Basketball

Running Diary Clippers/Wolves

Travis Stockinger, California (Jan. 25, 2012)

I did something that I have never done before; I DVR’d a Timberwolves/Clippers game. Now, I originally recorded this game just to see a few lobs to Griffin and Jordan (and to root against Rubio, for some weird reason) and was pleasantly surprised (emphasis on the surprised) by the entire game and even more so by the ending. I don’t think my brain has fully caught up to what I saw that night, Friday, Jan. 20. The following are my notes and observations during the game as it was happening.

First Quarter

2:00 - Chris Paul is a very stylish man. The dude dresses very well.

12:00 - Anticipation of Griffin/Love dual makes me revert back to being six years old.

10:46 - Griffin misses a lob? How is that even possible? But with the tip to himself and the put back, even his misses are a highlight.

9:10 - Now Jordan misses the put-back dunk? Did Jordan and Griffin lather each other up with butter to look better for the cameras? No hands to start for either.

7:27 - When did Darko learn to play basketball? Three early buckets for him, I can’t believe it. Won’t last, though; he’s still fat. Seriously, I don’t think he understands the meaning of the words “muscle definition.”

6:49 - The next three plays are really an encapsulation of what makes these two teams so interesting. On the defensive side, DeAndre Jordan goes way up to block a Kevin Love shot, then hustles back and gets the pass for an open 17-foot jumper from the elbow, which he sinks with a beautiful swish. Rubio then brings the ball back up the court and gives it to Love who nails a perfect 3-ball. Remember, Kevin Love is a 7-footer who can post anybody up and rebounds like a monster, even though he looks like a hippie. The Clips then inbound the ball, bring it up and run a pick and roll with Williams lobbing to Griffin on the backdoor rollout for an easy alley-oop. It is basketball in its best form: guys hustling, playing on both ends of the floor and not buying into traditional position roles. For example, Kevin Love and Dirk Nowitzki are dangerous from outside the arc, as opposed to Tim Duncan or Kenyon Martin, who can’t hit the broad side of a barn from downtown. I love it, very exciting times to be an NBA fan.

3:59 - Is Mo Williams better than we thought? I’m almost convinced that he is. His turnovers are down, and his scoring is way up in Chris Paul’s absence. If he can keep it up for a stretch of games, I’ll fully believe it.

:25 - Williams drills back-to-back 3’s and has made four out of four field goals for the game so far. I’m shocked, especially since he had 26 points against the Mavs a few nights ago.

Second Quarter

10:20 - I somehow forgot that JJ Berrea and Beasley were out. This Wolves team could be really good when those two come back. That is, of course, if Beasley can still be an effective scorer.

8:24 - The ball movement for both teams is very good thus far. Blake Griffin has better court vision than most big men, and he has great passing abilities. Griffin’s socks are working overtime, though. His calves are ginormous and making the elastic at the top of the sock scream in agony.

7:09 - If Mo Williams can keep this pace for the season, he could be a younger version of Jason Terry. Williams is 6’1” and Terry is 6’2”, and both can score. Terry and Williams both are what Bill Simmons calls 'irrational confidence' (scroll down to No. 19 in the article) guys.

5:11 - Rubio is out of the game with three fouls and zero points. Do the Wolves really trust the trio of Rubio, Berrea, and Ridnour? We’ll see.

3:12 - Darko, how dare you? You can’t flop against Blake Superior! If you do, dunks will occur. Monster, emasculating, make-you-wanna-leave-the-court-and-not-play-anymore kind of dunks!

2:24 - TV analysts are debating whether or not Kevin Love should get a max deal when his contract is up. Simple answer; yes! Without hesitation. David Khan should hand over a kidney if that is what it takes to keep Love.

1:00 - Ellington is coming out of nowhere tonight and killing it!

:37 - Mo Williams finally misses. Definite potential for Sixth Man award if he keeps this up.

