Wednesday 04/16/14 NBA discussion thread
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nbafan88
Pretty much a regular
CLIPPERS AT TRAIL BLAZERS, 10:30 P.M. ET
TV: ESPN
The Clippers enter tonight’s game in an odd situation. They’ll know at some point, probably just before tip-off, whether they still have a chance to move past Oklahoma City and into the No. 2 playoff seed in the Western Conference. Coach Doc Rivers wants to win but has chosen to rest many of his regulars. L.A. will go tonight without starting guards Chris Paul and J.J. Redick as well as suspended power forward Blake Griffin. And center DeAndre Jordan and sixth man Jamal Crawford won’t get normal minutes. “I just value rest and health right now,” Rivers said. “Chris has been banged up all year. We’re playing Saturday (in the first round of the playoffs). This is (the second game of a) back-to-back here tonight. Not a lot of turnaround.” Jordan will play “not a lot of minutes,” and Rivers said he’ll be watching how Crawford’s sore calf feels. The veteran guard has missed 13 of the Clippers’ last 21 games. “We want him to play, but you worry every minute he’s on the floor because of the calf injury,” Rivers said. “We also know we have to get his rhythm back.”
With Portland locked into the West’s No. 5 seed, coach Terry Stotts will rest power forward LaMarcus Aldridge and sixth man Mo Williams. The other starters — center Robin Lopez, Nicolas Batum, Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews — will all start the game to preserve their perfect record of starting every game this season, but their minutes will be shortened. “You’re going to see a lot of guys play,” Stotts said. One of those guys is center/forward Joel Freeland, who will make his first appearance since Feb. 12 due to a knee injury.
“I’d like to give him about 20 minutes,” Stotts said. “We’ll play him in stretches of five or six minutes and see how he feels. He’s had a couple of good practices. He’s anxious to get back out there.”
With reserves dominating action on both sides, will tonight’s game be like an exhibition? “It won’t be as sloppy as preseason games can be,” Stotts said. “Both teams know what they’re doing in terms of style of play. This will be a better quality game than a preseason game, for sure.”
Rivers knows how he feels about it: “We’re going to play to win. We pay the whole team; we don’t just pay the starters. I’m sure Portland is going to do the same thing. Every time you play, the game’s a competition. It doesn’t matter who’s on the floor, you want to try to win that game.”
– Kerry Eggers
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TV: ESPN
The Clippers enter tonight’s game in an odd situation. They’ll know at some point, probably just before tip-off, whether they still have a chance to move past Oklahoma City and into the No. 2 playoff seed in the Western Conference. Coach Doc Rivers wants to win but has chosen to rest many of his regulars. L.A. will go tonight without starting guards Chris Paul and J.J. Redick as well as suspended power forward Blake Griffin. And center DeAndre Jordan and sixth man Jamal Crawford won’t get normal minutes. “I just value rest and health right now,” Rivers said. “Chris has been banged up all year. We’re playing Saturday (in the first round of the playoffs). This is (the second game of a) back-to-back here tonight. Not a lot of turnaround.” Jordan will play “not a lot of minutes,” and Rivers said he’ll be watching how Crawford’s sore calf feels. The veteran guard has missed 13 of the Clippers’ last 21 games. “We want him to play, but you worry every minute he’s on the floor because of the calf injury,” Rivers said. “We also know we have to get his rhythm back.”
With Portland locked into the West’s No. 5 seed, coach Terry Stotts will rest power forward LaMarcus Aldridge and sixth man Mo Williams. The other starters — center Robin Lopez, Nicolas Batum, Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews — will all start the game to preserve their perfect record of starting every game this season, but their minutes will be shortened. “You’re going to see a lot of guys play,” Stotts said. One of those guys is center/forward Joel Freeland, who will make his first appearance since Feb. 12 due to a knee injury.
“I’d like to give him about 20 minutes,” Stotts said. “We’ll play him in stretches of five or six minutes and see how he feels. He’s had a couple of good practices. He’s anxious to get back out there.”
With reserves dominating action on both sides, will tonight’s game be like an exhibition? “It won’t be as sloppy as preseason games can be,” Stotts said. “Both teams know what they’re doing in terms of style of play. This will be a better quality game than a preseason game, for sure.”
Rivers knows how he feels about it: “We’re going to play to win. We pay the whole team; we don’t just pay the starters. I’m sure Portland is going to do the same thing. Every time you play, the game’s a competition. It doesn’t matter who’s on the floor, you want to try to win that game.”
– Kerry Eggers
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twinkie13
In transit, arriving late.
looks like this is happening now
Inspekdah
My man, Michael Jordan!
Wow, should have taken my own advice and just faded teams who had incentive to lose. Bulls, Celts, and Nets fades went 3-0. I was on 2 of them and 1 went to OT that I didn't so not feeling bad.
Feeling stupid about trying to cap other games... Wolves and Thunder for regular sized bets... could have been up 4 units w/ Cavs/Wiz but now only +1.8 cause of those dumb bets.
Thunder falling into the playoffs. But Warriors are a great matchup for them if LAC win.
Feeling stupid about trying to cap other games... Wolves and Thunder for regular sized bets... could have been up 4 units w/ Cavs/Wiz but now only +1.8 cause of those dumb bets.
Thunder falling into the playoffs. But Warriors are a great matchup for them if LAC win.
Inspekdah
My man, Michael Jordan!
- With Portland locked into the West’s No. 5 seed, coach Terry Stotts will rest power forward LaMarcus Aldridge and sixth man Mo Williams. The other starters — center Robin Lopez, Nicolas Batum, Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews — will all start the game to preserve their perfect record of starting every game this season, but their minutes will be shortened. “You’re going to see a lot of guys play,” Stotts said. One of those guys is center/forward Joel Freeland, who will make his first appearance since Feb. 12 due to a knee injury.
“I’d like to give him about 20 minutes,” Stotts said. “We’ll play him in stretches of five or six minutes and see how he feels. He’s had a couple of good practices. He’s anxious to get back out there.”
Inspekdah
My man, Michael Jordan!
- Former Kings great and newly inducted Naismith Hall of Fame guard Mitch Richmond will be in attendance tonight, as will NBA legend Oscar Robertson. “I’m so happy,” Richmond said about being inducted. ” I’m so excited they saw the body of work and not look at the wins and losses.”
Inspekdah
My man, Michael Jordan!
Of course I didn't play Knicks ML
emkee
The Truth Is Out There
emkee
The Truth Is Out There
Conley's stupidity woke him up.
Inspekdah
My man, Michael Jordan!
Wow, that's 2 tough beats
