For me, the key for this team (with everyone healthy) is to hunt mismatches all game long. Attack CJ McCollum & Jonas Valančiūnas. Make the Pelicans run their small ball lineup with Zion at the 5 & build a wall to prevent him from getting whatever he wants.
by Revolutionary_Law687
22 Comments
Prayer
I still think we take them. Playoff Kawhi & Norm are coming. I think Harden is due for a couple of big games as well, should be enough. Not to mention playoff Mann. I don’t trust a young squad like the Pels to get it done in a 7 game series.
Use all 3 centers and foul Zion all game.
We will need Zion to go on a fast food bender a week leading up to the series…
…and that’s about our only hope.
Attacking cj and valanciunas relentlessly, making Zion work for every 2 pointer, don’t let herb/ trey murphy/ Ingram get clean looks. If Alvarado is in he needs to be attacked literally every time he’s on the floor. Assuming both teams are fully healthy clippers in 5 or 6.
Pelicans have a lot of exploitable players, rely a lot on mid range shooting. When the level of physicality gets taken up a notch and Zion doesn’t get as many calls will he continue to as effective in his very first playoff series? Probably not
I don’t really have a problem with the Clips going up against anyone in a 7 game series. I would like to see #1 lose about 10 lbs and work on his explosiveness though. Our success in the PnR is predicated on the threat that #1 can actually score at the rim as needed. Right now he’s getting 90% of that shite rejected.
PG has to at least match Brandon Ingram. Either he has to be in his bag defensively or offensively. Hopefully both but he has to show up on at least one side.
Hope BI, CJ, and Murphy can’t shoot and hack Zion every time he gets even close to the rim.
Realistically, as long as two of our top 3 hit consistent shots then we have a good shot, the bench is what will really kill us if Norm and Coffey hit a slump.
For one thing I really think that PJ should maybe get some minutes just to tire Zion out and not have one of our more offensive weapons expending too much energy on that fuckin Minotaur
Zion is the key. If he is playing like a top 5 player we will lose, as will most teams.
Make a lot of threes and try to stop Zion
You know what sucks is Clippers will win in 7 just for Kawhi to get hurt in the 2nd round. lol
Put Tucker in for 10-15min with the single task of bodying up Zion as much as possible. Might slow him down might not. Just make him expend as much energy as possible.
Keep Zion outta that paint. Ideally, standing in his takeoff zone will deter him from attacking the basket so much and force him to take outside jumpers/pass the ball. From there, PG/Kawhi gotta D up on Ingram and the other wing players, denying the 3 ball.
Most importantly, this team has to LOCK TF IN mentally (*that includes you too, Ty Lue*). Run your plays, execute your system, and play with heart. Discipline = Consistency, just ask Kawhi about it in San Antonio. That will give us a real shot at gold this year.
4-1 Pels
I strongly feel we just need more practice for our bigs to adjust. After a good 2-3 games in a series I’m hoping our centers get in the groove of Zion muscling his way in the point. We have 3 centers to rotate and tire him down and that would cut out our biggest problems. We just need to drain our 3’s as well.
Regular season means nothing is the key to the 7 games series
I think Ty Lue is the key. We have to lean on his ability to make adjustments and use our experience. I like the Pels but Kawhi a different beast in the postseason. Clips in 6
There a lot of parallels this season with the final season of Lob City (16-17). The Pels will be like the Jazz. Both teams dealt with injuries but despite the Clippers having a better team on paper, they were confounded because Snyder outcoached Doc by using Joe Ingles to completely shutdown JJ’s key role in our offense. I’m not saying a Pels win is inevitable if we can keep HCA, but I’m not optimistic about our chances when it’s already known to everyone that the only counter move Ty would make to a change in Pel’s strategy would be to go super small.
😂😂😂 Zion gonna eat whomever is on him up ! Herb Jones may lock down Kawhi and I won’t bring up the rest of those guys like Ingram, CJ, Trey Murphy, Grand Theft Alvarado, Hawkins,Nance,Val, Naji,etc
Eat ribs and wings courtside. The super aromatic kind.
pg/theis/plumlee/moose/zu lineup and pray zion doesn’t feed in the post