:1.4 - Williams hit’s a running floater! He is now at 21 points for the half! Who knew?

Third Quarter

10:58 - All the talk is about how well Rubio can pass the ball, yet I haven’t seen one tonight. Step it up, Rubio. You need to make a good impression.

8:56 - Hey Clippers players, if you are going to foul to prevent a score, prevent the score. Don’t give them the free points.

7:37 - Minnesota is now only down by two points due to . . . get this . . . defense and impeccable ball movement!

6:35 - DeAndre Jordan is a beast! There is nothing he can’t block! Scary moment for Blake Griffin on the ensuing play, as he came down hard and laid there for a second. Of course, he is ok because he is built like a tank.

4:08 - Griffin needs to get with LeBron and learn the art of the run-down, come-from-behind rejection. Blake definitely has the athleticism to perform the task, yet we don’t see it very often.

1:00 - Fantastic offensive sets from the Wolves on three consecutive trips up the court. They’ve cut the lead to five.

:02 - Soloman Jones joins the block party! Take that, Ridnour!

Fourth Quarter

11:01 - Monster dunk on the fast break by Derrick Williams! Easiest points for Minnesota tonight. If the Wolves backcourt could make more defensive plays like that, it would really take them to the next level.

10:52 - Gomes answers with a quick 3-ball. That is what’s most noticeable with this new-and-improved Clippers team; they don’t flinch, mope, or hang their heads when they make a mistake. They get back and make up for it on the next play.

10:10 - Rubio is back in, still hasn’t scored. Might he go scoreless in this game?

9:18 - Rubio’s shot off the side of the backboard, he is now 0-8.

8:27 - Rubio now has more blocks than points: one.

7:55 - It seems like Minnesota has caught fire these past two minutes. They are moving well without the ball, hustling after loose ones, passing, and scoring. This game could go down to the wire.

6:25 - The Clippers can’t buy a bucket during this 8-0 run by the Wolves.

6:21 - Mo Williams just got his second technical foul protesting a bail-out call for Rubio, getting him automatically ejected. Thanks for the 25 points, Mo. Maybe next time you won’t act like a pouting teenager and slam the ball down when you don’t get a call early in the game. The crowd is really reacting to this, I have never heard a Clippers crowd like this before.

5:56 - Things are starting to get frantic and heated now that emotion is starting to take over the game. Derrick Williams just got called for a carry as he bowled over Blake. Both teams need to either clear the bench and brawl or regain their composure. I am rooting for a brawl, it’s been a while since I’ve seen one.

5:56 - Back from commercial, cut to Billy Crystal. Does he have leukemia?

5:32 - Jordan gets block number three, Rubio still has zero points.

4:57 - Rubio to the line for points one and two. I was rooting for him to get zero.

4:37 - Rubio to the line for points three and four. I was rooting for him to only get two points.

4:21 - Terse words between Jordan and Love. I wouldn’t mess with Love, since he is now a hippie he might study the art of Capoeira, the ancient blending of martial arts and dance.

2:30 - How did Milicic make that shot? And how does he have 22 points? Is this the Darko Milicic? I’m baffled.

1:01 - Both teams are battling on every play, this almost feels like a playoff game. It’s as if the winner of this game gets to escape the dark cloud that has been looming over these two franchises for years. For example, Milicic just fouled out with 22 points. He was putting in work.

:51.1 - Rubio to the line for points five and six. I was rooting that he get only four points.

:20 - Amazing ball movement by the Wolves combined with lack of organization from L.A.’s defense leads to Rubio, of all people, draining a 3-pointer to tie the game! Wow!

:08.8 - Wait, wait, wait. The Clippers have DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin and they run an isolation for Billups on the last play of the game? I understand that he is referred to as “Mr. Big Shot” but, come on, that is just a name. Do the Clippers know that it is just a name? Give the ball to Griffin down low to kick it back out to Billups for the spot up. That’s where Chauncey is most effective! Get it right, Clippers!

