I waited until 2 to do this. I do not see any others here.
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YAHOO LA Clippers at Phoenix
Preview Game Info: 10:30 pm EDT Wed May 10, 2006
TV: TNT PLAYOFF SERIES: Western Conference semifinals; Suns lead 1-0.
The Los Angeles Clippers showed they can play an up-tempo style. They're just not as good at it as the Phoenix Suns.
While the Suns look for another high-scoring affair, the Clippers may attempt to slow things down as they try to avoid heading home facing an 0-2 deficit in this Western Conference semifinal series.
Including three victories over the Los Angeles Lakers as it came back from a 3-1 deficit to advance past the first round, the Suns have averaged 122.8 points over the last four games. The highest total during that stretch for Phoenix, which averaged a league-high 108.4 points during the regular season, came Monday in a 130-123 victory over Los Angeles in Game 1.
"To get the tempo in our favor we really need to limit our quick shots," said Clippers forward Elton Brand, who scored a team playoff-record 40 points on 18-of-22 shooting. "That is their game plan. It can't be fools' gold. We need to take it down and run our plays."
Sam Cassell added 28 points and the Clippers shot 59 percent from the field, but they were just 4-of-12 from 3-point range while Phoenix hit 12-of-27. The Suns shot 54 percent overall and had five players score at least 17 points, including 31 from league MVP Steve Nash to go with his game-high 12 assists.
"We're getting better. I think we're getting more balanced," Nash said. "Obviously, there's Leandro (Barbosa), Boris (Diaw's) confidence just keeps growing, and making us deeper. They're giving us more weapons, so our offense is definitely playing with the tempo, confidence and rhythm that we need to be."
While Diaw and Shawn Marion were unable to slow down Brand, that frontcourt duo for Phoenix did combine for 39 points, 20 rebounds and eight assists.
Marion has four double-doubles in the last five games after having none in Phoenix's first three playoff games. Diaw has scored at least 19 points in five straight games, also averaging 7.4 assists and 6.2 rebounds in that span.
Barbosa is providing a big lift off the bench, seemingly regaining his confidence after struggling early in the Lakers' series. He's averaged 21.7 points over the last three games, making 23-of-31 (74 percent) from the floor.
"As long as we're balanced, we're tough to beat," Suns forward James Jones said. "But when we start becoming one and two dimensional and our scoring is lopsided, it kind of screws us up."
Consistent driving to the basket by Barbosa and Nash was a problem all night for the Clippers, who were outscored 48-42 in the paint despite having a big size advantage with the Suns missing forwards Kurt Thomas and Amare Stoudemire.
"We just didn't do a good enough job while they were penetrating in the paint," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "They made their 3-point shots. From our standpoint, offensively, we executed well, put up the points, we shot a high percentage but they are controlling the paint better than we are."
Dunleavy's team held the Denver Nuggets to 87.4 points per contest, 13 below their season average, as the Clippers won their first-round series 4-1.
While limiting Phoenix to such a low average seems highly unlikely, the Clippers do feel they can prevent the Suns from penetrating so easily and avoid sending them to the free-throw line too often. Phoenix is shooting 90.2 percent at the foul line in the postseason, including a 24-of-25 (96.0 percent) performance Monday.
The Suns scored an average of 98 points in two losses to the Clippers during the regular season, compared to 119 in two wins.
The series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Friday.
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Clippers - 6th seed; beat Denver Nuggets 4-1, first round.
Suns - 2nd seed; beat Los Angeles Lakers 4-3, first round.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Clippers - F Quinton Ross, F Brand, C Chris Kaman, G Cuttino Mobley, G Cassell.
Suns - F Jones, F Marion, C Diaw, G Nash, G Raja Bell.
PLAYOFF TEAM LEADERS:
Clippers - Brand, 21.5 ppg and 9.8 rpg; Shaun Livingston, 6.5 apg.
Suns - Nash, 23.3 ppg and 9.9 apg; Marion, 10.1 rpg.
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ESPN
Updated: May 10, 2006, 9:18 AM ET
Scouting report: Clippers vs. Suns Game 2
Scouts Inc.
