Friday Bolts – 11.11.16
Brett Dawson: “The way to defeat that strategy is with the pass, Donovan said. But Westbrook —
who shot 9 for 26 and had eight turnovers — needs targets who make themselves available in the right spots and at the right times. Against Toronto, Donovan said, the Thunder’s big men failed to recognize situations where they needed to get out of high pick and rolls and instead get to the middle of the floor where they could take passes and become playmakers.”
Erik Horne: “Clippers forward Blake Griffin posted his lowest shooting percentage (7-of-21, 33.3) of the season against the Thunder. Griffin missed some open shots, but many of his struggles had to do with Nick Collison. In just seven minutes, Collison was a calming influence. His positioning and backside rotations allowed Steven Adams to step up to Clippers guards in the pick and roll instead of having to sag back to help rookie Domantas Sabonis, who got into quick foul trouble defending Griffin.”
Blake Griffin: “People that I talk to and my friends and family from back home, I think they’re … I would say true friends and family, where they know that my main focus is this season and this team,” Griffin said Wednesday. “And they know that I enjoy playing here (Los Angeles) and I love this team, coaching staff, everybody. So they know that that’s my main focus.”
Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider on the Clippers: “At the same time, the Clippers have done a great job of forcing opponents to take the right shots from a defensive perspective. Other teams are shooting 29.2 percent of their attempts in the restricted area (seventh lowest in the league) and 25.2 percent of their attempts from 3-point range (second lowest). Only the Utah Jazz (27.6 percent) have forced a higher percentage of attempts on 2-pointers outside the paint (27.2 percent). As a result, if all teams allowed opponents to shoot league average from each distance, the Clippers’ defense would still have the league’s lowest effective field goal percentage (48.9 percent, as compared to their actual 43.2 percent mark). Last season, the Clippers ranked ninth in that metric, and the season before they were 14th.”