Clippers 120, Kings 88: Game Recap

Just like I did for Phoenix fans on Tuesday, I'm going to do a recap of the Kings-Clippers game for Clippers fans.  If you want my take on the Kings side of things (it was not good, let me tell you), head on over to Sactown Royalty and read it here.

I'd first off like to point out that the Clippers played a great game.  They clearly wanted this game more than the Kings did, they played much tougher D, applying full court pressure for a lot of the game, and on offense they moved the ball very well, reading the Kings defense like an instruction manual.  On rebounds and loose balls, they went after it.  There were several plays when Kings guys would either poke the ball away, or try to get an offensive board, but the Clippers never gave up on the play and usually got the ball back.  This was especially true of Blake Griffin.

And holy mother of God, Blake Griffin was a beast.  More on him and the other players after the jump.

Blake Griffin had one of the most impressive performances of any rookie I've ever seen.  He looked like a star out there, plain and simple.  If he's lost any quickness or athleticism, it sure didn't look like it.  He used his speed and strength to take it down low multiple times and get past his defender, and although he had several shots contested, his amazing hangtime and body control allowed him to stay with it and make sure the shot went in.  He also showed a couple nice post moves, including a nice jump hook.  Defensively he was less impressive, getting a bit lucky with Kings simply just missing shots, but he definitely tried.  Don't read too much into his one block, it was a goaltend that wasn't called, but Griffin was playing so well out there that he was getting those star calls.  At least two of his trips to the line were on poor officiating, but if anyone was going to get the star treatment last night it was Griffin.  He's an absolutely tenacious rebounder, going for them on each end.  He'll fly out of nowhere to grab them or put them back.  He had a couple putback jams that just wowed the crowd.  He's definitely a hard worker, and never gives up on a play.  Watching him out there took the sting of this ugly game (I am a Kings fan after all) away a bit.  Enjoy Clippers fans, I really hope he manages to stay healthy for you guys.

Al-Farouq Aminu was way less raw than I expected.  The scouting report on him coming out of college was the he couldn't shoot, but he knocked 2-3 from downtown, and it looked really smooth.  He also was a stellar rebounder, sticking with the ball when he took it inside and was challenge (its why he had 6 offensive rebounds).  He looked more out of control when he tried to put the ball on the floor, but he played well within the team, and if he can produce like this every night, other teams might be kicking themselves for not taking him in the draft.  He's still got a lot of work to do, but the foundation is there and its strong.

Baron Davis didn't play, but I thought I'd mention him because he was acting like a second coach on the sideline.  He would call some of the guards over during FTs and talk to them.  He looked like he was trying to lead, which has to be a good thing if you're a Clippers fan.

Randy Foye looked extremely comfortable running the team, finding open teammates, driving to the rack, and not making mistakes.  He was playing smart too, realizing that the smaller Jeter couldn't keep him from penetrating, so he drove it quite a bit.

Eric Gordon was Eric Gordon.  His outside shot wasn't falling, so he took it inside and got to the line.  He had an absolute monster dunk on a fastbreak.

Chris Kaman was the best player out there other than Griffin.  He abused whoever was guarding him with some solid post moves, and used his experience and quickness to get by Cousins on a few occasions.  His mid-range jumper also looks extremely smooth.  He drew a lot of fouls, and made his shots from the stripe to.  He looked like an All-Star, so its nice to see that he brought that over from last year.  Defensively, he had a bit of trouble keeping the stronger Cousins out of the lane, but he managed to bother him enough that DeMarcus wasn't able to finish cleanly.  He also did a really nice job of boxing out, so that even though he only had two boards, it allowed another Clipper to get the rebound.

Ryan Gomes was simply solid.  He was one of the more impressive defenders on the Clippers to me, and he bothered Omri Casspi a lot.  He looks like he wants to make Sterling eat his words.  He's also a decent rebounder for a small forward.

Stephen Dennis impressed me.  I don't know if there is room on the Clippers roster for him, but he looked like he should make the team.  He was extremely efficient and active, and looked comfortable running the team at times.  He's pretty quick too and plays the passing lanes well.

Rasual Butler was one of the few Clips who didn't have a good game.  His shot wasn't falling, and hopefully its just rust, because Butler is in there to shoot, and not much else.

DeAndre Jordan was another of those bad Clippers, and its a shame, because I really think he can be good.  But he plays defense way too much with his hands and not his feet, and it gets him into foul trouble really fast, as evidenced by last night, fouling out in only 15 minutes.

Craig Smith lived up to his nickname of the Rhino, just bullying his way to the rack, and to the line.  Solid performance from him, I think he's the first big you want off the bench.

Brian Cook's shot looked extremely smooth. It had a great, quick release, and most of the time it just hit nothing but net.  His defense was pretty bad, as Donté Greene abused him a few times, but that shot was silky smooth.

Jarron Collins was a waste of space.  I do not understand how this guy keeps getting NBA contracts.  He's just not good.  If the Clippers are forced to play him at all this year, that's a bad sign.

Marqus Blakeley didn't play for long, but he looked very athletic.  That was about all I noticed of him, at this point I was just depressed at how ugly this game had become (watching 70 free throw attempts in a game where the team you love is getting blown out is not fun).

Overall I really liked what I saw from the Clippers.  If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below.