For Nic, we don’t have the same baseline of what a typical night should look like for him, but I’m guessing it’s something like 12-16 minutes, 3-5 points, 2-4 boards, 2-3 assists, a steal every 2-3 games, solid 2nd unit defense and mid-30%s from three. He exceeded those expectations with his 3/6/6/2 line and was an integral part of our switch-heavy scheme against LeBron and AD–beating expectations defensively. Part of the reason his counting stats were better than the baseline expectation is because he played more minutes, which is why it’s a B+ and not an A (if he had 3/6/6/2 in 16 minutes he’d likely get an A), with the nod from B to B+ being a bit of appreciation for a bench guy stepping into the starting lineup as an injury replacement in a big game and performing well. If anything, the PF minutes split was 28/20 for Batum/Patterson and I thought I would have liked to see a bit more Batum and a bit less Patterson.

As far as my students in real life are concerned, I open up the scale a little bit when grading players or transactions to allow for differentiation between the different scores as a conversation starter. I don’t need to differentiate between my students and I’m pretty friendly–rarely lower than a B+ for adequate work. If the Clippers were on my students’ scale their grades would probably look like:
Bev: B+ (knocked for missing class/foul trouble)
PG: A
Kawhi: B
Batum: A-
Serge: A-
Reggie: D
Lou: A-
Kennard: B
Patterson: C
Zubac: A

meandering mediocre takes

We could use more of these to help balance out the game threads.

But the first ten games of the season always seem to reveal some basic truths. So we’ll see.

Good to see you back, Zhiv. Hope you stick around!

A good example of how well it works is giving PG the A-, I think. He played at an A+ level in the 2nd half, which was a sorely needed boost to our collective brand and hopes, and the Depression Meter (DM) took a steep dive when he got hot. But his first half was quiet and marred by turnovers, adding up to the A-.

What grade does Ty Lue get for limiting RJ to 3 minutes? It’s complicated. Ending the torture quickly was good, and not bringing him back in a 2nd half that was always relatively close was even better. But I was happy and intrigued when T Mann came in for the final possession of the first, and then my heart sank when RJackson was out there instead of him to start the 2nd quarter. It sank deeper during those three minutes. It would be nice to see TMann get those back up minutes, but it might take a few games.

The DM started notching up through the rest of the 2nd quarter, even with RJack out. The Clippers played like the team that could still find all sorts of unique ways to lose. It was fortunate that the Lakers were feeling their own new funk, after getting slapped down in the 1st.

In the end the win was gratifying, what I had hoped for, and more or less expected. The Clips were the hungry team. Last season the Clips showed their hand to the Lakers in the opener, and LBJ realized that every game mattered and he stepped up and kept his foot on the gas all the way to the finish. He had been humiliated, beat up, and playing on a bad team the year before. Last night you could tell that the Lakers had won the title (it was hard not to see the giant rings), and they didn’t have the same urgency. They don’t need to get it back right away, and they will have some challenges.

But it was good for the Clippers to be able to make a quick statement. It should be interesting to see how they face the challenge of the early season schedule. These first two games are a good opportunity to get on track. Last night was a good sign, and I’m happy for Paul George, that he was able to play some good, inspired basketball.