Clippers Tank in Order to Avoid Lakers

After watching that monumentally embarrassing tank job by the Clippers against the Rockets yesterday, it’s clear to me that teams are doing everything they can to avoid playing the Lakers in the 1st round.

By the Clippers tanking that game, it mathematically eliminated them from the possibility of facing the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.

If other teams follow suit, this may not be the last tank job we see in the final games of the season tomorrow.

Western Conference teams possibly tanking tomorrow:

Probable tank: Clippers - they already tanked against the Rockets, so why not tank another game? It makes sense for them to do it because it basically guarantees that they remain the 4th seed and will play the Mavericks (5th seed) in the first round of the playoffs, which is the best possible matchup for them. If the Clippers win tomorrow, and Nuggets lose, it means the Clippers get the 3rd seed, and face the Blazers (6th seed) in the first round. To me, that seems like a more difficult matchup than playing the Mavericks. So, for all these reasons, I predict that the Clipps are going to play their scrubs 30 to 40+ minutes (like they did against the Rockets) and tank their last game. After all, I think the Clipps have no shame. Even though they won all their regular season matchups against the Lakers this year, they are still afraid to face them in the first round. Pitiful, lol.

Probable tank: Nuggets - I honestly don’t think the Nuggets want the Lakers in the first round either, and if they beat the Blazers tomorrow, that’s a strong possibility. Why would the Nuggets set themselves up to likely face the Lakers, who (assuming they beat the Pelicans tomorrow) will move into the 6th seed with a Blazers loss? It makes no sense for them to do that, and the Nuggets really don’t have a strong motivation to beat the Blazers, especially going into Portland, which is a tough place to win. You can make an argument that the Nuggets will not want to lose that game for fear of showing weakness to the Blazers, who are their likely first round opponent. But, I think the stronger motivation is to avoid playing the Lakers in the first round, so I’m betting on a tank job by the Nuggets. Furthermore, the Blazers have every motivation to win tomorrow because a loss means they will be stuck in the Play-in tourney, which nobody in their organization wants. So, all signs point to a potential tank job by the Nuggets and a solid Blazers win tomorrow.

Questionable tank: Warriors - The way things are right now, Golden State is set up to play the Lakers in the play-in tourney. It’s possible that they might not want that because it’s just a really bad match up for them. The slightly easier path for them is to tank tomorrow’s game on the off chance that the Grizzlies win, which gives the Warriors the 9th seed and an easier path to the playoffs in the play-in. That being said, this seems probably like a less likely chance of a tank job from the Warriors because if they upset the Lakers (or possibly Blazers) in the 7th vs 8th seed play-in game, it means they get the 7th seed, which is arguably better than the eighth seed right now. It really depends on whether they want to play the Jazz or the Suns in the first round, but it’s basically a wash because both of those teams are on the same level. The biggest benefit I think of the Warriors staying in the 8th seed by winning tomorrow is that they potentially only have to play one play-in game instead of two.

Questionable tank: Grizzlies - You could make an argument that Memphis might tank their last game for the same reasons that Golden State might consider tanking: they don’t want to play the Lakers in the Play-in. But, they might also prefer to win their last game because if they win and the Warriors lose, the grizzlies secure the eighth seed.

If so, on the miracle chance that they beat the Lakers in the play-in game, they move up to the 7th spot, only have to play one play-in game, and secure their best possible playoff seeding. So like the Warriors, the chances of them tanking seems iffy to me, but it really depends on their motivation and whether or not they want to play the Lakers.

Those are my thoughts anyhow, but if any of you disagree, I’d love to hear about it.

Ultimately, I don’t expect the Nuggets to do the Lakers any favors tomorrow, so I’ve pretty much resigned myself to the fact that the Lakers will most likely end up in the 7th seed, and probably have to play the Warriors in the play-in. I really don’t like that because Steph can go off for 50 on any given night, but on paper the Lakers should still win that game. AD is back to top form, Drummond is starting to gel with AD, LBJ looks strong and healthy, Schoeder is back, KCP is shooting well, and the bench guys are mostly solid. Plus, the Lakers have way too much firepower in the paint, plus a strong motivation to win that game.

