2015 NBA Playoff Previews: Los Angeles Clippers vs. San Antonio Spurs
By Ian Levy
Now that the regular season has ended, we’ve switched into playoff mode here at Friendly Bounce. To kick off our coverage, we’re bringing you some unique previews of every series. You’ll find a #10WordRecap of each team’s season, a recap of their season using emojis, important Vines, and reasons why they will, and won’t, win their first-round matchup.
Los Angeles Clippers (3): By Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg)
#10WordRecap
Chris Paul takes no prisoners he will punch your nuts
Emoji Recap
CENSORED {Ed. note: it was a giant middle finger}
Three Most Important Vines
Oops
DAJ for three?!?
Yeeeeshhhhhh
https://vine.co/v/O2jPFxYraWF
“Woke up an optimist. Sun was shining, I’m positive.” The Clippers will win because…
The first few minutes won’t be a problem. Chris Paul might be the best player on the floor (unless Kawhi goes full hands mode) and the front line of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin are devastatingly athletic enough to put a dent in what the Spurs are trying to do. Heck, they may even be able to put together a lead. That is, until the benches get involved. If the Spurs are the deepest team in the NBA, the Clippers are the opposite. However, if Doc and the Clips can slow the game down and maneuver the fewest amount of possessions while CP3, DJ and Blake are out, they could steal a game and the series.
“Too many Urkels on your team that’s why your wins low.” The Clippers will lose because…
Let me set the scene here: The Clippers lead the Spurs 18-12 with six minutes left in the first quarter. CP3, Jordan and Griffin are set to come out and Hedo Turkoglu and Glen Davis are checking in at the scorers table. Meanwhile, the Spurs are about to send in Manu Ginobili and Boris Diaw. Unfortunately for the Clips, substitutions are a part of the game. When that happens, they don’t have the versatility or depth to keep up with San Antonio. Gregg Popovich has options. He can throw Kawhi Leonard or Danny Green at Paul while maintaining his offensive fire power with Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. Doc Rivers doesn’t have that luxury. The Clippers go at one speed and if it’s not working they could crash.
San Antonio Spurs (6): By Ian Dougherty (@IanDougherty)
#10WordRecap
First they were injured. Now healthy, they kill everything.
Emoji Recap
Three Most Important Vines
Pop wishing Sager well
Count the rings
Manuuuuuuu
“Woke up an optimist. Sun was shining, I’m positive.” The Spurs will win because…
Kawhi Leonard has a tendency to go nuts versus the Clippers, and considering how well he’s played for the last month and a half, that should be the case for this entire series. Oh, and they’ll Hack-A-DAJ. The Spurs will be able to build a house and live in it with all of his bricks from the foul line.
“Too many Urkels on your team that’s why your wins low.” The Spurs will lose because…
Chris Paul is a tenacious pit-bull of a point guard, and his post-All-Star break numbers are out of this world. He and the uber-athletic post duo of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan should be able to get points at the rim versus a less-athletically-inclined Spurs team. The Spurs also constantly have trouble defending scoring sixth men, so look for Jamal Crawford to have a big series as well.