Chris Paul figured out towards the end of the game that LA's only chance is to hit the ground, feed upon superstar whistles, and pad an enormous advantage at the free throw line. If the Clippers find a way to live in the bonus in the first half - which isn't far fetched at Staples' Center - this game figures to be a lot closer than yesterday's.
At this point, the Warriors look convincingly better, so I'm gonna go ahead and spell out the only game plan in which I can see the Clippers winning:
1, make David Lee live between 19-15 feet. If he misses his first couple jumpers, it'll bug him, he'll overshoot to get out of the slump, and you'd love to keep him away from 5 feet, where his hooks and lay-ins are automatic. Also, enough with this DeAndre Jordan matchup. Lee feasts on slower defenders - particularly centers who go for the pump fake. Start Jordan on the 5, Griffin on HB (it'll fuel his fast breaks by letting him leak out, getting him off to a good start), and let Matt Barnes frustrate Lee, who does much worse against quicker defenders.
2, keep blitzing Curry. Yes, he'll hit the open man and make the right pass. It's the lesser of two evils. You'd rather live with a 16 and 11 game from Curry than letting him erupt for 30 points behind the arc. Blitz Curry, clog the lane for cutters, let Thompson, Jack, and Barnes try their luck from the perimeter all day. The law of averages states that they won't hit much higher than 40% for 3... Which is not as good as Curry and it's much less of a problem than letting Lee get off.
3, use the zebras to your advantage. Stumble through the lane, squeal, scream, flail your arms, mug the refs for no reason at all... Basically, do WHATEVER you can to get Golden State's big guys in foul trouble. Lee is an enormous catalyst, so run Griffin at him nonstop and odds are you'll be rewarded with clout calls all night long. Make like the Thunder and figure out a way to get Curry in foul trouble all night. If the Warriors' gruesome twosome can't crack 30 minutes a piece, it automatically cancels out your back-to-back disadvantage. Live at the line; even if you miss free throws, the goal is to bench the Warriors' starters and to make them hesitant to play tough D.
Literally, that's the ONLY way I can see the Clippers winning this game. They looked thoroughly outplayed yesterday.
: 2010 - 2011
