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January 5th, 2013
 Los Angeles Clippers Partner Barrys Ticket Service Staples Center “Barrys Ticket Service is proud to be an Official Partner with the Los Angeles Clippers for over three years now, Its been a wonderful oppurtunity for us to partner with a great orginization such as the Clippers”.
We offer the largest inventory of Clippers Tickets at the Staples Center anywhere. We also have No Hidden Fees or Service Charges on our tickets.
For your convince you can pick up your Clippers Tickets at our downtown office located accross the street from the Staples Center:
Barry’s Ticket Service
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(across from the Staples Center inside the Luxe City Center)
Open 7 days a week, 10am – 9pm, for pickups.
(213)749-0057
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Tags: Barrys Ticket Service, Facebook discounts, los angeles, Offical Partner of Los Angeles Clippers, staples center, Win Tickets
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By
Chris Cabrera
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January 3rd, 2013
 Staples Center LA Lakers For the LA Lakers, it has been a frustrating and controversial season up to this point. They were the big story during the off-season past, after making the huge acquisitions of All-Star center Dwight Howard and also veteran point guard Steve Nash. They also added some great role players like Jodie Meeks and Antawn Jamison and even Jordan Hill while in the meantime they retained their core players, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Metta World Piece. Every media, newspaper and TV show stated that the Lakers looked unbeatable in paper. They were supposed to be one of the few teams in the entire NBA that could contend for a title against the Champions Miami Heat. They, together with the Oklahoma City Thunder looked to have all the pieces set to chase a ring. However, the reality was vastly different for the team.
The beginning of the season was disappointing and the Lakers lost 4 out of their 5 first games. That led to the immediate firing of Coach Mike Brown, who was to blame for the team’s ineffective way of play. On top of this, the injury of Steve Nash after appearing in just 2 games was devastating for the Lakers. In addition, Dwight Howard came back to action after a serious back injury. Things continued to go south for LA, as they lost also backup point guard who torn an abdominal muscle and had to undergo surgery. The sophomore Darius Morris suddenly stepped into the power rotation, but the difference between him and Nash or Blake was obvious in the game play. The team continued to struggle on both ends of the floor, committing many turnovers and not finding its offensive rhythm, even after the new Coach Mike D’Antoni took over. Despite the winning record being slightly improved, the Lakers continued to struggle and hover over and under 0.500. It is very unusual to see the LA Lakers lying under the 8th seed at the Conference Standings. Pau Gasol was injured with a tendonitis and remained sidelined for eight games. His performance this season did not match the great expectations every Lakers fan had, but that was just another drawback to the team’s general appearance.
The end of 2012 found the Lakers on the verge of 0.500 with a 15-15 record. Of course things got better for them after both Nash and Gasol got back from the injuries. The Lakers won a tough derby against the New York Knicks, at a game that marked Nash’s return. It was a momentum victory for them.
Of course it’s normal for a team with so many new roster acquisitions to be in a bonding stage for a short period of time. However, the Lakers have to rush this stage and balance their way of play as we approach the Playoffs. Steve Nash is almost 39 years old, Kobe turned 34 this summer and also Gasol is 32. With this aging roster and 1-2 years possibly this team stays together, the Lakers are in a win-now situation. That’s why in 2013 they have to fight their way back and re-enter their way of chasing a championship.
Barry’s Ticket Service
1020 S. Figueroa, Los Angeles, CA 90015
(across from the Staples Center inside the Luxe City Center)
Open 7 days a week, 10am – 9pm, for pickups.
(213)749-0057
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Tags: 2012, Dwight Howard, Lakers Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol, staples center, Steve Nash
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Chris Cabrera
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December 29th, 2012
The hottest team in the NBA this season, the Los Angeles Clippers, almost had their 15-game winning streak broken by the Utah Jazz, but Chris Paul made sure that would not happen. He scored the last 7 points for his team, including some clutch free throws. In addition, the great defense from Matt Barnes down to the final seconds forced a tough shot from Randy Foye that could have won the game for the Jazz, but didn’t connect thus giving the Clips the win over the Jazz by two points, 116-114.
Foye, with 28 points on 5/9 shooting from 3-point range, was determined to break the streak of his former team. He led his team in scoring and had a great shooting game, going 8-13 from the field. Al Jefferson and Gordon Hayward also had a good performance 22 and 17 points respectively for the Jazz. Despite scoring 114 points in the game and shooting a tremendous 60% from beyond the arc, the Jazz couldn’t capitalize in the end. The lead for the most part of the game and in fact had a burst 2nd quarter scoring 36 points and in the meantime holding their opponents to 19.
