The Portland Trail Blazers thought they had a chance until Blake Griffin showed up. Griffin and the Clippers dominated in Game 1 and look to take a 2-0 series lead on Wednesday. The Blazers defied the odds to get here and they aren’t going away without a fight, however.
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LOOK AHEAD
Coach Doc Rivers vowed to end the Clippers cycle of playoff disappointment when he took over the team. It didn’t happen last season when the Clippers failed to hold a 3-1 series lead over the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals. Their latest venture into the postseason got off to a good start with a 115-95 victory over Portland Sunday in Game 1 of the series.
Rivers suggested these Clippers are built to last longer than the versions that endured second-round ousters the last two years. “I think we’re a tougher team mentally, maybe from what we went through, or maybe that’s just the makeup of this group,” he said. Getting Blake Griffin back in the starting lineup improves a bench that is capable of playing a starring role and gives the Clips the option of running numerous lineups to accentuate their strengths.
INJURIES
Injuries will be a non-factor heading into Game 2. Portland’s Chris Kaman, who missed the final three regular season games with an ankle injury, returned to the lineup and played eight mop-up minutes on Sunday. In a closer game the reserve center is unlikely to see action.
The Clippers were at full strength Sunday with the return of shooting guard J.J. Redick, who was diagnosed with a heel bruise and sat out the regular season finale. Redick tossed in 17 points in nearly 27 minutes of action.
KEY MATCHUP
When Griffin was lost with a quad injury during the middle of the season, the Clippers changed their style of play. They became more of a three-point shooting team, spaced the floor and used the assets they had to offset the loss of their power forward. They were successful, too, going 30-15 during Griffin’s absence. What Chris Paul did in that span was nothing short of brilliant. He increased his numbers and took over games much the way he did years ago.
Paul’s final regular season numbers were on par with his career totals. He averaged 19.5 points and 10.0 assists while playing the fewest minutes per game of his 11-year NBA career. The rest he was given at the close of the season along with Griffin’s return has seemingly energized Paul for the Clips playoff push. Once again he dominated Damian Lillard by scoring 28 points with 11 assists in Game 1. The Clips’ big men set great screens to free Paul on the perimeter, forcing Lillard to fight through them, which is not something he always does. With space to operate, Paul is as dangerous as any offensive player in the league.
QUICK PICK
For the Blazers to have any chance in this series they need to win the backcourt battle. They didn’t in Game 1 and the result was expected. If Lillard and C.J. McCollum don’t play well, we could see more 20-point L.A. wins. Lillard scored 21 points, which the Clippers will gladly accept, and Luc Mbah a Moute did a nice job defensively on McCollum, who hit just 3 of 11 field goals and scored nine points. The other matchups played out as anticipated.
The Clippers could be a scary NBA team to play with Griffin rounding into form. He was a force in his seventh game back from injury and a suspension, throwing down a few of his signature monster dunks on his way to 19 points and 12 boards. The Blazers were a pleasant surprise to get this far, but they are overmatched.
NBA Odds: Los Angeles 112, Portland 104
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