Chris Paul, Mr. Clutch, Has Clippers on Verge of 3rd Playoff Series Win in Franchise History
By Jason McIntyre
Chris Paul was dynamic down the stretch, scoring eight of LA’s 12 points in overtime and the Clippers took a 3-1 lead in the series. Off the cuff …
* Total points in the series: Memphis 386, LA Clippers 385.
* Marc Gasol, for whatever reason, is being criminally underused by the Grizzlies. He’s getting pushed around by Blake Griffin! Gasol didn’t make a basket until overtime.
* DeAndre Jordan, whom the Clippers paid handsomely for last summer, has been worthless in the series. He can’t get on the floor in the 4th quarter. Reggie Evans has been more of a factor.
* Blake Griffin scored 30 points before fouling out in overtime. He’s also not backing down from Zach Randolph.
* Even at 3-1, this doesn’t feel over. We’re talking about a franchise that has won just three playoff series since 1976. They could easily get stomped in game five, and then lose a close game six. That wouldn’t surprise me at all.
* Not sure why this columnist is targeting Rudy Gay as the problem for Memphis (even though he takes jabs at everyone else who has been a disappointment, Gay is his focus). “As a noted philosopher once said, with great riches comes great pressure to at least get your team out of the first round of the playoffs. Right now, Gay is failing at the task.” They’ve got three losses by a total of six points. It’s not on Gay. It’s not totally on Lionel Hollins, either. Or Zach Randolph. Or Tony Allen (the last two don’t seem to be 100 percent).