Laker fan said it best- Usually Baron is out there, jumping around, doing energetic crossovers and sprinting fast breaks. None of that Monday and today, of course because of his injury.

Why am I optimistic?

Lakers are the best team in the league right now- keep this in mind as you read.

We fought HARD even when:
Camby had 3 fouls in the first 6 minutes he played.
Camby, Kaman, and Baron Davis were in foul trouble the whole game, all 3 had 5 fouls in the final quarter.
Baron Davis is still injured. He's not himself yet.
This is the first LEGIT game this Clipper starting 5 has EVER played (including preseason)
No real break down like the other games- Until the last 5 minutes when we couldn't get a single foul.
I'm sorry to blame the game on this, but the reffing was absolutely horrid.

All this and I'm sitting amidst an absolutely shocked, quiet Laker crowd? How is this happening?

The Clippers, my friends, are starting to shape up.

Friday vs the Houston Rockets - expect a better game. Clippers still have yet to learn how to play team defense without committing as many fouls as they did tonight. Every game will be improvement, but tonight's game was actually very winnable, and I really believe Clippers should have won. I was VERY VERY frustrated that at the end of the game, when the refs screwed the Clippers over, the final score made it look like Clippers never kept it close, and just got blown out. If someone looks at the final score, they will never understand what really went on during this game.

But have no fear-

Our best is yet to come. Thanks for reading as usual guys.

[nameant]

I wouldn't be too encouraged. We played well for maybe 5 minutes in the entire game yet blew the Clippers out.

[TheCalmInsanity]

Wouldn't be too encouraged? Being up against the Lakers for the first 43 minutes isn't an encouragement?

And Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, AND Marcus Camby having 5 fouls EACH and still being up by 1 isn't an encouragement? Come on man, that was a bit of Lakers bias right there.

Not to mention this was the first time EVER that this "real" Clippers starting lineup has played together on the court. Baron Davis only played 1 game of preseason and Marcus Camby played NONE

EDIT: And I don't view Farmar attacking a dead horse as a "blow out"... The game was over when it was a 10 point game with about 2 minutes left.

Farmar driving it in on the clippers after getting a steal, with what was it 13 seconds left? was kinda disrespectful even the Lakers announcers said he should have held it and dribbled it out.

Edited by TheCalmInsanity, November 06, 2008 - 08:34 AM.

[nameant]

My point is that we played absolutely terrible for 45 minutes of the game yet still won big. That game was painful to watch, and then all of a sudden it's like our guys said enough is enough. It took one spurt to put away the Clippers. The thing is, that spurt is how we play. Every1 involved, a lot of energy both offensively and defensively. I dunno if it was the lay off or what but we were sleep walking for most of that game. I'm not trying to hate, I just think the game was more of a fluke on our part. I expect the Clippers to battle for the 8th seed, but I don't think them being close with us for 3.5 quarters is a good measure of how good they are.

[TheCalmInsanity]

I'm sorry, if you're saying the Clippers didn't improve, after being blown out by 38, to keep it competitive until the 4th, I'm going to be straight forward with you... That's a LOT of Laker bias right there. Keep in mind even the biggest of flukes can't make a team that good and that bad close until the 4th.

The Lakers had so many calls go for them this game, and if you're saying 45 free throw attempts compared to 15 for the Clippers is not a big difference, that would make you just as blind as the Celtics fans who thought they didn't have an edge last year in the finals from officiating.

What's amazing is that the Lakers couldn't run away with a lead when 3 of the Clippers' best players are in foul trouble, now THAT was a fluke. But it was also a fluke in itself that the Clippers' players were in foul trouble, and I'm sure as they start learning more about each other's defense they won't need to foul as much.

But come on man, you can't only watch the last 5 minutes, and like I said. To me the game was over after Derek Fisher's 3 pointer to put the Lakers up by 10. Anything after that was adding insult to injury, so this by any means wasn't a "blowout". If you were going to tell me Baron Camby and Kaman are gona be in foul trouble, and the Lakers are gona get 45 free throw attempts and Clippers would get only 15, I would be afraid to even watch the game.