The Clippers were up by just 1 with 23” to go in the game and that was when Chris Paul took over. He scored a free-throw line jumper after a signature crossover dribble to allowed him to get open. At the next possession he got fouled and made 1 of two from the charity stripe to put his team up by two, 114-112. However, Blake Griffin fouled Al Jefferson while trying to rebound the ball and Big Al made both free throws that tied the game. Paul then got fouled and this time he didn’t miss from the free throw line, putting his team up by two, 116-114. That ended to be the final score of the game, after Foye’s desperate three pointer that didn’t go. He was defended with mastery by Matt Barnes, who continues to deliver great performances for his team. This time he stayed low on scoring, just 6 points, but his great defense on the last possession was the determining factor for the outcome of the game.
Paul led all scorers with 29 points to go along with 6 assists. Griffin finished with 22 and grabbed 13 rebounds. All starters for the Clippers finished in double figures. “We just got stops, defensively. They were hitting shots, we got stops and then we started hitting shots. Everything is going to balance out. Some nights you are not going to have it all four quarters. You might have it one or two and you have to make the most out of it and that is what we did.” ,said star forward Blake Griffin.
The Jazz and the Clippers face each other again on Sunday night, at their last game for the year at the Staples Center.
Barry’s Ticket Service
1020 S. Figueroa, Los Angeles, CA 90015
(across from the Staples Center inside the Luxe City Center)
Open 7 days a week, 10am – 9pm, for pickups.
(213)749-0057
Tags: los angeles, Los Angeles Clippers Vs Utah Jazz, staples center, Win Streak
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Chris Cabrera
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December 25th, 2012
Once again the Clips showed their teeth and won easily on the road by double digits to record their 13th straight win and the six consecutive on the road. They have already broken their all-time winning record with their last win against the Sacramento Kings. “We hear it all but we’re about just getting these wins and if they come within a streak or when we haven’t won somewhere, that’s fine.” said star forward Blake Griffin after the game. He led all scorers with 23 and some monster dunks during the game. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and made once again clear that he is capable to retain his all-star level gameplay and help his team reach its goals this season. He was successful on 7 of his 11 attempts from the field and also hit a 3-pointer in his 32-minute performance. For yet another time, Clippers Head coach did a great job distributing minutes effectively between the starters and the bench. “I thought our starters did a good job in the first quarter and then our second quarter, we jumped on them” , commented Clippers Coach Vinnie Del Negro.
Chris Paul also had a great game with 17 points and 13 assists. The usual suspects off the bench, Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes contributed as well as they normally do combining for 37 points. The team shot an overall 55.2% from three point range, 11-21 and also made 38 shots from the field in 71 attempts, 53.5%, while holding their opponents to just 36.3% and a disappointing 3-17 from beyond the arc. Although the Suns had a good start and were up 14-12, two made shots from downtown from Caron Butler boosted the score to 50-69 for the Clips but they didn’t stop there and continued to make it a 31 point game, 60-91 in the end of the third period.
It was a rather non-flattering performance for the Suns, who were left wide open on defense in many times and turned the ball over allowing their opponents to score easy baskets. Jared Dudley had a team-high 19 points and Luis Scola finished with 11, while the rest of the team ended up in single digits. The Suns tied their season low in points scored. Head Coach Alvin Gentry was ejected with 2:33 left in the first half, after receiving two consecutive technical fouls. Six technical fouls were issued to both teams during the first three quarters.
Phoenix played without their star forward Michael Beasly and knew even before the game that this one would be tough for them. The Clippers are still playing without Chauncey Billups and Grant Hill, who both are sidelined with injuries. During their winning streak, they have won by an average of 13 points, four of them are with a 20+ points difference.
The Clippers play in front of their home crowd at Christmas against the Nuggets and then face the Boston Celtics at the Staples Center on Thursday. Last two games of the year are against the Utah Jazz, first one away and the last one, Sunday December 30th at Staples Center. Phoenix plays home on Wednesday night against the Knicks.
Barrys Tickets is an official partner of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Barry’s Ticket Service
1020 S. Figueroa, Los Angeles, CA 90015
(across from the Staples Center inside the Luxe City Center)
Open 7 days a week, 10am – 9pm, for pickups.
