NBA: A recap of last night’s California games featuring the Lakers, Clippers and Kings

I want to touch on Ben McLemore a little, as I thought the rookie played pretty well yesterday. I know he only had 6 points and 3 boards, only shot 40%, and almost made a bonehead play (the non foul on Lowry), but he gave me a little confidence yesterday. I think it really helped that he drilled his first shot, a three from the right corner (Amazingly, I expected the shot to go in), and I think it gave him some confidence the rest of the game. He followed this up with a nice layup in transition and seemed to have a confident bounce in his step the rest of the way. He also contributed 2 steals, a testament to the effort he puts in on the defensive end, and came up with a huge rebound with 35 seconds left that led to two Isaiah free throws that pushed the lead to seven. Right now this is all I want to see from Ben, hustle all over the floor and knocking down open jumpers, anything else is just icing on the cake.

Quick update on the Boogie effect on the Kings. They shot 51 free throws last night, more than double the Raptors total. When Boogie plays, it rubs off on Isaiah (15 free throws) and Rudy (11 free throws) so much because now the team is getting into the bonus so much earlier. This spikes the offensive efficiency greatly, especially when you only shoot 39% like last night.

Los Angeles Clippers 112 – 116 Miami Heat

LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat and Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers look on at Staples Center on February 5, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.

Dunks, on dunks, on dunks. This was certainly the theme of last night’s game, as two of the most athletic teams in the association got together for a highly entertaining battle. In the first quarter alone, Sportscenter’s Top 10 plays could have been filled as Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Blake Griffin took turns making players scurry away from the basket as they threw down thunderous slams. The Clips however had to fight an uphill battle all game, as they let the Heat score 36 points in the first on 16-23 shooting (15 assists), and the theme of ball movement and the open shots it generates were what ultimately brought the Clips down. They just weren’t able to slow down the finely tuned offensive machine that is the Heat offense, maybe because they have no faith in their backup bigs as Blake and DeAndre Jordan had to play 40+ intense minutes each.

Speaking of Blake, that guy has been a straight beast since Chris Paul went out, and yesterday was no different, as he dropped 43 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists. What has defined this great 17-game run for Blake, and really this whole season, is his improved decision making. It’s not so much that he was making bad decisions before, more so that they were made with such calculation on his part, which allowed the defense to get set and negate some of his athleticism. Now, he makes his decisions to shoot, pass, or drive so quickly, he gives himself more space to operate and also attacks a defense that is still in rotation as opposed to already set.

This is especially useful against the Heat who base their defense on scrambling and precise rotations, so in turn, Blake’s quick decision making made it nearly impossible for these rotations to be fully effective after a couple of passes. Hence, we get the Blake superstar game that is becoming more and more prevalent. If only the Clips had some backup bigs on the bench, even just one, I would be fully on the bandwagon because their starting bigs have made noticeable improvements this season.

A couple of notes on the game. First, DeAndre has taken the best pick and roll lob dunker away from Tyson Chandler. This guy has unbelievable body control for a seven footer and if the defense has no one in front of him, the Clips are throwing a lob and he is throwing it down. Yesterday, he had poor Norris Cole follow him down the lane and Darren Collison put up a perfect lob as DJ jumped in the air, did a half turn, and threw it down with his back to the basket. Welcome to his dunk party. The other notes are on Jamal Crawford who put in two shots that only Jamal does consistently. The first was a 28 footer over LeBron at the end of the first half, where he took only 3 dribbles before having to launch it seemingly up to the ceiling just to get it over LeBron’s out stretched arm. The second play was a classic Jamal jumper ending in a foul and 3-point play. He definitely flopped on the play, as there seemed to be no contact made by Ray Allen, and I hate floppers, but he made it look so elegant that I couldn’t help but marvel at his ridiculous tough-shot-making ability.

Look at the arc.