March 6, 2014 Page 7 Clip City By Adam Serrao While the Lakers continue to struggle to get wins up on the board, their counterparts from just across the arena are quietly making a run at a championship this year. Yes, the Los Angeles Clippers have taken over the role as the dominant basketball team in Los Angeles. If you haven’t let yourself believe it yet, start getting used to it. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and a cast of other talented basketball characters have come together to make the Los Angeles Clippers the premier team in L.A. this year. Normally, that role belongs to the purple and gold. With Hollywood drama as everpresent as it is for the normally dominant team this year, however, someone had to take over the reins. Donald Sterling, for the maybe the first time ever, seems to be interested in winning a title and his team may just be poised to do exactly that this year. The Los Angeles Clippers haven’t only started the year with talent, but they’ve continued to gain integral pieces to add to their own championship puzzle throughout the course of this season. Most recently, they have added both Glenn “Big Baby” Davis and Danny Granger into the mix in an effort to give their roster the best chance of competing for the finals in the Western Conference. Of course, there are still the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder to deal with, but simply the fact that the Clippers can call themselves one of the three best teams in the conference means that they have come a long way. That doesn’t mean that these Clippers don’t have anything to improve on, though. Even head coach Doc Rivers can tell you that. “We haven’t been consistent enough defensively,” Rivers said following the All-Star break. “You look at the Portland game the other night. We won in an offensive game because we got seven or eight straight stops at the end. And you look at that and think, ‘What were we waiting for?’ through that game. All of a sudden we started doing some things we should’ve been doing, so that’s my concern. We’ve become so good offensively, I think at times we think, ‘Well, we’ll outscore them.’ That does not work in the playoffs.” Rivers definitely makes a good point and the fact that he is already looking forward to the playoffs means that this Clipper team definitely has a little bit more than just potential. One thing that gives the Clippers more than just potential is the acquisition of former Boston Celtic, and most recently Orlando Magic center, Glen Davis. Davis will most certainly add to the Clippers’ depth off of the bench and add another big body to Rivers’ defensive scheme. “It gives us another big and what I like about a guy like that is he can play a five with a four,” Rivers said. “If we got a guy like that, he also knows my system.” For most of you who do not speak Doc Rivers, what he means is that Davis, most of the time, plays the power forward position but can also go up against the opposing teams’ centers on defense. Also, Rivers coached Davis on his 2008 championship team, giving the Clippers a more experienced addition while also bringing more size to their bench and front line. In addition to Davis, the Clippers also fortified their squad by signing Danny Granger. Granger, formerly of the Indiana Pacers, struggled to overcome a knee injury while playing in only five games a year ago. Recently, he was traded from the Pacers, where he spent his whole career, to the Philadelphia 76ers. Philly bought Granger out, giving the five-time Pacer leading scorer free range to sing with whichever team he so chose. Unlike the Lakers, the Clippers just happen to be Southern California’s most desirable destination these days and Granger joined Davis to help out an already solid basketball team. In their quest for their first championship ever, the Clippers may not even need outside help, even though they now have acquired it. Though Paul has been injured for a portion of the season, Griffin has been having the year of his career. Averaging nearly 28 points per game in the latter portion of the season, Griffin has not only been one of the most improved players in the league, but also one of the league’s most valuable players. Together with Paul, and a deep bench, the Clippers may just be poised to have the most successful season in franchise history. The portion of the game where the Clippers are most successful is obviously offense. With Paul and Griffin clicking on all cylinders, the Clippers are averaging 106.7 points per game-- second to only the Portland Trail Blazers. Unlike what Rivers thinks, the Clippers actually only allow opponents to shoot 44.1 percent from the floor to rank the team seventh in the league defensively. Everyone knows the Clippers can score the ball--but in order to take the Western Conference title, even that seventh rank will have to improve. Maybe Davis will help. Maybe Rivers’ attention to detail will help. One thing is for certain, however. Defense wins championships. If the Clippers get clicking on all cylinders, they will be an extremely difficult team to beat in this year’s playoffs. Adam Serrao - Asixlion@Earthlink.net • South Advances to CIF Semi-Final for Record Seventh Straight Year South again prevailed 2-1 over Riverside Poly, with Grouwinkle heading in the tying goal (27th minute) and Kelsie Bozart scoring the winning goal (61st minute). The latter deflection came off of a set piece -- an assist from her sister Korie Bozart on a direct free kick that sent South to the Semis! Go Spartans! • Photos by Shelley Kemp This past week in two CIF Playoff games, the Lady Spartans reigned supreme. Mid week at home, it was a late goal by Freshman Forward Claire Grouwinkle that helped the team advance to the Quarterfinals. South 1, Sierra Canyon 0. Then, on Friday in a rain-soaked away game, South Lady Spartans celebrate their victory over Sierra Canyon and their advancement in CIF Playoffs. Senior Goalkeeper Paige Brandt takes to the ground to stop a Sierra Canyon shot. Senior Cassidy Griego leaps up to head the ball. Claire Grouwinkle breaks away after a header from Isabella Ofsanko and goes on to score the only goal in the second overtime period. The Lady Spartans try to head the ball into Sierra Canyon’s goal late in the second period of a tight tie game.
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