(888)749-8499
Tags: Clippers Record Staples Center, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, staples center
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Chris Cabrera
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December 25th, 2012
After a long period of difficulties the Lakers got back in the victories this last week. Finally resurrection time may have come for LA, who last Thursday was at a tough position with a 9-14 record. 10 days and four wins after, the team has finally broken out of the slump and is happy to welcome Steve Nash back.
Nash, who missed 24 games with a broken leg returned in the starting lineup at Saturday’s match against the surprising Warriors. It has been a really long wait for the two-time MPV but his impact on the team’s playing style was obvious right from the start. He finished with 12 points to go along with many assists. But the truth is that the numbers don’t tell the whole story. The whole style changes on offense with Nash on the floor who does what he knows best, creating plays for his teammates and the Lakers in fact do have some of the greatest finishers in the league in Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard.
The victories started even before Nash’s return. The Lakers survived in late game situations in most of their last wins. First one against the Wizards last Friday when they won 102-96 holding off a 27 point fourth quarter from their opponents. Lakers scored only 19 during the last 12 minutes. Next stop was Philadelphia against the Sixers, when LA broke out and won easily 111-98. Bryant finished had another high scoring game with 34 and Metta World Piece had a career high 16 rebounds to go along with 19 points, quite a performance for him. Then it was a comeback in the last quarter that saved the day for the Lakers, who took 101-100 the Bobcats at a game with a dramatic finale. The Bobcats had the chance to win the game but missed on 3 consecutive tries in the last 10 seconds thus throwing the victory to their opponents. Last game of the week came on Saturday night for the Lakers. It came down to the overtime but the Lakers escaped with a 118-115 win against the Warriors. It was another good game from Kobe Bryant who led all scorers with 34 points and of course noticeable for the night, Steve Nash’s return to the team.
The encouraging fact for Lakers fans is that things may actually get better for the team. Now, with Nash and also Gasol back from injuries, the team may show its real capabilities. Now it’s time for them to prove that the expectations during the off-season, when all the stars met in LA, were not too high. They are just one win behind the psychological border of 0.500 that could trigger a burst of momentum for the Lakers. They will surely need that going in 2013 and as playoff time is approaching. Of course there is a lot of work ahead and the road will not be easy for them.
Next up for the Lakers they play on Christmas day against the New York Knicks at home and then travel to Denver to face the Nuggets. Last game of the year is Friday night in front of the Staples Center crowd against the Portland Trailblazers.
Barry’s Ticket Service
1020 S. Figueroa, Los Angeles, CA 90015
(across from the Staples Center inside the Luxe City Center)
Open 7 days a week, 10am – 9pm, for pickups.
(888)749-8499
Tags: Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, staples center, Steve Nash
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By
Chris Cabrera
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December 22nd, 2012
Things keep going better and better each week for the Los Angeles Clippers. After breaking the all time franchise winning streak record with their 12th coming on Friday against the Sacramento Kings, the Clippers are ready to move even further. The team plays in an enjoyable but also effective way and keeps fans wanting more. With 3 wins this past week, one on the road at Detroit against the Pistons and two at the Staples Center facing the Hornets and the Kings, the Clippers now lie on the second seed in the conference with a 20-6 record. They are just one game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, who lead the entire NBA record wise. The time that the franchise will rejoice watching its team constantly winning games has eventually arrived. It’s been a long wait for the fans and the team’s staff but the satisfaction maybe double, because not only the team is doing well but also the city rivals, Lakers, are in one of their toughest seasons of the last years.
“Most of those guys have been here through tougher times,” said Chris Paul and added ” So it’s been exciting for me in the short amount of time I’ve been here, especially knowing some of the people who have been with the team for 25 or 30 years and the season-ticket holders. But we can’t be satisfied. We’ve got to keep it going.” The previous record was held back during the 1974-75 when current Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro was 8 years old.
Blake Griffin is improving his numbers game by game, averaging a something more than 28 PPG and almost 9 Rebounds. The fellow star, Chris Paul is also providing a huge help distributing more than 9 assists per game while scoring 16 PPG. Matt Barnes proved to be a pleasant surprise for the Clippers and has given his teams really valuable minutes off the bench especially the past week.