My hope is that the Warriors find a way to lose tomorrow, and the Grizzlies win, because it’s a lot less scary to avoid playing the league’s leading scorer (Curry) in a play-in game. We’ll see how it all shakes out in the end, but I’m not expecting anything crazy to happen tomorrow.

Great post & analysis. Made so much sense that the Clippers trying to tank. But if ever we want to play-in , i hope Warriors will win for two reasons:

1. Memphis will be a tough matchup- as they have size with Valanciunas/Jackson & theres no team that would excel with grit & grind type of play of Memphis in NCAA type format & high probably to upset a better team than them. Warriors matchup favors us because they don't have legit size really that can matchup with our bigs except for Looney while Green is undersized. Our team also have the backcourt size to matchup with Curry like Schroder KCP/THT. Lebron&AD doesn't really need to expand energy especially on Defense so we can still get them fresh in the playoffs healthy.

2. Warriors/ Lakers are a must - they are the two of the hottest fan bases in the league right now & if they matchup in the 2nd game of play-in would be thrilled with mixed emotions as one of the team bid goodbye for the playoffs. For the fans & tv revenue, Lakers - 7th seed & Warriors -8th seed is better for the fans and the league.

thanks, ralppcobarde and I’m glad you appreciated my take on things. Your take is also very interesting and has a lot of merit in terms of who the Lakers would prefer to face in the play-in. I agree that the matchups are heavily in favor of the Lakers against the Warriors, so I don’t blame any fan who would prefer to play them instead of the Grizzlies. The Warriors on paper really match up poorly with the Lakers and I think I said as much in my original post. That being said, I’m still a little bit scared of the Steph Curry variable. When you’re dealing with a prolific scorer like that; somebody who can drop 50 or 60 on you any given night, you have to take that into serious consideration. What if he decides to go off against the Lakers, and hits like 20 three-pointers? Steph’s career high is 20 made three pointers in a game, so it’s not impossible. If that happens, the Lakers are toast in that game most likely. I want to have more faith in the Lakers defense, but great offense will beat great defense every time. So, if Curry decides to get hot, there’s not going to be a whole lot the Lakers can do to stop him. Even though the matchups are tougher for the Lakers if pitted against the Memphis Grizzlies for the Play-in, they would have to beat the Lakers by committee, as they really don’t have a prolific MVP caliber scoring player who can almost single-handedly beat you. Plus, the Warriors’ vets have so much playoff experience, and championship pedigree; they aren’t going to be afraid of the moment when facing the defending NBA champion Lakers. So, in a single game elimination type of format, I feel like the Warriors are arguably the more dangerous....

The Clippers are all talk. They don't really want that smoke. Now I can see Denver throwing the game because they don't have Murray. Either way tomorrow we'll find out how all this pans out.

It is true the Warriors do not have size, but man they got three point shooters. I prefer the seven game series better then the two in house games. Any team can get hot on a short series and the favorite could be gone real quick.

I hope LeBron and AD both play today against the Grizzlies. They need some practice before the playoffs start and sitting on the bench with legs that are not quit there for stiff competition could be critical. And LeBron needs to practice more then the younger players. Lot of miles on those legs, and idle for many weeks. First thing that will show when the legs are not in shape is the shots will be falling short of the goal.

The Clippers have not being playing good. No excuse for the loss against the Rockets and that they tanked is very possible, but they have not been playing good.

The player that has really helped them when healthy is Ibaka, but he has been out with some type of injury and the Clippers have lost several games lately.

Somebody mentioned the box office on a game between the Warriors vs Lakers. Got to be careful what you wish for, the Warriors are not a bad team. They have been adding pieces through out the season and are starting to up set good teams. LOL!

I could care less who is watching the games, I just want the Lakers to compete on a seven game series where they would be the favorites.

