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Los Angeles Clippers: 5 Deciding Factors In Game 7

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 30, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) is defended by San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) in game six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 30, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) is defended by San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) in game six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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Los Angeles Clippers
Apr 26, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) shoots a free throw against the San Antonio Spurs in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Hack-A-DJ

I could write a 2,000-word piece on why the Hack-A-Shaq strategy is complete and total bullshit. (Oh wait, I already did.) But as long as it’s legal, Gregg Popovich is going to continue to use it and we can’t ignore the intended and unintended consequences it’s had on the series so far.

DeAndre Jordan has made only 25 of his 64 free throw attempts in this series (39.1 percent). That’s a miserable percentage, but even when Jordan is missing free throws, all the intentional fouling has actually had more positive effects for the Clippers than one would think.

For starters, it’s an opportunity for free points. In Game 6 last night, Jordan went 7-for-15 from the line. For most players, that’s a miserable percentage. But for the Clippers, that’s seven free points he may never have gotten otherwise. (Okay, okay, so missing that many free throws can’t be construed as a positive argument. I tried.)

But another undeniable effect has been giving the Clippers time to breathe. When Pop resorts to his Jedi Master BS, the game slows to a grind. That’s terrible news for the millions of fans across the country watching the games, but it’s great news for Lob City because they get a chance to catch their breath.

For a team that’s so dependent upon their starting five, the Hack-A-DJ strategy has actually backfired on the Spurs multiple times. In Game 1, it helped the starters rest and in the second half, Lob City blew San Antonio away. In Game 6 last night, it turned a 10-point Spurs lead in the second quarter into a tie game at halftime.

Whether or not you hate the strategy is irrelevant to this Game 7. Pop is going to use it if he needs to and these same trends will probably continue. But believe it or not, the Clippers should want Pop to give their starters a break by intentionally fouling one of the worst free throw shooters in the league.

Next: No. 1

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