Clippers Annihilate Warriors In Game 2
Following a meager 19 minutes of playing time in Game 1, Blake Griffin unleashed all of his pent-up
frustration on Monday night. After a lackluster opening game, the Clippers went into overdrive in Game 2 and crushed the Warriors 138-98, their most points scored and largest win margin in postseason franchise history. Shaq called the Clippers' performance an "extreme beatdown." Led by a stellar performance by Griffin, the Clippers shot 57 percent from the floor. Coming out with an onslaught of aggression, Griffin sunk the game's first shot, and his team never gave up the lead from that point on.
The game marked Griffin's playoff best: 35 points on 13 of 17 from the floor, six rebounds and untouched by the refs with zero fouls. DeAndre Jordan was also in the zone. With 11 points and 9 rebounds, he became the second player in franchise history to post 5+ blocks in back-to-back playoff games.
Besides the reincarnation of Griffin, Doc Rivers' guys were relentless and did everything right. They went 12 of 25 from behind the arc and secured 32 of 35 of their free throws. Overall, it was a team effort. Chris Paul did his part with 12 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds. Danny Granger, Hedo Turkoglu and Darren Collison combined for 38 points. On defense, LA found a way to quiet David Lee, cutting down his production to 11 points. Klay Thompson, the Warriors' scoreboard leader in Game 1, was in foul trouble early and posted just 7 points.
Mark Jackson admits that his Warriors, "played bad. We were awful. We own it." They shot only 22 percent from the field, collected 26 turnovers and fouled 33 times. The Warriors squad that came out tonight was no playoff team. Stephen Curry was ice cold going into Game 2, missing 11 consecutive field goals since the third quarter in Game 1. After finally making a jump shot late in the second quarter, the typically even-tempered point guard's frustrations came to a head in the third quarter when his heavily-guarded layup attempt resulted in a no-call from the refs. Instead, Curry was nailed with a technical after flinging his mouth piece across the court.
Needless to say, this was not the kind of ball game most expect to see in playoff basketball. Sure it is hard to beat the Clippers at home and an even harder feat to steal two consecutive games in LA. But this was simply an utter collapse on all fronts for Golden State. Any confidence the players built up after Game 1 could all potentially be shattered. It will be interesting to see how Jackson and his squad regroup and respond in Game 3 in home territory.
The attack the Clippers brought tonight was what their fans expected to see in the opening matchup, and there was no mistaking they wanted this win before going on the road. They are the better team with all kinds of ammunition to take this series. If they continue to stay balanced with Paul and Griffin at the forefront of their offense and Jordan cleaning up at the boards, Lob City will be unstoppable.
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