EDIT: You can say the Lakers played terrible, but were 3 of your starters in foul trouble? Imagine if they were... Stuff like that happens. Camby picked up his 2nd after 2 minutes of the game, and couldn't play the rest of the quarter. 2nd quarter he comes in, FIRST MINUTE Kobe already gets Camby another foul, and Camby has to sit out with his 3rd foul in 6 minutes. Not to mention Kaman was in foul trouble already at that time, and Baron's time for foul trouble was soon as well. Now that, isn't playing terrible, but it's playing brainlessly. For the Clippers to get that many fouls on key players, they needed to be more careful. So you can argue that Lakers played terrible but look at what the Clippers could have done too. Look at it from both sides.

Edited by TheCalmInsanity, November 06, 2008 - 10:18 AM.

[West Coast]

Clipper fans could go ahead and see the positives but the fact is the Lakers did not play well at all.

I like that your optimistic though. I've been the same way for the last few years when the Lakers were not contenders. Hopefully your fellow Clipper fans will be as optimistic and continue supporting the team. Good luck the rest of the season. And see you a couple more times.

[TheCalmInsanity]

Thanks westcoast I'm glad you see it that way, I write these articles to make sure the rest of the Clipper fans are on the same boat with me.

And as I said in my last post, I know the Lakers played terrible because I've watched every single Laker game so far. BUT you can't say Clippers didn't play terrible. You guys are acting like Clippers played the best they can possibly play and still lost... No. Not yet at least- I'm not even saying chemistry and injury wise. Let's forget the fact that Baron is still injured and that this is Camby's second game EVER with the Clippers.

The fact that they got so many fouls in the first half and endangered the rest of the game, was entirely the Clippers' mistake and entirely credited to the Lakers' offense. So you can't say that Lakers played horrible and Clippers played the best game of their lives. Me as a Clipper fan, I only saw the tip of the glacier tonight because the rest of it was under ice cold water (aka the Clipper bench with 5 fouls )

Of course the game would have been totally different, and for all we know maybe Lakers would have won by even more if the Clippers' stars weren't in foul trouble. But who knows? Until we see it next time, we won't know for sure. All I know is you guys haven't seen the full power of the true Clippers yet. Last night was just a preview... And hopefully next time, Lakers will also play better as they usually do, and Clippers will have a normal game without stupid fouls and mistakes, and it will be a competitive game once again.

And let's not forget to credit the Clippers defense for giving the Lakers a bit of a struggle too.

Edited by TheCalmInsanity, November 06, 2008 - 10:24 AM.

[West Coast]

I thought the foul trouble could have have played a role. Camby had gotten a phantom foul early in the game that messed up his rhythm.

And like it has been said, it will be a struggle for the Clippers to begin the season. They may not even hit their stride until the All Star break, but they will be a very good team.

You're best player may not even be Baron Davis. I honestly believe its going to be Al Thorton. Kid can flat out ball.

But no, the Clippers did not have a very good game. They shot 38-39 percent like the Lakers did. And honestly, the Lakers and Clippers both did not have very strong defensive games. I thought the Lakers turned on the defensive pressure in the fourth which allowed them to pull away with the win.

[fido]

Hey I'm all for optimism, but you have to also face the fact that the Clippers simply don't look good right now.

They don't look comfortable playing with each other whatsoever. Camby is clearly not well, Kaman looks absolutely confused and Baron is doing anything but pulling them together. How many no pass 3's did baron throw up last night?

I'll say it again, by the time the Clippers figure this out (which is still doubtful) it will be too late to make the playoffs. This is the West, you CANNOT go 0-5, or lose 5 in a row like this and expect to be a playoff force in this conference. It just won't happen.

Yes, they looked better than they did the last game, but better and losing by (basically) 20 as opposed to losing by 38 last time, isn't some giant stride forward. Its still a big loss.

Once the Lakers got their feet under them, the Clippers went right back to the last game. If the game had been 5 minutes longer it would've been another 40 point blowout. The Clippers stayed close because the Lakers were rickety, not because the Clippers played better.

