Record: 24-26
Yes Austin returns. But it won't matter....
This is the a similar bet to the Bucks over the Raps +6 in Game 5 on the road tonight.
That was a big-time loser.
But the Bucks are young, are starting two rookies, and have no playoff experience.
We get more than that in the Jazz. We don't have the problem with the rookies starting. We get some savvy vets with a lot of playoff experience to carry some load and/or pick up the slack (in JJ and Hill). And no one here would argue Snyder was not a better coach than Kidd (leading the Jazz to 38, 40 and 51 wins over three years). Our best all-around player is level headed and back in the line-up. As is our anchor at center, also not a rookie who is prone to fail in the spotlight.
So there are big pluses here with the Jazz over the situation the Bucks were in going on the road in Game 5.
And in LA, we get some big minuses. Blake's loss can't be overstated. There is no 'rallying' around this loss at this point.
You watched Game 4. You knew the entire way, if you had the Clips + the points, even with a lead, it was tenuous.
After a 28-18 4th quarter, it all was gone.
And this, mind you, came WITH the Crawford of old going off for 25 and 5-7 threes, something I was afraid of. And they still lost and didn't cover.
THAT should have won them the game. It has many times in the past. But when the rest of your bench of Johnson, Pierce and Speights and Luc give you 11 total points on 3-17 shooting, and are poor defensively to boot, it is too much to ask Paul to make up for.
But the real culprit outside of the injuries is Redick.
He is 10-28 in the SERIES for 31 pts and 4 assists.
I've seen Redick pull this before in his final days at Duke where he lost his shooting touch over his last several games in the tournament. Again, he can come alive. Howard did tonight for the Hawks after a terrible series. Any player can at any time but Redik has shown us he can clam up at the wrong times on the big stages. He appears to be doing that. And because of that, the Clippers fell short in Game 1 and 4 and the series is tied.
Now remember this is in a Game 4 where the team's BEST all-around player in Hayward scored 3 points in 9 minutes of play with food poisoning. Jazz still won and covered.
I'd venture to say many here would have taken the Clips with the points several times over (with a line that got up to -5 Jazz) having foreknowledge of that. No one had that foreknowledge. The Jazz still covered.
Both Gobert 6-6 shooting/15 pts/13 rebounds and excellent defensively is back and clearly at full strength, and Hayward will play and are on the flight to LA. That will make Doc sweat like a preacher in an un-air conditioned white church in the deep south on a blistering Sunday morning.
And what stands out to me is the act of desperation by Doc having his son play.
You know how I like Rivers as a defender and the offensive numbers he puts up when he's given more minutes. I posted it last game in detail.
The problem here is that he wasn't projected to come back until NEXT SERIES.
Now all of a sudden he's read to play???
After answering numerous question marks about his left hamstring, Austin Rivers currently faces a new unanswered question. What can he provide in Game 5?
“I don’t know what we expect,” Doc Rivers said. “At least we have another body. I don’t look at him returning being what he was right before he left. If he’s that, I’ll be shocked. At least we have another warm body and that’s nice.”
“I think he’s going to play, at least that’s what we think right now,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “The problem is they’re going to put a severe minutes restriction.”
Doc Rivers said Clippers trainer Jason Powell originally tabbed Austin playing only 12 minutes. Doc Rivers said that will likely increase, though, depending on Austin’s progression leading up to tipoff. The Clippers had only a film session and a light walk-through in favor of practice on Monday. But Austin Rivers passed a series of running and on-court drills to receive clearance to play.
Too little too late. He'll contribute. He'll help keep it close. But look at the words Doc is using, "It's another warm body." And he may not even play more than 12 minutes. A single quarter. This doesn't speak to the rust given he hasn't played in what seems like forever.
That is the place we are at right now with the Clips....getting warm bodies in the lineup.
Yes. And the Jazz get a body in far better than just warm in Hayward giving the team so many more options (21 in the first quarter in Game 3). They are at full strength here. Gobert will be more than happy to see some of LA's floor after meeting the hardwood cheek to cheek in 12 seconds in Game 1.
And for all this, we also get 3 points insurance, requiring the Clips to win by 4. 4 a lot in this spot. I'll take every point with another dog in attempt to get back the highway robbery the Bucks pulled on us tonight. It's not the 6 the Bucks were getting but it's obvious from the above why. 3, half of that, is still significant in a nail-biter.
The pick:
Jazz +3 over Clippers