The Portland Trail Blazers came up with a 106-103 win over the injury-depleted Los Angeles Clippers on Friday to advance to the second round of the playoffs for just the second time since 2000.
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It’s possible that Rivers, who is also president of basketball operations, could revamp the roster by trading away one of the Clippers’ Big Three after five years together without a title.
“We thought this team was tough without CP and Blake, but that’s a championship team”, Portland’s Damian Lillard said about the Warriors. “We know their backs are against the wall. I watch and read, and we’ll be ready”. “We did the things necessary to win the game”. It took 11 stitches to seal the two cuts above and below his left eye, wounds courtesy of an inadvertent Al-Farouq Aminu elbow in the first quarter, but Rivers continued on, undeterred even after his eye began swelling shut.
The Clippers are largely constrained by having committed more than $64 million to stars Chris Paul ($22.8 million), DeAndre Jordan ($21.1 million) and Blake Griffin ($20.4 million) for the 2016-17 season.
After Game 6 on Friday, Clippers coach Doc Rivers answered some of the questions surrounding the bruised and beaten Clippers. But their failures haven’t really been about those three or Rivers’ ability to coach them.
“We had so much stuff thrown at us”, Doc Rivers told reporters afterward. “We haven’t played great offense, but a lot of that is due to their defense, so you have to give them credit”.
“No, I told them (that); I’ve been around a long time”, he said.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Even as they huddled after the victory that sent them through to the next round, the Portland Trail Blazers were drawing inspiration from the doubters.
But the Blazers did win Game 6 and the series, and it would be foolish to act as if they only did so because the Clippers all played with one arm tied behind their backs. He averaged only 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds while shooting 16.7 percent from the floor in five appearances, including one start.
Plumlee made both free throws to put the Blazers up 105-103, and the Clippers gave veteran scorer and Sixth Man of the Year victor Jamal Crawford, who had a playoff career-high 32 points, to create a tying or go-ahead look. Jamal Crawford missed a runner on the other end, Plumlee grabbed the rebound and the foul, and hit one of two from the line with just 1.5 seconds left. Austin Rivers was forced to take a desperation three at the buzzer. “Obviously, the injuries that they had was a setback, but they really competed hard”. So were they able to extend the series?
Although Portland, Charlotte and Boston all found themselves down two games to none in the first round, they refused to go down without a fight. They never looked for an excuse, they never… you know, guys didn’t play. “But my hat’s off to them”.
Yes, the Clippers’ season fell apart in rapid fashion, as they lost four straight games after taking a 2-0 lead, but it’s impossible to term the final chapter a “collapse”. Damian Lillard led the way with 28 points.
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The Clippers will also have to make decisions about unrestricted free agents Crawford, Green, Luc Mbah a Moute, Pablo Prigioni and Jeff Ayres.
