Courtesy of Stephen Dunn/Getty Images When two playoff-caliber teams face off this early in the season, it rarely is a barometer for how the teams will fare against each other in May. Last night, the Thunder (5-2) traveled west to take on the Clippers (6-3). Oklahoma City is the perennial Western Conference favorite, despite San Antonio's never-ending dominance. The Clippers are the flashy little brother in Los Angeles. "Lob City" is fun to watch, but that style of play doesn't translate into postseason success. After two disappointing playoff runs, Donald Sterling and the Clippers' brain trust went out and changed their image. They canned their head coach (RIP Vinnie D) and his glorious full head of hair, and they wooed the Master of Ubuntu, Doc Rivers, from the east. They traded their best bench player, Eric Bledsoe, in exchange for veteran perimeter shooters. The additions of J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley brought an element that LA had lacked for the last few seasons. These moves signaled that the Clippers were no longer content with just making the playoffs. They are ready to contend. Before they book their trips to the Finals, they are going to have to get by San Antonio, Portland (I am "Dwayne Bowe"-high on the Blazers this season) and of course, OKC.
The Thunder have owned the Clips in recent years. In their match ups, Serge Ibaka was usually the difference maker. His ability to "bully" Blake Griffin in the paint caused a major mismatch. With Ibaka scoring at will and neutralizing Griffin's athleticism, the space opened up for Kevin Durant. The Clippers played a soft style of showman basketball. Their eccentric dunks did not demoralize the battle-tested Thunder. In seven-game playoff series, teams must rely on toughness and will power to grind out four wins. Think about Lebron's 2009-2010 Cavaliers team. They won 65 games with Mike Brown as their head coach, so clearly they were a talented group. However, when they ran into Doc's Celtics, they fell apart. Intestinal fortitude is one of the main reasons why the Thunder have been more successful than the Clippers the past few seasons. That, and the fact that Vinnie D is a terrible basketball coach. Enter Doc Rivers, stage left.
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For the first few minutes, it looked like the roles had reversed. The Clips started off on an 8-0 run, and the crowd was on their feet. However, after an OKC timeout, the Thunder finished the quarter by outscoring the Los Angeles 33-17. Thabo Sefolosha was keeping Redick in check, Serge Ibaka was perfect from the field and Durant added 9 points. Whatever momentum the Clips might have had, was now solely possessed by Breckin Meyer- I mean, Scott Brooks, and OKC. The game went on like this until six seconds remained in the first half. After Chris Paul missed a shot, Blake Griffin came down with the rebound. Instead of taking the ball straight back up, Griffin dribbled, giving the Thunder defense an opportunity to contest the shot. The ball was blocked, but a foul was called on Sefolosha. Ibaka, who was 6-6 from the field and playing stellar defense, remained tangled with Griffin. In this exact moment, the tides turned for Los Angeles. Griffin exaggerated the contact, turned to Ibaka and began to confront him. The Clippers' enforcer, Matt Barnes, runs into the play and shoves Ibaka. The Thunder power forward retaliated by pushing Griffin and Barnes. The refs reviewed the play and threw both Barnes (0-5 shooting) and Ibaka (6-6 shooting) out of the game. Their decision seemed excessive, since no punches were thrown, and neither Ibaka or Barnes appeared to escalate the violence. However, Ibaka and Griffin have a history of cheap shots dating back a few seasons. Last year, Ibaka punched Blake Griffin in the groin during a game.
Jared Franklin's next big case will be defending Serge Ibaka, who was wrongfully ejected in the 2nd Quarter.
You can call Matt Barnes a "thug" or an "enforcer", but he embodies the toughness that their previous teams' lacked. By instigating an almost-fight, Barnes got the Thunder's first half difference maker thrown out of the game. Doc Rivers brought a warrior mentality with him, and it seems like the Clippers are maturing into the type of team that can compete for the Larry O'Brien trophy. Los Angeles doubled up Oklahoma City in the third quarter, riding the momentum from Ibaka's ejection. Once the lead was attained and secured, the Clippers' flashy finishes put the nail in the coffin. LA's offense is as good as anyone, and scoring will be easy for them all season long. If they can continue to improve defensively, particularly defending the perimeter, this team will be a force this Spring. They have always been easy to watch, but it was tough for them to grind out playoff series. With this newfound toughness, winning in the postseason, may be easier than they thought.
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