Thornton, as good as he is, was out of control last night. There was no team play from anyone on the court. They were all looking for their own shot, then sauntering back to defense without any kind of intensity there. I have a real hard time saying ti was the Clipper defense giving the Lakers a rough time more than it was the simple fact of the Lakers playing terribly after too many days off.

The Clippers body language alone last night told you volumes on where they are right now - unsure, uncomfortable and doubtful. Sure everyone can say all they need are more games, but how many is enough? If they wind up going 1-15 until hey finally get things together somewhat, it will be far too late to do anything. You may have seen the tip of the iceberg last night, but icebergs move slow - too slow to keep up with the ridiculously torrid pace of this incredibly tough conference.

The Clippers have a lot of alright to decent pieces, but none that work together.

I absolutely support looking at the positives, but you can't look at those without picking out the myriad of things that need working on (if not complete tweaking) too.

[TheCalmInsanity]

Yes Fido, but you're seeing it only from the Laker perspective. Lakers played bad- I know- but played bad against the Clippers' reserves, with their 3 best players on their bench.

The Lakers were lucky they didn't play like that against the starters, because I'm telling you if the Clippers starters were in the game when the Lakers played like that and they played anywhere near their decent game they would have taken control and had a comfortable lead over a great Laker team.

I know you are very confident of your Lakers but this game alone proved to me that Clippers have enough time under their belt right now to hold their own. To become a playoff team and a force in the West, I say give it a week or two. Remember this was the first game they've EVER played with each other, even including preseason.

And no, it wouldn't have been a 40 point blowout, because the only reason Clippers lost by that much is because of the desperacy- Throwing up desperation 3 pointers just to try to get back in the game. As I've said many times the game was over when Lakers were up by 10 and the only reason Lakers won by more than that was just adding insult to injury. I'm not a fan of blaming it on the refs but come on man. The game was going great until that possession where Thornton drove it in 3 times and tried to get a foul, and couldn't do it on any play. The refs were miserable- and made me question whether Clippers should even TRY to take it inside after that.

All I'm saying is Fido I think you like the Lakers alot, which is a good thing, but you're not looking at the Clippers from a fan's perspective, you're looking at them from a Lakers perspective. And you're saying that they should meet the Lakers' standards to be anything close to successful. This isn't true- not only is 0-5 nothing to worry about because there's 77 games left- but the West just isn't going to be as formidable as last year simply because the East got so much stronger. Last year was a fluke, and everyone including myself has to stop living in it. Remember Mavs, one of the best records EVER in the NBA, went 0-4. I remember because Clippers game them that 4th loss.. And everyone at school was saying "big deal.. Mavs suck anyways. They're not even gona make playoffs." They turn around and get one of the best records in history. Not saying that's gona happen to the Clippers but come on, it's the first 5 games. This isn't a 20 game season, there's nothing to worry about. They'll get back on track.

Btw good arguments though Fido- I like talking basketball with you but you like giving me a hard time JUST LOOK AT YOUR SIGNATURE for God's sake that should help my argument!!! x)

And westcoast I agree 100% with your last post. Nicely said.

Edited by TheCalmInsanity, November 06, 2008 - 12:51 PM.

[GinzyVee]

I don't see anything wrong with stealing a ball with 13 seconds and driving in....it means the Lakers play til the end and why is it disrespectful? Just because the player wasn't paying attention and got the ball taken away? No, it shows that the Lakers are ready to play this season long and hard til the end and clean up their mess that they made at last year's finals.

And sorry bro but I don't think a 38 point loss is an improvement....it's still kind of a humiliation when you lose by that much.....but I am not making fun of them because Boston beat L.A. by like 33 in the finals....but it's good that you came out and said it because it proves your still loyal.

Edited by Airman, November 06, 2008 - 01:17 PM.