Timeout - Got a call from my dentist to confirm an appointment. Apparently they work late. Sorry, back to the game.

:01.5 - Minnesota to inbound the ball after the timeout . . . LOVE FOR 3!!!!!!!!!!!! Minnesota wins!!! Holy Molee!

Three's a Crowd?

Travis Stockinger, California (Jan. 18, 2012)

Batman and Robin. Jordan and Pippen. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Throughout history many duos have left their mark, made a name for themselves. Yet a tandem only works when one half of the duo fills the gaps in the other half of the duo. Batman was big, strong, and liked to take charge. Enter Robin, who liked to make coffee and pick up dry cleaning. Jordan could score at anytime from anywhere, and Pippen played defense and rebounded. Robert Plant had the voice and liked to be in the spotlight, whereas Jimmy Page just wanted to play the guitar amazingly. So why does the combo of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh seem to work better when one of them isn’t playing?

On Jan. 5, 2012, the Miami Heat played the Atlanta Hawks. The game ended in triple overtime, with the Heat winning, 116-109, and Bosh ended up with 33 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks. This is an amazing stat line from Bosh, definitely not usual. Last season, his first with Miami, Bosh only averaged 18 points per game. And then, on Jan. 17, 2012, Bosh scored 30 points, had eight rebounds, stole the ball four times, and had five assists. What was the common thread between these two huge games from Bosh? I will tell you. In both games, either Wade or James wasn’t playing.

In that Jan. 17 game against San Antonio, the world got to see an incredible showing. LeBron James forgot about the cameras, tuned out the crowd, let his instincts take over, and decimated the Spurs. He ended the game with 33 points, including 17 in the third quarter! The Spurs only scored 12 in the third quarter. Bosh and James led the Heat in the second half, and the team outscored the Spurs, 71-35. It was an astounding display. First, there was Bosh taking a rebound coast-to-coast and finishing with a spin move dunk. Then, there was LeBron knocking down 3-balls on consecutive possessions. Mind you, up to this game, LeBron had only hit three deep balls all season. In this game, LeBron went four of six from 3-land. To say that James was dominant would be the understatement of understatements. His dominance was reminiscent of Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan, a perfect blend of scoring and distributing. After the game LeBron referred to being in “the zone.” Is it mere coincidence that, in a rare game where he doesn’t have to appease Wade, LeBron enters the zone and takes over offensively?

The answer is no. It is no secret that the Miami Heat are Dwyane Wade’s team. I know this, you know this, and so does LeBron. And this knowledge permeates LeBron’s psyche and affects his play. The storyline this season, as well as seasons passed, is that LeBron disappears in the fourth quarter, in crunch time. In Cleveland, maybe it was because he had ZERO help and understood the futility of killing himself. But in Miami the reason is clear; Dwyane Wade won’t allow LeBron to take over. All three members of the “Big 3” like to score and have the ball in their hands. When they don’t, the aggressiveness switch gets flipped to the off position. When LeBron and Wade are on the floor together, the “take a number” offense sets in. By “take a number,” I mean that Wade and James don’t work together to create offense, they take turns trying to score. If one doesn’t work, they go to the other. Wade first, then James.

This current Heat roster can win a championship, maybe even a few titles. However, the probability of that happening dwindles with Wade and James being on the floor together. How could it? LeBron and D-Wade are the same player. Both are alpha dogs and want it to be their team. Both want every other player to defer to them. Both need to be surrounded by elite role players. Wade would be better served giving this team to LeBron and joining up with Dwight Howard in Orlando. Imagine D-Wade throwing lobs to Howard when he isn’t scoring himself. And that defense would be ridiculous. Jameer Nelson is an above average point guard, and Ryan Anderson is an effective spot up shooter. But that is all conjecture. What’s real is that LeBron and Wade are too much alike to really mesh. What’s real is that, in Miami, two’s company and three’s a crowd.