Game Thread GAME# 50: BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS - JANUARY 30, 2018 - TUESDAY, 7:30 PM (PST), TNT

Yeah, strength of schedule can be a bit misleading. It's an average. The Clipps are at .496 and we're at .491. They've had more games at the extreme (top teams and bottom teams), but fewer against good, but not great teams. They've certainly had their share of easy opponents, and as a result, 21 of their remaining 32 games are against teams with winning records.

They have a stretch of eight games from March 15 - 27 where they might not win a single game. All 8 opponents are above .500 and 6 of the 8 games are on the road. And, 13 of their final 16 games are against teams that are currently above .500

BNM

 

Speaking of strength of schedule... Many hear like to point out how easy our schedule has been, but DEN and SAS have had easier schedules. NOP has had a slightly tougher schedule, but just lost Boogie. OKC has had a comparable schedule, but just lost Roberson.

Should be an interesting second half in the West as teams scramble to playoff seedings. Should also be an interesting trade deadline as teams look to replace injured players and just improve their chances overall.

BNM

 

It's also interesting that most of the worst teams in the league are ranked in the top 10 in strength of schedule. DAL, UTA, MEM, CHO, CHI, LAL and ORL are all in the top 10. Why? They don't get to play against themselves.

Of course, it largely evens out over the course of an 82 game schedule, with most teams ending right around .500 in SoS, but a team like GSW will probably end up lower than .500 in SoS simply because they don't have to play any games against the best team in the league.

BNM

 

how the hell is someone averaging 23.5ppg coming off the bench? especially for that team.

i just dont understand rivers' thinking.

 

Trying to justify that contract he gave his kid? Austin makes $11.8 million. Lou is $7 million even.

BNM

 

yeah. i just dont get it.

 

That contract is why Doc is no longer Clippers GM. Nobody else was offering Austin close to that money. That contract pushed the Clippers into repeater tax territory, when it could have been avoided if Doc would have just given his kid a contract at actual market value, or even slightly above. Instead, he overpaid his own kid and forced the team into tax payer hell.

BNM

 

Will Bradley and Harris be cleared to play by tomorrow night?

 

Has there ever been a case where a player was traded on Day 1 and played for their new team on Day 2?

Also, this game now has TRAP all over it...

 

Sure, it happens all the time. In the old days, players often got traded in the morning and played for their new team the same night. I think the required physical has slowed that down by about a day, but still many players get traded one day and play for their new team the next night.

Here's a link to an article on the rigors of getting traded mid-season. It's about four years old, but things haven't changed much since then:

https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2014/2/20/5426902/nba-trade-deadline-2014-mundane-rumors

In the article, Rudy Gay mentions getting traded one day, flying to Toronto the next morning and playing in a game that night.

"I woke up at 6 a.m, went to sleep maybe 3 a.m. [the previous night]," he said. "Woke up, got on the plane, headed to Toronto, did the press conference, slept for 45 minutes and then played. When I got here, in preparation for the game, I sat down with one of the coaches for maybe five minutes. He told me just to go play."

BNM

 

No way. They have to clear physicals..... I just don’t see all the loose ends being tied up so fast. They won’t travel out to LA til tomorrow most likely.

 

That’s not true at all.

 

Blake Griffin seems to still be starting for the Clippers
@Darkwebs

 

Nice tweet here from the NBA -


I don't care how many times I've seen it, I could watch that 0.9 Houston shot 100 more times!

 

The NBA is promoting US?!

Only because Griffin got traded...

 

Do any Blazers know where the back tunnel is? Ed used to play there. Maybe they can throw some old Griffin jerseys in their locker room just to stir the pot a bit?

 

I know a lot of fans are relieved that we'll be playing the Griffin-less Clips. I hope the Blazers don't have the same attitude. Instead, I want them to smell blood in the water and go after them like hungry Piranha.

 

I'm concerned now. Before they made the trade, i'm sure we had a game plan for their roster., but now, I think this turns into a reactionary YMCA type game, and whoever is the scrappiest might pull it out.

Concerned if Harris and Bradley start. We will have no game plan and thy will be playing to prove themselves for the Clips.

This will be an interesting one for sure.

 

This is the kind of game that requires discipline. We can't get sucked into a rat ball situation. The guys need to focus on running their sets and not get sloppy just because the opponent is. Execute, execute, execute. Build a lead and don't let up. Don't let them think they're in this one.

BNM