Clippers @ Suns 4-2-14

[Mainstreet]

The Clippers play the Suns in Phoenix tonight with an Arizona start time of 7 PM. This will be a tough game as it has playoff ramifications as well as the Suns remaining schedule. Blake Griffin will be a game time decision.

Five of the Suns remaining eight games are on the road including back to back games with San Antonio and Dallas in Texas.

See more from the Paul Coro article at azcentral dated 4-2-14.

Clippers (53-22) at Suns (44-30) … 7 p.m. Phoenix tip time

C: DeAndre Jordan … Miles Plumlee

PF: Blake Griffin or Jared Dudley … Channing Frye

SF: Matt Barnes … P.J. Tucker

SG: Darren Collison … Goran Dragic

PG: Chris Paul … Eric Bledsoe

Game updates: Suns take on Clippers at 7 p.m.

Key Clippers injuries: Blake Griffin (back spasms) will be a game-time decision. Jamal Crawford (sore left Achilles), Danny Granger (hamstring) and J.J. Redick (back spasms) are out.

Key Clippers reserves: Hedo Turkoglu, Reggie Bullock, Willie Green, Glen Davis, Ryan Hollins and Jared Dudley.

The Clippers have won 16 of their past 18 games, including the past three on the road, but could be going without Blake Griffin tonight due to back spasms. He is a game-time decision for a team that already will be without sixth man Jamal Crawford (18.6 points per game), starting guard J.J. Redick and midseason acquisition Danny Granger. The Suns beat the Clippers with Eric Bledsoe, their ex-backup point guard, on Dec. 30 but lost to the Clippers in the other two meetings that Bledsoe missed.

After losing a game that they said they need to win against the Lakers on Sunday, the Suns now are in the position of needing to steal some wins. Hornacek has moved the playoff-qualifying win target from 47 to 49 in the wicked West. That would require a 5-3 finish.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/coro...-clippers-game-preview-orange-slices/7221039/

 

[elindholm]

Hornacek has moved the playoff-qualifying win target from 47 to 49 in the wicked West.

Good for him, but 48 will probably be enough.

 

[Catlover]

Good for him, but 48 will probably be enough.

Every time I go over our respective schedules I come to the same conclusion. To me, there looks to be a better chance of us missing the playoffs with 49 wins than there is of us making the playoffs with 48. The Dallas loss last night helps a little but I think they still have 5 wins on their schedule and if one of those wins includes us, we'd need 50 to beat them out. Our only hope against the Grizzlies lies with us doing something we were unable to do when they were struggling and missing key players. They have owned us this season.

 

[sunsfan88]

It would be absurd if we win 50 and still don't make playoff. It would be absurd if any team wins 50 and still couldn't get into the playoffs.

 

[Mainstreet]

Good for him, but 48 will probably be enough.

I'm not planning for the Suns to make the playoffs so I have lowered my expectations. If they make the playoffs, great. If the Suns miss the playoffs, I have the lottery (no matter how miniscule their chances) to look forward too. Also I believe the Suns would minimally move up one notch in the draft if they fail to make the playoffs.

 

[elindholm]

Also I believe the Suns would minimally move up one notch in the draft if they fail to make the playoffs.

Actually they'd move up several, since if they do make the playoffs they'll have a better record than most of the playoff teams in the East -- quite possibly as many as six of them. If they finish with the 10th best W-L record in the league (8th in the West, and also behind Miami and Indiana), they'll pick 21st. If they finish best among lottery teams, they'll pick 14th.

 

[Catlover]

I'm not planning for the Suns to make the playoffs so I have lowered my expectations. If they make the playoffs, great. If the Suns miss the playoffs, I have the lottery (no matter how miniscule their chances) to look forward too. Also I believe the Suns would minimally move up one notch in the draft if they fail to make the playoffs.

I think we'd move up several notches if we missed the playoffs. If we miss the playoffs we'd draft before several teams in the East that have worse records than us but made it to the playoffs anyway. At least I think that's how it works.

 

[Catlover]

Obviously my house must be further away from the internets than elindholm's house, that's why his duplicate post beat mine to the board.

 

[Catlover]

I'm not planning for the Suns to make the playoffs so I have lowered my expectations. .

I don't think we have a chance of making the playoffs. At the start of the season I would have said we didn't stand a chance to win 35 games. I'm hoping my "not a chance" streak holds true to form.

 

[Mainstreet]

Actually they'd move up several, since if they do make the playoffs they'll have a better record than most of the playoff teams in the East -- quite possibly as many as six of them. If they finish with the 10th best W-L record in the league (8th in the West, and also behind Miami and Indiana), they'll pick 21st. If they finish best among lottery teams, they'll pick 14th.

I think we'd move up several notches if we missed the playoffs. If we miss the playoffs we'd draft before several teams in the East that have worse records than us but made it to the playoffs anyway. At least I think that's how it works.

I knew better but dare I say, I had a brain fart.

 

[Cheesebeef]

man, Frye is just useless.

 

[Mainstreet]

Channing Frye keeping the Suns lottery hopes alive.

 

[Catlover]

The Clippers brought their own refs with them. Couldn't we find any in Phoenix to call this game?

 

[Catlover]

man, Frye is just useless.

He is. He's moving as if he'd aged 20 years in three months. He should have been given some time off several weeks ago when it was clear he'd lost his legs. If I can see it sitting on my couch, Jeff has to be able to see it from the bench.

 

[Cheesebeef]

outside of that one clippers game when we just ran them off the court, I just never seem to see this team play well.

frustrating.

 

[SirStefan32]

Dragic is doing his best Frye impersonation tonight. He must have had 3 or 4 bricks in the first quarter.

 

[Cheesebeef]

STUPID.

ugh.

 

[SirStefan32]

My God, Bledsoe's basketball IQ is about as high as Beasley's.

 

[Mainstreet]

Bledsoe hitting something hard after getting his third personal foul, getting a technical and watching that max contract fly away.

 

[Catlover]

My God, Bledsoe's basketball IQ is about as high as Beasley's.

???

 

[SirStefan32]

Bledsoe hitting something hard after getting his third personal foul, getting a technical and watching that max contract fly away.

I just hope McD and Babby are not stupid enough to give him anything near max.

 

[SirStefan32]

???

What? Three stupid fouls, along with a technical in eight minutes. Are you not watching the game?

 

[ProdigalSun]

at least the Morrii showed up today

 

[Catlover]

What? Three stupid fouls, along with a technical in eight minutes. Are you not watching the game?

Apparently not the same one you are. I just watched him pick up two BS calls. Acting by Paul and acting by Dudley earned him those calls and it pissed him off.

 

[SirStefan32]

Apparently not the same one you are. I just watched him pick up two BS calls. Acting by Paul and acting by Dudley earned him those calls and it pissed him off.

I guess we really are not watching the same game. We'll agree to disagree on all things Bledsoe.