Round 2 Scouting reports Clippers-Suns
Phoenix Offense: The Suns controlled the pace of Game 1 for the entire 48 minutes. If they continue to dictate the pace of the game, it's going to be a quick series. Phoenix had its way with the Clippers in the half-court sets. The Suns ran multiple pick-and-rolls and used their quickness. The Clippers' defenders were out of position due to overpursuing and rushing to get in front of the ballhandler.
Expect to see more of Suns big man Boris Diaw creating off the dribble and using his athleticism against a slower Chris Kaman. Diaw can get to the hoop whenever he wants, or he can penetrate and pass to an outside shooter.
Phoenix Defense: In Game 1, the Suns were very active with their double teams against both Elton Brand and Kaman. They extended probably a little farther than they need to on Kaman, but the energy level was outstanding. There is no one player who can stop Elton Brand, but look for the Suns to switch defenders on him throughout Game 2 to give him different looks. Phoenix should make it a priority to "chip" Brand on his way down the court, constantly putting a body on him when he crosses the free-throw line.
Los Angeles Offense: Slow Down! The Clippers have the athletes to get out and run, but no team can beat the Suns playing at their pace. Los Angeles was in such a hurry to respond with scoring that they wasted too many possessions.
Sam Cassell needs to step up when he senses his team's erratic play and calm everybody down. You don't need to be Red Auerbach to see that the Suns have no match for Brand, who shot 18-of-22 from the floor. It will be hard to match that efficiency in Game 2, but EB will get the majority of the Clippers' shots.
Los Angeles Defense: Look for the Clippers to go small and have more quick players on the floor to match up with the Suns. Los Angeles ran a lineup of Cassell, Brand, Shaun Livingston, Corey Maggette and Vladimir Radmanovic late in Game 1. This could be effective against Phoenix's quicker frontcourt players.
The Clippers have to fight through picks better and not get caught out of position so much in their man-to-man defense. In Game 1, the Suns waited for the Clippers' defenders to run toward them on the perimeter -- and then dribbled right past the defender as his momentum took him out of the play.
Pick: Clippers in six.
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SAY WHAT!!
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YAHOO LA Clippers at Phoenix
Preview Game Info: 10:30 pm EDT Wed May 10, 2006
TV: TNT PLAYOFF SERIES: Western Conference semifinals; Suns lead 1-0.
The Los Angeles Clippers showed they can play an up-tempo style. They're just not as good at it as the Phoenix Suns.
While the Suns look for another high-scoring affair, the Clippers may attempt to slow things down as they try to avoid heading home facing an 0-2 deficit in this Western Conference semifinal series.
Including three victories over the Los Angeles Lakers as it came back from a 3-1 deficit to advance past the first round, the Suns have averaged 122.8 points over the last four games. The highest total during that stretch for Phoenix, which averaged a league-high 108.4 points during the regular season, came Monday in a 130-123 victory over Los Angeles in Game 1.
"To get the tempo in our favor we really need to limit our quick shots," said Clippers forward Elton Brand, who scored a team playoff-record 40 points on 18-of-22 shooting. "That is their game plan. It can't be fools' gold. We need to take it down and run our plays."
Sam Cassell added 28 points and the Clippers shot 59 percent from the field, but they were just 4-of-12 from 3-point range while Phoenix hit 12-of-27. The Suns shot 54 percent overall and had five players score at least 17 points, including 31 from league MVP Steve Nash to go with his game-high 12 assists.
"We're getting better. I think we're getting more balanced," Nash said. "Obviously, there's Leandro (Barbosa), Boris (Diaw's) confidence just keeps growing, and making us deeper. They're giving us more weapons, so our offense is definitely playing with the tempo, confidence and rhythm that we need to be."
While Diaw and Shawn Marion were unable to slow down Brand, that frontcourt duo for Phoenix did combine for 39 points, 20 rebounds and eight assists.
Marion has four double-doubles in the last five games after having none in Phoenix's first three playoff games. Diaw has scored at least 19 points in five straight games, also averaging 7.4 assists and 6.2 rebounds in that span.
Barbosa is providing a big lift off the bench, seemingly regaining his confidence after struggling early in the Lakers' series. He's averaged 21.7 points over the last three games, making 23-of-31 (74 percent) from the floor.
