[halfdecayedParticipant]

 Seems like alot of people would pick the Clippers after acquiring PG and Kawhi, but Im wondering why if were analyzing the match ups. I get they’ll be really great defensively with Kawhi, PG and Bev but who the hell is guarding Ad and Boogie (assuming Judy gets him back to 75 % of his former self) inside ?! It seems like everyone forgot how good AD is because of all the circus around the pel-lakers trade, but that Lebron-AD pick n roll will be extremely difficult to cover, even for Kawhi and PG.. 

Lakers have 2 more rosters spots to fill right now though, and they are def waiting on Iggy buyout (if it happens) to offer him the MLE, then you’d have Green Bron and Iggy to defend PG and Kawhi, which would be more than enough. Last spot might go to Korver or Bradley.

Kuz might come of the bench and bring firepower like Lou does for the Clippers. This is going to be an exciting season as there is no clear favorites to me, what are your thoughts on the match ups, who you got? 

Side note, with all the criticism Westbrook gets, I really think he’s the main reason PG had his best season last year, much better creator than Kawhi so can’t wait so see how these 2 gusy will fit offensively. 

[halfdecayedParticipant]

 also if they faced each other in a series, would the Lakers basically ahve home court advantage for the whole series since this is a Laker town ? 

[halfdecayedParticipant]

 also if they faced each other in a series, would the Lakers basically ahve home court advantage for the whole series since this is a Laker town ? 

[220Participant]

 I agree that AD and Boogie will be challenging for the Clippers to guard in the post. Their current roster doesn’t have many experienced big men and Ivica Zubac is still a restricted free agent. It should be interesting to see these matchups throughout the course of the season as the teams continue to gel and tweak their rosters.

[halfdecayedParticipant]

 Zubac was resign 4 years 28 millions I believe, but he’ll do nothing against these boys lmao 

[220Participant]

 Depending on how/if Cousins continues to get back to his pre-injury state then he’s stoppable. Next to no one can guard Anthony Davis as it is, so it shouldn’t be a shock that the Clippers don’t have someone up for the task.

Thanks for the Zubac contract information. I hadn’t seen it yet.

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

JaMycal Green was resigned also. He was a 40% 3 point shooter last season on high volume.

More offensive weapons for the Clippers to use.

 

[Ahkasi ClayParticipant]

 Clippers are a more classy orginization.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I’d go with LAC. It’s an easy decision for me. 

They’re going to be special defensively. They have, arguably, the top three perimeter defenders in the league. Beverly is the most tenacious. Harrell plays as tough defensively as he does offensively. Kawhi and PG are the best defensive wing duo since MJ and Pippen. They’re going to be scary. 

I’m not sold on LAL defensively. Rondo quit defending years ago. LeBron coasts and is more about conserving energy at this point. Cousins is a liability. He can’t defend ball screens. McGee offers shot blocking, but he’ll be attacked in ball screens too. Kuzma is decent. He’s improving. Green is above average. Davis is a great defender, but him allowing an OPP FG% of 64% at the rim is a little concerning. He ranked 51/59 centers in that category. 

It’ll take time for Doc to get LAC to mesh offensively and get that balance, but I think his experience coaching Pierce, KG and Allen will help. They’re going to be an elite team offensively. I like that Doc runs a lot of the same "Pistol" (hand offs into P&R or pin downs into a handoff) actions that Nurse ran in TOR. They didn’t run it much in OKC, but considering how similar PG is to Kawhi, he’ll be great. They’re so similar how they attack offensively and just how elite they are across the board. It’s going to be damn near impossible for teams to defend. Teams damn sure won’t be able to load up on one particular action. Kawhi, PG and Williams are all great using drag screens too. All three are great in P&R. Harrell’s short rolls will be tough. He’ll definitely eat. They have three players who can create their own offense and get 30-40, plus get buckets in crunch time. Throw in the shooters around them in Shamet and Beverly. Shamet might shoot 50% from three-point. They’re just going to have so many options. Just imagine two big wings like Kawhi and PG playing off of each out of the P&R. It’ll be 50 times better than it was in TOR with Kawhi and Siakam. Terrifying. 

The Lakers will be very good offensively, but I have questions. LeBron is the only off the dribble playmaker on the roster. Will it be another season of him dominating the ball? We all know that in the playoffs, it’s easier for great defensive teams to game plan when you have one player dominating the ball. His post ups have decreased the last few seasons. We know he makes players adjust to his game. I doubt Davis will have to sacrifice as much as Bosh and Love did (Because he’s the 2nd option and not the 3rd), but you have to wonder will he be allowed to get to his comfortable spots. I have no doubt Davis can adjust to LeBron considering how devastating he is as a roll man. He’s not a bad spot up shooter either, so he’ll be able to space the floor some too. I think Kuzman’s percentages should go up considering the attention a LeBron/Davis P&R will draw. Hopefully, Green shoots like he did in the regular season and not the playoffs. I have to see what Cousins’ role will be in their offense and how he’ll be allowed to play. I don’t like Rondo’s fit. Their best lineup is with him off of the floor . . .

Regardless, I think LAC will be a better team by far. 

[halfdecayedParticipant]

 Im guessing you haven’t seen Davis vs Harell match ups last few years right ? He straight up killed the man lmao. Kawhi and PG are kinda average playmakers too. Most of the offense will come from the front court / wing, so Beverley’s defense won’t be much as a factor in that series IMO. 

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

Davis is a legit superstar. I’m sure he’s killed everybody at some point lol. You can slow him down, but you’re not going to completely shut him down.

It takes a team effort too. A lot depends on your personnel. LAC still needs to add another veteran piece or two, but I think they’ll be the most versatile defensive team in the league. 

 

[OhCanada-Participant]

 I’ll go with the Clippers. Harrell is still improving, Lou Will 6th man of the year, Pat Bev best defender at the PG position along with Marcus Smart and depth. 

[Author]

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