[TheCalmInsanity]

They didn't lose by 38 this game lol. And come on man, anyone knows scoring (or trying to score) at the buzzer when you have a double digit lead is disrespectful. And I'm sorry but if you guys truly don't believe Clippers played a good game tonight, I'm going to stop posting on this thread, and let the games do the talking.

I don't have to be posting on a Laker forum about my opinion of Clipper improvement if I didn't really see anything. I just thought you guys were watching BOTH teams last night instead of just the Lakers.

[GinzyVee]

No, dude keep posting here and I respect you and the Clippers I'm just generating my opinion....a forum needs this kind of stuff lol and my bad I meant to say 18 lol....

[TheCalmInsanity]

No man no worries.. Sorry I'm just a bit frustrated because of my expectations I guess. I respect your opinion 100% even if I don't agree with it. I'm 18 too btw.. Going to be 19 in December

I didn't say I was going to stop posting, I said if nobody saw a good game from them last night I might as well should because I just couldn't see that happening (people watching last night's game and not seeing a good game)

[GinzyVee]

No lol I meant was the number they lost bye haha I am 16 going to be 17 in December

[West Coast]

They didn't lose by 38 this game lol. And come on man, anyone knows scoring (or trying to score) at the buzzer when you have a double digit lead is disrespectful. And I'm sorry but if you guys truly don't believe Clippers played a good game tonight, I'm going to stop posting on this thread, and let the games do the talking.

I don't have to be posting on a Laker forum about my opinion of Clipper improvement if I didn't really see anything. I just thought you guys were watching BOTH teams last night instead of just the Lakers.

Im gonna go with CalmInsanity on this one. There was no reason for Farmar to drive and score. Run the clock out and go home. Even the announcers commented about Farmar driving on the steal.

If the roles were reversed, most of the people here would be throwing a hissy fit about the play.

[lakerball4life]

I wouldnt take too much solice from the fact you only 'hung in' with us when we were playing horrible, and then when we picked it up, went on a 22-0 run. You cant blame a 22-0 run on the refs, the refs dont stop you making your shots. Ability and composure stopped those shots.

The pacers SMASHED the celtics the other day. Anything can happen in this league. I'm sure the pacers are taking that win with a grain of salt, because they know it wont happen again.

Fact is we were horrible offensivly for all but 6 minutes of the game, and we won by 20.

Yes you improved, and thats great. If you didnt improve with Camby coming into the line up ide be a little concerned. Im sure once camby is fully integrated, and Baron is healthy, you will make a small push for the 8th seed. But i really dont see it going beyond that.

I love the optimism though.

ON EDIT: There may have been no reason for farmar to drive and score, but correct me if im wrong, didnt taylor do the SAME THING on the next play? when he could have dribbled out the clock. Thats hipocracy if ive ever read it.

Edited by lakerball4life, November 06, 2008 - 03:57 PM.

[West Coast]

I wouldnt take too much solice from the fact you only 'hung in' with us when we were playing horrible, and then when we picked it up, went on a 22-0 run. You cant blame a 22-0 run on the refs, the refs dont stop you making your shots. Ability and composure stopped those shots.

The pacers SMASHED the celtics the other day. Anything can happen in this league. I'm sure the pacers are taking that win with a grain of salt, because they know it wont happen again.

Fact is we were horrible offensivly for all but 6 minutes of the game, and we won by 20.

Yes you improved, and thats great. If you didnt improve with Camby coming into the line up ide be a little concerned. Im sure once camby is fully integrated, and Baron is healthy, you will make a small push for the 8th seed. But i really dont see it going beyond that.

I love the optimism though.

ON EDIT: There may have been no reason for farmar to drive and score, but correct me if im wrong, didnt taylor do the SAME THING on the next play? when he could have dribbled out the clock. Thats hipocracy if ive ever read it.

Yeah Taylor did the same thing, but they were losing? I don't see it being the same situation.

[hype]

Yeah Taylor did the same thing, but they were losing? I don't see it being the same situation.

It isn't.

[lakerball4life]

Yeah Taylor did the same thing, but they were losing? I don't see it being the same situation.

oh right, i forgot, he was trying to win the game