"As long as we're balanced, we're tough to beat," Suns forward James Jones said. "But when we start becoming one and two dimensional and our scoring is lopsided, it kind of screws us up."
Consistent driving to the basket by Barbosa and Nash was a problem all night for the Clippers, who were outscored 48-42 in the paint despite having a big size advantage with the Suns missing forwards Kurt Thomas and Amare Stoudemire.
"We just didn't do a good enough job while they were penetrating in the paint," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "They made their 3-point shots. From our standpoint, offensively, we executed well, put up the points, we shot a high percentage but they are controlling the paint better than we are."
Dunleavy's team held the Denver Nuggets to 87.4 points per contest, 13 below their season average, as the Clippers won their first-round series 4-1.
While limiting Phoenix to such a low average seems highly unlikely, the Clippers do feel they can prevent the Suns from penetrating so easily and avoid sending them to the free-throw line too often. Phoenix is shooting 90.2 percent at the foul line in the postseason, including a 24-of-25 (96.0 percent) performance Monday.
The Suns scored an average of 98 points in two losses to the Clippers during the regular season, compared to 119 in two wins.
The series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Friday.
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Clippers - 6th seed; beat Denver Nuggets 4-1, first round.
Suns - 2nd seed; beat Los Angeles Lakers 4-3, first round.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Clippers - F Quinton Ross, F Brand, C Chris Kaman, G Cuttino Mobley, G Cassell.
Suns - F Jones, F Marion, C Diaw, G Nash, G Raja Bell.
PLAYOFF TEAM LEADERS:
Clippers - Brand, 21.5 ppg and 9.8 rpg; Shaun Livingston, 6.5 apg.
Suns - Nash, 23.3 ppg and 9.9 apg; Marion, 10.1 rpg.
--------------------------------------------------------
ESPN
Updated: May 10, 2006, 9:18 AM ET
Scouting report: Clippers vs. Suns Game 2
Scouts Inc.
Round 2 Scouting reports Clippers-Suns
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Phoenix Offense: The Suns controlled the pace of Game 1 for the entire 48 minutes. If they continue to dictate the pace of the game, it's going to be a quick series. Phoenix had its way with the Clippers in the half-court sets. The Suns ran multiple pick-and-rolls and used their quickness. The Clippers' defenders were out of position due to overpursuing and rushing to get in front of the ballhandler.
Expect to see more of Suns big man Boris Diaw creating off the dribble and using his athleticism against a slower Chris Kaman. Diaw can get to the hoop whenever he wants, or he can penetrate and pass to an outside shooter.
Phoenix Defense: In Game 1, the Suns were very active with their double teams against both Elton Brand and Kaman. They extended probably a little farther than they need to on Kaman, but the energy level was outstanding. There is no one player who can stop Elton Brand, but look for the Suns to switch defenders on him throughout Game 2 to give him different looks. Phoenix should make it a priority to "chip" Brand on his way down the court, constantly putting a body on him when he crosses the free-throw line.
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Los Angeles Offense: Slow Down! The Clippers have the athletes to get out and run, but no team can beat the Suns playing at their pace. Los Angeles was in such a hurry to respond with scoring that they wasted too many possessions.
Sam Cassell needs to step up when he senses his team's erratic play and calm everybody down. You don't need to be Red Auerbach to see that the Suns have no match for Brand, who shot 18-of-22 from the floor. It will be hard to match that efficiency in Game 2, but EB will get the majority of the Clippers' shots.
Los Angeles Defense: Look for the Clippers to go small and have more quick players on the floor to match up with the Suns. Los Angeles ran a lineup of Cassell, Brand, Shaun Livingston, Corey Maggette and Vladimir Radmanovic late in Game 1. This could be effective against Phoenix's quicker frontcourt players.
The Clippers have to fight through picks better and not get caught out of position so much in their man-to-man defense. In Game 1, the Suns waited for the Clippers' defenders to run toward them on the perimeter -- and then dribbled right past the defender as his momentum took him out of the play.
Pick: Clippers in six.
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SAY WHAT!!
I'm going to the bar 