The loser of the Lakers vs GSW matchup gets another shot vs the winner of the Grizz/Spurs matchup. So you basically get 2 shots at trying to secure the #8 seed for the playoffs.

Those standings could still shift quite a bit before the end of today. We won’t know the final seedings until the dust settles after all the games have concluded tonight

Warriors won, so they locked up 8th seed for the play-in

That’s the Lakers opponent unless by some unlikely miracle Denver wins in Portland tonight. I’m not holding my breath for that lol

Excellent analysis LSD- definitely made me less confused about the setup, lol. Repped!

Lakeshowd,

Grizzlies & the Warriors showed why they could be feared in the play-in. As Grizzlies clawed their way back to the game as expected on how gritty they are. While Curry was just phenomenal as you said.

We shall see, but Lebron always show up when the backs are against the wall. Play-in can go both ways as it creates more momentum for the teams that are involved going to the playoffs

Everyone tried to avoid the lakers in the first round lol

Lakers won tonight, but again like I have posted before, Drummond is a foul magnet and he has to avoid getting so many fouls. Not only is he putting somebody on the free throw line, but he will foul out before the fourth quarter. AD was not playing as good tonight as he did the night before. Maybe he was just tired.

Dennis will have his hands full guarding Curry, and visa versa, Curry will be running all over the court trying to stay up with Dennis. LOL!

It is going to be an interesting game that is for sure. Curry, Oubre, Wiggins, Green and Looney will probably be the starters. Off the bench they have Toscano, Poole, Lee, Payton and Bazemore, I forgot the red head kid Mannion.

Lakers should be heavy favorites, but this is the NBA. Do not under estimate these young players.

The NBA should be doing something about the Clippers intentionally losing 2 games to avoid the Lakers. It was obvious, and shouldn't be allowed. That's called fear, and poor sportsmanship. But because it isn't the Lakers doing it, no one will do anything about it I'm sure. But should. For basketball reasons. And all sorts of reasons. SMH...

They all do it Shepherd. But the Clippers are snake bitten and even though they have added just about any one they wanted, even Cousins, they have not been playing good and will probably choke again. They were in a position to where they could select who they wanted to face in the first round and they figure the Mavericks are the easier team to face rather then a healthy Laker team. Even though our Lakers are still not 100% healthy. I see LeBron still grimacing when he made that spin in the painted area. He fell to the floor and obviously he still has pain on that high ankle sprain. And AD seems like somebody mentioned in this forum that he is made up of glass, because he is always complaining about his groin, he is always getting poked on his eyes etc etc. LOL! And Caruso is playing better, but he did have a concussion there for awhile. But if the Lakers play good defense which they are capable of, they should have a good shot at winning another championship. Important for LeBron to get every player involved. Do not make it a two man team with him passing the ball to AD and AD passing it back to LeBron because they will need KCP, Matthews, Caruso and Kuzma to help out. If not the Lakers will not get out of the first round. It has to be a team effort, not a two man game on offense. We know that they will be doubling AD a lot. So some guard should be open. Got to get the confidence of those shooting guards or we are screwed.

Absolutely, things could change, I was merely trying to point out that the loser of the 7/8 seed matchup could get another shot vs the winner of the 9/10 seed matchup for the final (8th seed) berth for the playoffs. Hopefully the lakers win this one and don’t have to play another series of play-in basketball vs the winner of the 9/10 seed matchup.

Great analysis btw.

Yup, ralppcobarde. There’s a lot on the line with this play-in game against the Warriors and I expect a playoff atmosphere. Its just very important to get the #7 seed because Phoenix is a better first round matchup for the Lakers compared to Utah if the Lakers lose on Weds, and have to fight for the 8th seed.

I think Lebron and the boys will be locked in, but the Warriors are tough,man. I’m pretty sure they were a top 5 defensive team during the regular season, and Curry with his MVP caliber play this year makes them scary in a single game elimination situation. I’ll be on the edge of my seat for that game

Thanks Dave!