The fact is that the schedule included several games against weak opponents the past two weeks, but that doesn’t deduct any of value from the team’s success. The goal for the Clips now is set high and they may actually find themselves fighting to clinch the first seed before the New Year comes. Head Coach Vinny Del Negro stated after the last game
“I think the guys are learning and understanding what it takes to play at a high level consistently. It’s a good thing to have a target on your back, but that also brings a responsibility to play at a high level as often as possible.”
The Clippers will finish the year with 2 games on the road and 3 at home. On Sunday night they play at Phoenix and then play two in a row at the Staples Center against the Denver Nuggets the Celtics respectively. The last two games are against the Utah Jazz, first one on Friday on the road and the on Sunday 30th at home.
BarrysTickets.com is an official partner with the LA Clippers. You can purchase All Clippers Games with no service charges, or hidden fee’s at Barrys.
Barry’s Ticket Service
1020 S. Figueroa, Los Angeles, CA 90015
(across from the Staples Center inside the Luxe City Center)
Open 7 days a week, 10am – 9pm, for pickups.
(888)749-8499
Tags: Los Angeles Clippers, staples center, Win Streak
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By
Chris Cabrera
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December 19th, 2012
The Los Angeles Clippers have been hot like fire the last couple of weeks. They are in a 10-game winning streak, the longest for the team since the franchise move to LA and need one more game to tie the 11 wins in a row that the team achieved back in 1974 as the Buffalo Braves. The truth is that it should be no surprise that the team plays in such a good rhythm and wins games. After all the beginning of the season was spectacular for them going 8-2. But what has really changed this season and the team seems to play with such confidence and energy, comparing to last season and the years before?
Well, the team is surely more bonded this year and many of the players have individually improved greatly since then. Both offensively and on defense, every player that’s one the floor is putting up his best performance. We’ve seen an amazing season up to now from Matt Barnes. He’s most probably undervalued due to the lack of big numbers in the stats board. However, his great hustle and the energy he brings to the floor make him a valuable piece off the bench for the Clippers. He has proven to be another positive surprise for Vinnie Del Negro up to this point of the season. Eric Bledsoe has also picked up his game since last season. In fact he continues his great playoff appearances from last year, cutting down turnovers and having a great impact on scoring. Maybe the biggest surprise is DeAndre Jordan who has become a top defensive player and also contributes on offense with some terrific post moves we’ve seen. The future for the 24-year old center is subjected to be bright for him if he stays healthy and having in mind the lack of true centers in the league. His fit alongside Blake Griffin seems to work perfectly for the Clippers up to now and in fact each one almost completes the others game. Griffin has finally found his beastly-self playing like a true superstar and not as another underrated highflyer, as many opponent fans noticed during the losses of the team. Of course Chris Paul’s contribution is another great factor for the Clippers’ winning run. With 16 PPG, 9.3 assists and 2.3 steals he seems rather comfortable with his game, ready to hit the clutch shot and lead his team on the top of the western conference.
There also seems to be another great factor that helps LA win games. That is the contribution of the bench. It may sound a matter of minor importance but in fact it is the bench that locked many of the wins for the team and not only that. It’s vital for Vinnie Del Negro and every coach to know that he can trust his role players every time he has to rest the starters. In fact the Clippers’ bench is surely over delivering. Two of the top 5 scorers of the team are reserves and in fact Jamaal Crawford is second with 16.5 PPG.
Generally, this great winning streak the Clippers are in, is the combination of terrific individual efforts and improvements from most of the players of the roster and the simple yet effective tactics that Coach Vinnie Del Negro has put up. He just gives the freedom to his point guards to serve dishes and easy baskets to their teammates and create open looks for themselves, too. It has worked pretty well for the Clippers team up to now. Let’s see if they can continue to put the numbers they are doing right now and get on winning more games.
Barry’s Ticket Service
1020 S. Figueroa, Los Angeles, CA 90015
(across from the Staples Center inside the Luxe City Center)
Open 7 days a week, 10am – 9pm, for pickups.
(888)749-8499
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Tags: Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers, staples center
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By
Chris Cabrera
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November 20th, 2012
 Bon Jovi Staples Center Los Angeles The 2013 Bon Jovi tour begins Feb. 9 in Uncasville, Conn., and will play mostly arenas in North America, though there are several stadium shows on the route, including a two-night stand at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., the band’s home state. The band will also play Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., and Ford Field in Detroit.
