Los Angeles Clippers Get Off To Best Possible Start In NBA Playoffs

By Andrew C. Fisher | Apr 20, 2015

Apr 19, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) during the first quarter in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

The Los Angeles Clippers couldn’t have had much worse luck with their opening round playoff draw. Playing some of the best basketball in the NBA down the stretch of the regular season, Doc Rivers’ team figured to put itself in great position by winning seven straight games to wrap things up. However, the Clippers’ strong efforts were rewarded with a date against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.

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The one first round matchup Los Angeles wanted to avoid came to fruition. It’s not fair in some regards, but the system in place rewarded the Portland Trail Blazers for winning their division and set the Clippers up for a huge test right out of the postseason gate.

Although the Spurs had been playing as great as the Clippers had in the final weeks of the regular season, those who were picking San Antonio to win the series were doing it mainly based on past performances in the playoffs.

Experience is definitely one area where San Antonio had a clear advantage coming in.

But in Game 1 of the Western Conference’s opening round, the Clippers were able to go toe-to-toe with the reigning top dog and then some. Right from the opening tip, L.A. proved not only that it belonged in the same conversation with the champs, but that it could possibly take them out down the road.

The energy from Clippers fans at the Staples Center was amazing all night. It was an energy level matched by the players, as the action was fast-paced throughout.

L.A. needed to get off to a good start and it did just that. Led by Blake Griffin with 13 points, the Clippers shot 47 percent from the field in the opening half, compared to 35 percent from the Spurs. Their strong shooting efforts left them with a six-point lead at the midway point. From there, they never looked back.

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Clippers were flirting with a 20-point advantage. Naturally, the Spurs wouldn’t die, but the strong play from Griffin and Chris Paul ultimately became too much for San Antonio to overcome.

When you really break down what the Game 1 win means for Los Angeles, it’s more of a mental victory than anything else. It’s not that the Clippers didn’t believe they could beat the Spurs, but now they know they can beat them on any given night and take this opening round series. Confidence is everything for a team trying to get over the hump.

Yes, it’s just one game. The odds are that the Clippers won’t shoot lights out from downtown again in Game 2. Their 55 percent clip from three in the opener played a big role in the 15-point win, and Rivers will definitely need more scoring from his bench moving forward (with the exception of Jamal Crawford, who dropped 17).

At least for Game 1, it was the Griffin and Paul show. Griffin was indefensible at times and looked to be growing up as the minutes went by. Paul was his normal awesome self. Combined, they dropped 58 points, more than half of their team’s total.

Clippers fans have to be feeling a whole lot better after the way their club came out of the gate, but one convincing win against the Spurs doesn’t mean a whole lot, especially if L.A. is unable to hold its home-court advantage with another victory in Game 2. If the Clippers come out flat, it could erase all of the momentum gained by a fantastic showing in the series opener.

But as bad as the Spurs draw was, the Clippers couldn’t have played much better to kick things off this postseason.

Next: Breaking Down Spurs vs. Clippers

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