The Clippers, the third-seeded team in the West and holding the second best home-court record in the league, fell to the Warriors 109-105 at home on Saturday. 

Blake Griffin reacts to a foul in the Clippers' Game 1 loss. (Getty Images)

What promised to be a fiery matchup between two California teams who have never faced each other in the post-season was a complete snooze-fest in the first half due in large part to the officiating. The refs made it clear they were not going to allow the game to get physical. Each team picked up an offensive foul in the first 20 seconds of the opening quarter, stunting the momentum for both teams.

Andre Iguodala picked up three fouls in the first quarter alone while Blake Griffin was benched after getting called for a pair. Griffin returned in the second quarter only to pick up his third at the top of the quarter, totaling a scant four minutes of game time in the first half. The offensive foul that eventually tossed him out of the game for good late in the fourth quarter following a missed layup and tipped shot resulted in the inevitable, "Refs you suck!" chant from a disgruntled home crowd. 

Although I am a fan of refs having control over a game, the first half was insufferable to watch and diminished any "playoff style" excitement early on. A good number of calls were questionable and hindered the intrinsically bellicose nature of post-season as well as the overall pace of the game.

Some momentum did pick up in the third quarter with both teams knocking down shots without any interruption from the refs. J.J. Reddick had the hot hand, finishing with a playoff-high of 22 points. This quarter was all Golden State's, however, as David Lee found his rhythm, leading the Warriors to a 10-point cushion through the opening of the fourth quarter.

The Clippers' late rally came too little too late. With several timely calls going Golden State's way and a couple of clutch free-throws from Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes that put the Warriors up by three, the visiting team never looked back. Paul, typically an 85.5% free-throw shooter, missed two crucial shots with 11.9 seconds left on the clock, followed by an extra free-throw from Klay Thompson that sealed the game.

Should Clippers Nation be concerned? No need to hit the panic button just yet, but several things are clear in this opening post-season game:

Blake Griffin was sorely missed.

What is the most telling is that the Clippers are unable to fully compete against the Warriors without the eminent presence of Blake Griffin. Because of early foul trouble and only 19 minutes of game-time, Griffin was missed on both sides of the ball, leaving room for Jermaine O'Neal and Barnes to shine.

Chris Paul may arguably be one of the best point guards in the league but despite his ball-movement skills and 28-point game, he struggled when defended by Thompson, missing all five of his field goals in the first half against the 6' 7" guard. Paul will not be able to carry the Clippers with limited action from No. 32. Griffin will need to do what it takes to stay call-free even if it means making adjustments to his aggressive style of game.

The Clippers need an answer for David Lee.

Griffin on the bench for the majority of the game freed up the paint for David Lee to let loose. His agility is unparalleled and there is no question the guy can move the ball. He finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds. What is worrisome is that even with Griffin on the floor, Lee shined against the Clippers, scoring almost two points above his average for the season and seven points more than his average in the last 10 games played. If the Clippers are unable to defend Lee and shut down his production, it could spell trouble for them for the remainder of the series. 

The Warriors were the hungrier team.

They may be labeled as "small," but they were scrappy in Game 1. Being an underdog in a series has its advantages, namely, not taking any game for granted. Even with their 21 turnovers and loss of 16 offensive boards, they found a way to compensate. Thompson stepped up to the plate with 22 points alongside O'Neal, Barnes and Lee. Most notably, they killed the Clippers in rebounds 68-50.

In comparison, on the home team's side of the ball, the body language of Griffin and Paul on the bench in the latter half of the third quarter was telling. The normally jubilant duo looked utterly defeated. The front five struggled and had no production from the bench. Aside from Crawford's thrilling mid-court shot at the half, he went 2 for 11 for the night while Darren Collison looked green with a mere eight points. 

Ultimately, the Warriors played like they wanted the win more. Even when they struggled to maintain their lead late in the game, Mark Jackson's pep talk urging his squad to "finish it" was not lost on them.

If the Clippers plan to win this series and advance to the next round of the post-season, they will need to make some heavy adjustments. The Clippers were clearly not game-ready, but should come out guns blazing in Game 2 on Monday night.

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