Bon Jovi will be playing the Los Angeles Staples Center on April 19th 2013.
Bon Jovi 2013 “Because We Can – The Tour” North American dates:
Feb 09: Uncasville, Conn. (Mohegan Sun)
Feb 10: Washington, D.C. (Verizon Center)
Feb 13: Montreal (Bell Centre)
Feb 14: Montreal (Bell Centre)
Feb 17: Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
Feb 18: Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
Feb 20: Ottawa, ONT (Scotiabank Place)
Feb 21: Pittsburgh (Consol Energy Center)
Feb 27: Atlanta (Philips Arena)
Mar 01: Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Bay Times Forum)
Mar 02: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (BB&T Center)
Mar 05: Charlotte, N.C. (Time Warner Cable Arena)
Mar 06: Nashville (Bridgestone Arena)
Mar 09: Cleveland (Quicken Loans Arena)
Mar 10: Columbus (Nationwide Arena)
Mar 13: St Louis (Scottrade Center)
Mar 14: Louisville, Ky. (KFC Yum! Center)
Mar 16: Oklahoma City (Chesapeake Energy Arena)
Apr 02: Calgary, Alberta (Scotiabank Saddledome)
Apr 03: Edmonton, Alberta (Rexall Place)
Apr 05: Winnipeg, Manitoba (MTS Centre)
Apr 07: St Paul, Minn. (Xcel Energy Center)
Apr 10: Austin, Texas (Frank Erwin Center)
Apr 11: Dallas (American Airlines Center)
Apr 13: Kansas City, Mo. (Sprint Center)
Apr 14: Des Moines, Iowa (Wells Fargo Arena)
Apr 16: Denver (Pepsi Center)
Apr 17: Salt Lake City (EnergySolutions Arena)
Apr 19: Los Angeles (Staples Center)
Apr 20: Las Vegas (MGM Grand Garden Arena)
Apr 23: Glendale, Ariz. (Jobing.com Arena)
Apr 25: San Jose, Calif. (HP Pavilion)
Jul 12: Chicago (Soldier Field)
Jul 24: East Rutherford, N.J. (MetLife Stadium)
Jul 25: East Rutherford, N.J. (MetLife Stadium)
The tour will also hit the following cities, with additional details to come:
Buffalo, N.Y.
Jacksonville, Fla.
Lubbock, Texas
Memphis, Tenn.
Milwaukee, Wis.
Philadelphia
Portland, Ore.
Raleigh, N.C.
Tags: Bon Jovi 2013 Concert Tour, Denver, Las Vegas, los angeles, New York, staples center
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By
Chris Cabrera
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November 16th, 2012
It’s early in the season but not too early to see a clear theme taking shape. The Clippers are legit and clearly the best basketball team that currently occupies the Staples Center. They’ve now run off four consecutive big wins against the Spurs, Grizzlies, Hawks and Heat, with the seven point margin over the Heat being the smallest margin in those four wins. Those previous four games, like last night against the Miami Heat, weren’t really all that close.
The most impressive part of the win streak is the types of teams they’re beating, matching up effectively with all of them. The Clippers can match the Spurs bench and versatility. They can match the Grizzlies superior size and strength inside. Last night they overpowered the small-ball heat with a dominating combination of size and quickness inside, depth off the bench and versatile perimeter play. Pick your style and this deep Clippers team can match it.
Last night was another impressive step in the evolution of Blake Griffin as a complete player. When his spot up jumper is falling he’s un-defendable. If the defender tries to come out and defend his jump shot he can easily blow past any four or five in the league. Try to cover him in the post? He can easily overpower smaller bigs like Chris Bosh. Try to cover him with Shane Battier? Good luck.
Beyond Griffin several others things stood out on the Clippers side yesterday, most notably the Clippers bench. Eric Bledsoe’s block on Dwyane Wade will make all the highlight reels and rightfully so. According to Twitter Lebron called Bledsoe “Little Lebron” following his performance. Highlight reel aside Bledsoe is quickly becoming a game-changing difference maker off the bench with his phenomenal athleticism and ability to get to the rim. He provides a perfect change of pace with Chris Paul, not giving teams any break when Paul gets a rest.
Bledsoe is just part of the story when it comes to the Clippers reserves. Matt Barnes and Jamal Crawford have stepped up huge in recent games. The Clippers second unit has a great balance of offensive threats (Crawford), defensive stoppers (Barnes) and size and strength (Ronny Turiaf and Ryan Hollins). Early on there were questions about how Del Negro would mold this unit together. The roles are now being clearly defined and the argument can be made that the Clippers are now the deepest team in basketball.
