Clippers’ Game 1 blowout of Blazers a sign of things to come

The Los Angeles Clippers, led by their trio of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, beat the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1.

Jeremy Woo | Apr 18, 2016

Clippers’ Game 1 blowout of Blazers a sign of things to come /

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If you were looking for at least one seriously interesting Western Conference first-round series, that’s not what you got at Staples Center on Sunday night. It may not happen. The Clippers—potentially the most vulnerable of the usual powers—set a serious tone for what’s to come, pushing the Blazers around with a series of second-half runs and building a substantial cushion for DeAndre Jordan to miss a lot of free throws late. The 115–95 win may delineate exactly where things are headed, not because of the score itself, but by the ways in which the hosts dominated.

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Here are three thoughts on the game:

Clippers win in talent department

It was never a question entering this series that the talent disparity favored the Clippers. The doubt lingered with how they might approach it, given L.A.’s history of playoff complications, many of them mental. Those doubts were, for now, mostly erased, with the Blazers gradually overwhelmed by superior firepower all the way down to the second units. Most convincing for the Clippers’ case was a visibly focused, active Blake Griffin, whose 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists should assuage any fears stemming from his injuries. He looks himself, haranguing the refs, muscling up dunks and making contemplative faces laying on the sidelines. Emo Blake can also be very-good Blake.

There were moments where the Clippers looked tired, and times where the Blazers threatened, but the odds of an upset appear much longer than some thought. L.A. has no shortage of scorers; Portland runs most of its offense through two of them. Chris Paul won the first battle with Damian Lillard, finishing a game-high plus-29 with 28 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. If Paul and Griffin continue as the two most productive players on the floor, this could be over quickly. Personnel-wise, the Blazers just may not have enough ways to answer.

Experience factor looms large

Portland hung tight in the first half, trailing by eight at the midway point. The game was closer than that, but worth noting—L.A. took just two three-pointers total in the first half, significantly outshot their opponents and mostly won the glass, coming up with the loose balls and team rebounds the Blazers need to recover in order to have a chance in this series. That stems from the presence of Jordan, whose size makes for an especially tough test for the trio of Mason Plumlee, Ed Davis and Noah Vonleh.

The Clippers creatively blitzed pick-and-rolls early in the game, using Jordan to leap out, help guards and make Lillard and C.J. McCollum a little uncomfortable. They forced turnovers and took away a key element of what the Blazers need to do offensively to stay in games. Nearly all of their scoring and playmaking funnels through the two guards, as good as they are, and the more shots Portland’s role players end up taking, the better for L.A. The Blazers don’t lack for cohesion or toughness, but their minimal playoff experience, relatively speaking, heavily hangs over this series. The only key Clippers who’ve never been to the postseason before are Wesley Johnson and Chuck the Condor.

PHOTOS: Championship rings throughout the years

NBA Championship Rings Through the Years

2017-18 Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors swept the Cleveland Cavaliers to win their third title in four years. The team got reversible rings with 74 sapphries on one side of the ring. The 74 represents the total number of victories the team earned during the regular season and playoffs in bringing home the franchise's sixth championship.

2016-17 Golden State Warriors

The Warriors beat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals to win their second title in three years.

2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

NBA Finals MVP LeBron James and the Cavs defeated the defending champion Warriors in seven games for these rings featuring the Cavaliers’ “C” wrapped around the Larry O’Brien trophy.

2014-15 Golden State Warriors

The Warriors took home these beauties after upending LeBron James and the Cavaliers in six games for their first title in 40 years.

2013-14 San Antonio Spurs

The Heat aimed to three-peat, but the Spurs had other ideas. Kawhi Leonard had a couple of breakout performances on his way to series MVP, and San Antonio ran away from Miami in five games.

2012-13 Miami Heat

These rings would have never seen the light of day had Ray Allen not made one of the greatest shots in NBA Finals history. Thanks to Allen, the Heat rallied and defeated the Spurs in overtime in Game 6, and then won two days later to repeat as champs.

2011-12 Miami Heat

LeBron James got his first ring as the Heat overwhelmed the Thunder in five games. James averaged 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists.

2010-11 Dallas Mavericks

Dallas won three straight games to erase a 2-1 deficit and squash the newly formed Miami Big Three's title dreams. This was also the Mavericks' first NBA title in franchise history.

2009-10 Los Angeles Lakers

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

The Celtics held a 3-2 lead in this series, but the Lakers took care of business at the Staples Center in Game 6 and 7 to repeat as champs. This was the fifth and final set of rings for Los Angeles with Kobe Bryant.

2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers survived in a pair of overtime battles and then pulled away from the Magic in Game 5 to win their first NBA title since 2002's three-peat. Kobe Bryant won series MVP with averages of 32.4 points and 7.4 assists.

2007-08 Boston Celtics

Acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen during the off-season paid off quickly for Boston. In their first year, Garnett and Allen teamed up with Paul Pierce to defeat the Lakers in six games and bring the Celtics new jewelry for the first time since 1986.

2006-07 San Antonio Spurs

LeBron James' Cavaliers broke through to the finals, but they were no match for the Spurs, who completed the sweep for their third title in five years.

2005-06 Miami Heat

In their first-ever NBA Finals appearance, the Heat became the third team in league history to win a championship after trailing 0-2. Dwayne Wade averaged 39.3 points in the next four games as Miami won the series in six.

2004-05 San Antonio Spurs

This series was almost as close as possible. The Spurs and the Pistons entered the fourth quarter of Game 7 tied, and Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili led San Antonio in the fourth quarter to its third title under coach Greg Popovich.

