Game 2 Preview: Clippers vs. Spurs

#3 – Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers continued to show just why so many of their fans entered the postseason believing there could be something different about this particular team, as they came out and answered just about every question anyone had during their 107-92 Game 1 victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs. Chris Paul (32 points, seven rebounds, six assists) continued with the stellar play that really carried the Clippers down the stretch of the regular season as he almost appeared to toy with the Spurs at times throughout Game 1.

We asked whether the big men would be able to capitalize on their athleticism advantages and Blake Griffin was every bit of spectacular in response. It wasn’t just a matter of his 26 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, Griffin even found time to unleash a few of his signature facializing dunks while also swiping three steals and blocking three shots. DeAndre Jordan also chipped in with 14 rebounds and four blocks as the Clippers’ big men completely dominated their matchups. Jamal Crawford continued acting as a one-man wrecking crew for the Clippers as the reigning Sixth Man of the Year shot the lights out (7-10 FG, 3-4 three-pointers) on the way to scoring 17 of their total 23 bench points on the night.

The main questions heading into what should also be considered a must-win Game 2 are essentially centered around whether the Clippers can sustain these efforts for a full series against a Spurs team that will undoubtedly adjust their approach and attention to detail to several main aspects. It will also be interesting to see whether the starters and Crawford are able to shoulder so much of the overall responsibilities the deeper they get into this series.

#6 – San Antonio Spurs

Unless this is your first rodeo, you know the San Antonio Spurs will find a way to respond to being outplayed by such a margin in the opener of this series.

Tony Parker was probably going to have a difficult time limiting Paul to begin with, but it was completely evident those chances diminished significantly once he appeared to be slowed by an ankle injury. It will be interesting to see whether the Spurs elect to try Parker on J.J. Redick for stretches of Game 2 in order to try utilizing Kawhi Leonard’s length against Paul earlier and more often. The Spurs are also going to have to find a way to run the Clippers off the three-point line, as San Antonio surrendered 10-18 from deep in Game 1.

They weren’t necessarily great at defending the three-point line this season (opponents shot 36 percent from beyond the arc), but the Spurs know they’ll have to rely upon execution on both ends of the floor in order to offset some of their athleticism disadvantages. While credit should absolutely be given to the Clippers for the overall defensive effort they put forth, the Spurs also seemed to have one of those nights teams are going to endure at times. Parker, Tim Duncan and Danny Green combined to go just 10-32 from the floor while Boris Diaw, Manu Ginobili and Aron Baynes also struggled to shoot just 7-29 from the field in support. Clearly, the Spurs will have to execute better in all facets of the game if they expect to win this series.

Who Wins Game 2?

As stated earlier, the Clippers absolutely have to consider this as an opportunity to send another message and place themselves in the driver’s seat of this series. Trouble is, you absolutely know the Spurs will make the necessary adjustments. Can the Clippers maintain this current level of play? That’s the big question, but we predict that the Clippers win a tough one and throw the pressure back onto the Spurs as they head to San Antonio.