Were the Los Angeles Clippers Exposed after Beating the Milwaukee Bucks

A win is a win in the NBA but the Clippers 92-86 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday night exposed some glaring weaknesses for Los Angeles head coach Vinny Del Negro’s “Lob City” team.

No one can argue the immense offensive talent of power forward Blake Griffin. Griffin is No. 6 in the NBA in scoring, averaging 24.7 points per game. He provided four poster including dunks for the Bucks players- highlight plays Clipper fans will not soon forget.

But any NBA fan has to wonder when Griffin will develop and trust his 12-18 foot jump shot. Imagine how dominate he will be when he adds a Karl Malone jumper to his arsenal.

Saturday night Griffin repeatedly gave up wide open shots preferring to put the ball on the floor and drive into traffic. At the end of the night he led the team with five turnovers. A problem the Clippers will have to remedy to be successful in the playoffs.

Everyone has a bad day at the office. Saturday Chris Paul had perhaps his worst day at his new Clipper office finishing 3-6 from the floor for 9 points, seven assists, and one rebound with four turnovers.

The 6’0” point guard appeared to be bothered by the defense from the bigger 6’8” Stephen Jackson.

Paul dribbled through the heart of the Buck defense repeatedly but rarely looking for his own shot at the rim. He also picked up his dribble before his players were in place to receive the ball.

On defense Paul was ran ragged by the quick play of Buck’s point guard Brandon Jennings. Jennings finished with a team high 21 points, six rebounds, seven assists, with only two turnovers. The kind of night we have come to expect from Paul.

Clipper head coach Vinny Del Negro will have to find a way to better utilize Paul’s abilities in the half-court set on offense and limit his exposure on the defensive end.

The pairing of veteran point guard Chauncey Billups and Paul in the Clipper backcourt should make for interesting high-low picks and give and goes throughout the season, especially with the ability of Griffin as a third option of those plays.

Will Del Negro be able to maximize the offensive potential of this Clippers team?

Del Negro has obviously told Mo Williams to push the tempo of the second unit when he is in the game… Does the rest of the second team know this?

Williams looked for fast break opportunities and mismatches throughout the night. At the end of most outlet passes he was left on the offensive end by himself as the rest of the team labored up the court.

Who will step up to add instant offense while the starters are on the bench?

Reggie Evans has never been known for his free throw shooting. The career free throw average for the Clipper power forward/center is 52.2. Saturday night he was 1-6 from the line. DeAndre Jordan better not get hurt.

The Clippers are promoting four players on the starting roster for NBA All-Star consideration, Jordan is among them.

Jordan, a career 5.6 points per game scorer and 5.8 rebounder, blocked three Buck shots but was nowhere to be found on the defensive end or the offensive end in 29 plus minutes of play. He finished with three points, all on free throws, and five rebounds.

Jordan’s counterpart, backup center Drew Gooden, finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

The most troubling sign was the 2-5 Bucks exposed the now 4-2 Clippers weaknesses.

The Bucks were playing without Andrew Bogut, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Beno Udrih, and Luc Mbah a Moute. Milwaukee forward John Brockman left the game in the second quarter after bruising his eye.

The Clippers are No. 4 in the Western Conference and hold a half game lead over the Lakers in the Pacific Division. Over the next 14 days they play seven games. Four of those games are against winning teams (Portland, Heat, Lakers, and Utah) and one game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Can the Clippers right the offensive woes and fix the defensive problems?

An uninspired six point win over a short-handed Bucks team is worrisome but all aforementioned problems can be fixed with time and practice. 

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