So their reason for pulling for the Clippers in Game 7 on Sunday night had nothing to do with matchups or X's and O's. "But at the end of the day, I was happy to be a part of this, compete with these guys and see the work everybody put in every day, and I appreciate the guys around me", he said, before shaking his head in apparent disbelief. "They are unbelievable. It's fun".
I'm taking nothing away from the fact that he is a great player, it's just a weakness that the Jazz can try to exploit. It's that the Jazz knew less about the consequences of losing.
Jamal Crawford and Raymond Felton were probably the Clippers' best players, with Jamal scoring 20 points on efficient shooting, and Felton putting in 6 plus playing tough defense.
"We've got some fighters and scrappers", coach Dwane Casey said after Toronto eliminated Milwaukee in six games.
Game 2 is Tuesday in Boston.
Together for six years now, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have yet to make it past the second round of the playoffs.
Sunday's first round departure marks the beginning of what should be a very interesting offseason for the Clippers organization. He shot 6-19 from the field (1-9 in the second half), 1-7 from 3, and was 0-1 from the line.
The Jazz led 46-39 at the break.
The Clippers took Game 6 in Utah to even things up at 3-3. "You have to play flawless from then on".
Utah brought three double-figure scorers off its bench.
Marine Le Pen's Appeal to Women Wasn't Enough to Win
Le Pen also pledged a "profound reform" of her Front National party to create "a new political force". This could give the National Front a significant increase on the two seats the party now holds.
Derrick Favors and George Hill also 17 points each in what looked like the easiest game for the Jazz out of the whole series. It was much bigger than the Jazz's. "It's about execution. It's about who wants it more, so we've got to be the team that wants it more". "We just couldn't convert". Maybe next year we will. They found ways to get offense from sources other than their brightest stars.
He was referring to Paul's injuries at the beginning of that 2015 Houston series, and Paul and Griffin both leaving last year's Portland series in Game 3, and then Griffin's toe injury in this series, which accompanied A. Rivers' hamstring problems.
But they exploded in a 36-point third quarter before holding off a Washington charge.
Anyway, as I was saying, we have a Game 7, meaning it's that classic, old National Basketball Association motto come to life: "Win and go on the road".
With Griffin, the Clippers might not have suffered the matchup ills that allowed Hayward and Johnson to roam free.
"It's unusual", Jazz coach Quin Snyder said.
The Warriors didn't get what they wanted.
The Jazz comeback, led by Gordon Hayward, who scored 14 points in the final period, fell short in the end.
A 22-15 second quarter gave the Jazz control and they were threatened after that. A 3-pointer by Redick with 3:28 remaining closed the gap to 98-90, but the Clippers got no closer.
Five years is enough of a sample size to show this team is never going to live up to the high calling of competing against the best in the west.
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