Blake Griffin had 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Jamal Crawford added 15 points in the Clippers’ 104-88 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night in Los Angeles’ home opener.
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Though Mark Cuban has commented on the entire story before, he’s still clearly bitter about how everything played out. The Clippers are turning the page and starting fresh as the team will be hosting the Mavericks at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
It’s early, but this year’s Clippers squad looks ready to compete for a title.
Yeah, that’s why Cuban is still so mad. I don’t hate anybody on the Clippers.
“I think we were disappointed, but we still have to move on as a franchise, and that’s what we did”, Nowitzki said. “I’m sure, from the human standpoint, (the game) has something in it because of all the stuff that happened”, Rivers said.
Predicting a victor between these two teams tonight is hard, but we’re going to put our money on the Clippers.
The first game features the lowly New York Knicks taking on an Atlanta Hawks team that was surprisingly overwhelmed by the retooled Detroit Pistons squad on opening night, so perhaps the off-season changes will make the matchup closer than it would have been last season. “That definitely got to me”. The Clippers extended their double-digit lead and eliminated the shorthanded Mavericks’ energy in the process, with Jordan blocking four shots and pulling down 15 rebounds, putting on full display everything Dallas almost had for their own. Rivers did what he always does: he played the victim and blamed Cuban, calling him childish.
“We just calmed down, trusted our offence, executed and got stops defensively, which led to easy baskets on the offensive end”, said Griffin, who made 11 of 17 shots from the floor in only 27 minutes. That’s the only part of Cuban’s argument which is legitimate, and a part which Cuban brought up again Thursday.
It wasn’t an ordinary Kiss Cam scenario-it was a split screen with Mavericks owner Cuban and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer with a heart-shaped border.
Everything else Cuban said was just silly.
BTW, Clippers won the game…by a lot. The team then goes on a long road trip and they will play against the OKC Thunder before games away against the Memphis Grizzlies and the San Antonio Spurs. It’s not as much fun as picking on the Rockets. “They’re still the Clippers”.
“It’s just another game”. He grabbed the first defensive rebound.
Also, the Clippers low-cost, low-risk additions of shooting guard Lance Stephenson, small forward Josh Smith and shooting guard Paul Pierce will reinforce the team´s perimeter overall depth. A smattering of the crowd ended the game by chanting, “D-J, D-J, D-J!” Ultimately, Jordan wisely returned to the only National Basketball Association home he’s ever known and helped thwart his former suitors in the Clippers home opener.
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According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Clippers are 10.5-point home favorites versus the Mavericks after opening as an 11-point favorite. Jordan will be booed like he’s never been booed before. The Clippers will be challenged physically like few have challenged them before. “Maybe that explains it”.
