Clippers Are Taking Care Of Business
January has been kind to the Los Angeles Clippers as the schedule has been soft and their rivals in the Western Conference have been faltering. So far this winter, the Clippers are taking care of business.
Los Angeles is now 32-14, tied for third in the conference standings, and just two games behind the second-place Memphis Grizzlies. They have risen up the ranks in the West by going 10-3 in the month of January, including wins over Western Conference playoff teams Dallas, Portland, and Phoenix. More importantly, though, is that they have annihilated lottery teams during this stretch.
There was a 36-point win against the Philadelphia 76ers. A 25-point victory against the in-town rival Los Angeles Lakers. A 39-point destruction of the Brooklyn Nets. Overall, against lottery teams this month, Los Angeles went 7-0, with an average score of 111-93, an 18-point average margin of victory.
To put that in perspective, that would be by far the best margin of victory in the league.
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This Is What Good Teams Do
Good teams blow out weaker competition. They do not play down to the level of an inferior foe. By stomping on a bad team from the start, the Clippers allow their starters to rest more, and not play so many high leverage minutes. The kind of minutes that can wear down even the deepest team.
Instead, this team does not appear to be wearing down, but gearing up for the stretch run. Blake Griffin, for example, has increased his efficiency in January back to where we hoped it would be all year.
According to basketball-reference.com, Griffin shot just 48 percent from the field in December. In January, that number is up to almost 54 percent. His usage is down, his efficiency is up, and he is playing fewer minutes.
Chris Paul tells a similar story. His overall shooting percentage jumped from 43 percent to 47 percent, and he is averaging one more assist per game while playing fewer minutes.
Overall the Clippers’ stars played better, more efficient basketball while also accumulating more rest.
New Faces Have Had Time To Acclimate
Not just the stars. The Clippers’ new faces from the recent trades, have had time to get used to coach Doc Rivers‘ system, and their teammates.
Austin Rivers, the new backup point guard, talked about getting settled in with his new team, via ESPN Los Angeles:
“It just keeps getting better and better,” Austin said. “I feel like now I’m there. Now you just go out and play. I felt like that even after the last game. I was 2-for-4, but I was efficient and consistent, and after that game my teammates were saying, ‘We need you to be more aggressive. You’re a scorer.’ You just go out there and shoot it, and that’s the way I’ve been my whole life.”
Overall, the new additions seems to be fitting in well, although the newly found chemistry, on and off the court, still has to face the most daunting part of the schedule.
The Real Test Is Still Coming
This stretch has been important for the Clippers to get fat on the weak competition. As kind as January was to Los Angeles, February will be just as mean.
Los Angeles will hit the road for a long stretch, and will face a plethora of good teams for the next month. It is unlikely that they will have the kind of success in February that they had in January. However, all victories count the same, and accumulating so many wins against bad teams will let the Clippers survive the upcoming ugly stretch of games.
This stretch does not look as scary now, with the Clippers having accumulated enough wins to put them comfortably ahead of ninth-place New Orleans. Eight games separate the two, and the worst-case scenario of the Clippers ending up out of the playoffs now seems silly.
More than anything, beating up on the bottom feeders of the NBA has given this team the confidence it needs to face the February gauntlet head on.