Warriors vs Clippers Preview Of Game 7 – Stephen Curry Must Get A Minimum Of 20 Shots (Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
The Los Angeles Clippers have the deepest team in the league. They have a Top 3 point guard in Chris Paul, a Top 5 power forward in Blake Griffin, and the Sixth Man of the Year in Jamal Crawford. They have a “poor man’s” version of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ “ShowTime”; they call it “Lob City”.
Doc Rivers was brought in to coach this team for exactly this reason, to get the Clippers past a Game 7.
In Game 6, Paul and Griffin combined for a total of 25 points. That probably won’t happen again, as both players have the ability to score 25-30 on any given night.
Golden State has frustrated Griffin with its physical play in the post. Look for Coach Rivers to make the adjustment of playing Griffin on the perimeter and take advantage of his consistent jump shot and quick first step to the basket.
When Griffin scores 25 or more points, the Clippers are almost impossible to beat.
Paul hasn’t played great in this series and is obviously hampered by nagging injuries.
For Golden State to win Game 7, they have to rely on the best point guard in the league, Stephen Curry.
In Game 5, Stephen Curry had just 10 field goal attempts, all game. By contrast, he had 12 field goal attempts in the first quarter alone of Game 6.
Curry has to carry this team offensively and get a minimum of 20 shots. In Game 5, head coach Mark Jackson played Curry a lot more at the shooting guard position so that he could get more shots up.
David Lee and Draymond Green have been left in the game when in foul trouble. While Green has been playing elite-level defense, Lee has not played smartly when saddled with four or five personals. Sometimes, it’s okay to give up a layup and not foul. Lose the battle, but win the war.
With injuries to Andrew Bogut and now Jermaine O’Neal, the Warriors are clearly undersized. Surprisingly, in Game 6, they kept it close in the rebounding margin. The Clippers had 54 rebounds in Game 6, while the Warriors had 50.
Like most Game 7s, bench play will be a huge factor in deciding the outcome. There is always some player who averages about 7 points a game, who winds up scoring 17 in a Game 7.
The Warriors are on the road and short-handed, but all the pressure is on Paul, Griffin and Rivers to get this win and advance, as the Clippers were expected to be title contenders this year.
This has been the best first round playoffs in the history of the NBA. There are three Game 7’s being played today. The one thing we have learned about this post-season is any team in the Western Conference can advance and get closer to the quest to make it to the Finals.
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