2003-04 Detroit Pistons

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Larry Brown had an NCAA title ring, and a 4-1 victory over the Lakers gave the coach his first NBA championship ring. Brown remains the only coach to win an NCAA and NBA title.

2002-03 San Antonio Spurs

In one of the great all-time playoff performances, Tim Duncan fell barely shy of a quadruple double with 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and eight blocks in the series-clinching Game 6.

2001-02 Los Angeles Lakers

The Nets did not put up much resistance as the Lakers completed a 4-0 sweep for their third straight title, giving coach Phil Jackson his ninth NBA title in 12 seasons.

2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers

Allen Iverson carried the 76ers to a Eastern Conference title and Game 1 victory against the Lakers, but Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were too much for The Answer. Los Angeles won the next four games, including three straight in Philadelphia, to win its second straight championship.

1999-00 Los Angeles Lakers

In his return to coaching, Phil Jackson guided the Lakers to a 4-2 series victory against the Pacers, coached by Larry Bird. Shaquille O'Neal averaged 36.3 points and 12.3 rebounds, earning his first of three straight Finals MVPs.

1998-99 San Antonio Spurs

In a battle of dominant frontcourts, David Robinson and Tim Duncan bested Patrick Ewing and Larry Johnson as the Spurs defeated the Knicks in five games for their first NBA title.

1997-98 Chicago Bulls

Michael Jordan's jump shot with 5.6 seconds remaining in Game 6 gave the Bulls their second three-peat of the decade. Since then, Chicago has no NBA Finals appearances and only one conference finals appearance.

1996-97 Chicago Bulls

In a series featuring six Hall of Fame players, the Bulls defeated the Jazz in six games as Michael Jordan fought through food poisoning to lead Chicago to wins in Game 5 and Game 6.

1995-96 Chicago Bulls

Dennis Rodman tied an NBA Finals record in Game 2 with 11 offensive rebounds against Seattle and then did it again in Game 6, the series clincher, but Michael Jordan was once again the no-brainer series MVP, averaging 27.3 points 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

1994-95 Houston Rockets

Hakeem Olajuwon taught young Shaquille O'Neal a few lessons in this series as the Rockets swept the Magic for their second consecutive NBA title. The Rockets were the first No. 6 seed to win a Finals series.

1993-94 Houston Rockets

The Rockets ended a five-season title drought for the Western Conference as Hakeem Olajuwon charged victories in Game 6 and Game 7 in Houston.

1992-93 Chicago Bulls

The Bulls became the first team to three-peat since Bill Russell's Celtics in the 1960s. Chicago defeated Phoenix in six games, leaving Charles Barkley without a ring.

1991-92 Chicago Bulls

Michael Jordan shrugged his way to a NBA Finals record six first-half three-pointers in Game of 1 of this series, and the Bulls went on to win in six games.

1990-91 Chicago Bulls

The Bulls recorded their first-ever NBA title as Michael Jordan led the way averaging 31.2 points, 11.4 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks to defeat the Showtime Lakers in five games.

1989-90 Detroit PIstons

For the first time since 1979, the NBA Finals did not include at least one of the Celtics or the Lakers. The Bad Boy Pistons faced Clyde Drexler and the Trail Blazers, winning in five games for their second straight championship.

1988-89 Detroit PIstons

The Lakers led entering the fourth quarter three times during this series but could never hold on as the Pistons swept them in four games.

1987-88 Los Angeles Lakers

This time, the Lakers got the best of the Pistons in a thrilling seven games series where the final two games were decided by a combined four points.

1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers

In a high-scoring series, the Lakers and the Celtics each broke the century in the first five games. Then Los Angeles held Boston to 93 points to win the series in Game 6.

1985-86 Boston Celtics

The Celtics captured their second title in three years, defeating the Rockets in six games. Larry Bird fell just shy of averaging a triple with 24 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists.

1984-85 Los Angeles Lakers

In a series that featured nine Hall of Fame players, the Lakers got revenge from one year earlier with a 4-2 victory against the Celtics.

1983-84 Boston Celtics

The Celtics came out on top in the first of three 1980s finals meetings with the Lakers. Larry Bird averaged 27.4 points and 14 rebounds, getting the best of Magic Johnson, who's Michigan State team got defeated Bird's Indiana State squad in the 1979 NCAA championship.

1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers

In a rematch of the 1982 finals, Moses Malone tore up the Lakers front line for 25.8 points and 18 rebounds per game as Philadelphia swept Los Angeles.

Series gets physical

After multiple rounds of hack-a-DeAndre, and a little bit of hack-an-Ed-Davis from Doc Rivers, I would like to recant dubbing this series the most potentially entertaining of this postseason. No matter what your take is on intentional fouling, you can’t argue that it’s really, really boring. There will be more of this. It will keep truly-interested parties up at night.

But ... to play devil’s advocate, the Blazers should absolutely be doing this. Hacking for one game and losing is one thing. Doing it to Jordan, or anyone, over the course of the entire series has to be at least a little mentally taxing for the shooter and for the Clippers. It’s obviously not their first rodeo with this strategy but it is still annoying, and any psychological edge Portland can grab matters even a little.

As tends to happen when the Clippers are involved, the game got a little contentious at times. Expect more of this. Expect the Blazers to come out angry. Lillard could go into full John Wick mode for the next three games and flip the outlook. And expect more fouls by Chris Kaman. Many, many more.

Published Apr 18, 2016

JEREMY WOO

Jeremy Woo has covered basketball for SI since 2014, including the NBA draft and weekly Power Rankings. He is from the South Side of Chicago.