The LA Clippers have started a game in the afternoon 11 times this season. The Clippers came back to win six of the eleven games, including a 26 point comeback against Cleveland. The team needs to hit the ground running, said Tyronn Lue on Sunday morning. We don't want to try to relax into the game. We have to go for it.
The Clippers led by as much as 29 points in the first half of Game 1 and defeated the Mavericks to take a 2-0 series lead. The Clippers held the Mavericks to 38.8 percent from the field and outclassed them in the second quarter. Clippers All-Star Paul George said he wanted to take care of business at home. It is important to start off on the right foot because we are the home-court advantage team.
The series needed a good start because Leonard did not play in the first game. Leonard was listed as questionable going into Sunday's game and the team said he is progressing daily in his recovery from right knee inflammation. The Clippers played without him during the last four games of the regular season, including comeback wins against the Denver Nuggets and Cleveland. Luka Doni said that they prepared like he was going to play. We need to stay focused for 48 minutes, and the issues would show up defensively, marked by a lack of energy, before finding a way to play the kind of defense that allowed comebacks to happen. The Clippers found a defensive spark in the first game. Doni had 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting in the first quarter, but he missed four of five 3s and the rest of the Mavericks missed 9 of 12 shots. Doni missed five shot attempts in the second quarter, while the Mavericks missed 19 in an eight-point period. Irving said that scoring eight points in a playoff game feels like forever. I think we should give them credit for hitting shots and doing the right thing because I think it started with how we started off the second quarter. The combination of turnovers and lack of physical play made it easier for them to score.
Dallas got 33 points from Doni (11 of 26 field goals), 31 points from Irving (20 in a perfect third quarter) and 33 points from every other player on 10-of-36 shooting. The Clippers had a win over the Mavericks in Los Angeles in November, when Doni had 30, Irving had 26, and the rest of the Mavericks had 32 points on 11-of-42 shooting. The Clippers held the Mavericks to 30 first-half points on 22-percent shooting in Game 1 and coach Tyronn Lue said they had a chance to game plan. We had a few days to understand what they were doing and what we were willing to give up. I thought our scheme was good for most of the time. Three years ago against Doni and the Mavericks, center Ivica Zubac was played off the floor, but she held up defensively and punished the Mavericks early and often. The Clippers offensive diversity without Leonard was given a boost by the double-double and playoff career-high 20 points by Zubac. I want to be one of the leaders on the defensive end and I know we are a great defensive team. I have to make it harder for them because they are going to make shots.
James Harden has been having issues shooting on Saturdays and Sundays this season. Harden scored 20 of his 28 points in the first half without Leonard. I don't think my mindset changes after they tried Luka.
The afternoon start time will be a factor again in this series, as Dallas will host the Clippers next Sunday in a game time of 3:30 p.m. The Clippers answered a regular-season question with a stellar performance in the playoffs, and they did so without Leonard. Harden said that the Clippers did what they were supposed to do. They are going to try to correct the things that didn't work. We can control what we can control and not focus on anything else if we find out what worked and what didn't work.
Adam Pantozzi of NBAE is pictured.