A couple of early losses aside when power ranking the west the argument has to be made that the Clippers are the top team. Of course it’s a long season and injuries can happen, with Griffin and Chris Paul both being somewhat injury prone in the past. Still, unforseen injury aside the Clippers are going to be a forced to be reckoned with and are real contenders—and the top team in LA. Hopefully the LA media will get off the Lakers soap opera a bit and realize the story that’s brewing in Clipperland.
As far as the Heat are concerned it’s not surprising they lost to the Clippers in LA, something they’ve done in all three years of the Lebron James Heat era. The fashion in which the Heat lost that has to concern Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra. Like in Memphis and Houston on this current road trip the Heat displayed a lack of intensity on defense. The good thing for Heat fans is that the defensive intensity can be ratcheted up. The big factor that has to concern Heat Nation is the play of Dwayne Wade who just isn’t the same player. The second thing that jumped out is how another team was able to exploit the Heat’s “small ball”. Like Memphis earlier on the road trip it’s pretty clear that a team with dominant big men can exploit a lineup that sometimes employs Shane Battier at power forward. If Memphis or the Clippers find a way to get into the finals they could very well give the Heat quite a series.
Tickets for all Los Angeles Clippers home games are instock and onsale now.
Tags: LA Staples Center, los angeles, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs
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By
Chris Cabrera
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November 15th, 2012
This was clearly a pretty important game for the Lakers. They played with a lot of intensity and urgency. Unfortunately many of the ills that befell them thus far this season reared their head again—turnovers, missed foul shots and poor late game execution.
Last night was another game where the Lakers couldn’t hit the big shot when they needed to down the stretch. Danny Green stepped up and hit a big three to put the Spurs up by 2. The best the Lakers could do on the other end was a desperation Gasol three. Granted the Spurs did a great job locking down the passing lanes and not really giving Gasol an option, but the execution was poor. The desperation three was something you’d expect from a young team, not the most veteran team in the league.
Offensively the Lakers lack of a perimeter game allowed the Spurs to double Howard in the paint. The Spurs pressure forced Howard into six turnovers and several other wasted possessions where the Lakers threw up less than an ideal shot. You have to wonder how healthy Howard is at this point. He’s clearly not playing up to his standard defensively and doesn’t have the explosiveness yet. Until the Lakers prove they can consistently hit a jump shot teams are going to continue to double-team Howard, forcing him to do a lot of work inside and probably not the best for his recovery from surgery. If he has to expend so much energy on the offensive end how will his defense not suffer?
The Lakers lack of bench was again a factor in the sheer number of minutes the top unit played. The foursome of Gasol, Howard, Bryant and World Peace averaged 38 minutes between them with Howard playing 41 minutes. Contrast this to the Spurs starting five who averaged just 31 minutes. Whether it’s Bernie Bickerstaff or Mike Brown there’s simply no confidence in the Lakers bench players. With Mike D’Antoni and his high-octane offense coming in its questionable how five players over thirty-two years old will hold up over the long run.
Bickerstaff only went nine deep in the rotation with three of those bench players (Chris Duhon, Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks) going a combined -22. Contrast this with the Spurs Bench that went a combined +23. Although these numbers don’t necessarily take into account the natural ebb and flow of the game the Spurs there was a +45 bench swing in favor of the Spurs. Pop was able to play is starters limited minutes and get quality from the bench.
There’s really no relief in sight for the top unit. Antawn Jamison is clearly diminished as a player and at thirty-six likely has nothing left in the tank. There are Steve Blake trade rumors but who are they really going to get for Steve Blake at this point? On his podcast Bill Simmons floated the idea of a package deal that would bring Josh Smith to LA. Smith would clearly fit in the D’Antoni system, but what would motivate the Hawks to make that trade? They’d get some value for Smith when it’s questionable whether they can re-sign them. Gasol’s contract would also give them cap flexibility in the near future as well as an elite center to combine with Al Horford. It’s a compelling idea if they can pull it off.
We’ll sit back and see what happens when D’Antoni takes over. He’ll have his work cut out for him.
Tags: Lakers Vs Spurs, los angeles, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, staples center
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Chris Cabrera
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