The Los Angeles Clippers are in the middle of what will be a four-day break in between games as they prepare for Game 1 of their first round series against the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. In 16 career regular season games, Blake Griffin averaged 22.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game against the Spurs. Griffin acknowledged that defending the Spurs will be a major challenge. “They’re just a well-oiled machine, from top to bottom,” Griffin said. “Defensively, you have to be a team. You have to be there for each other, you have to be on rotations. You have to try and limit their easy baskets. You have to try and limit their bench. They pose a lot of problems defensively. But, like every other team, they’re beatable.” Another potential problem for the Clippers is the disparity of technical fouls that may be called in this series. Clippers players were called for 57 technical fouls this season, the most in the NBA. By comparison, Spurs players have been called for only 50 technical fouls over the last five seasons combined, including a league-low eight this season. Amazing stat @LawMurrayTheNU just dropped @ClipperBlogLive, Clips players’ have 57 techs this season. SA players have 50 over last 5 years. — Seth Partnow (@SethPartnow) April 17, 2015 Clippers forward Matt Barnes acknowledged that the team has to continue to be better at keeping their emotions in check. “We have a problem getting on the refs, and we’re aware of that,” said Barnes, who led the team with 13 technical fouls this season. “We need to cut that out, and we’ve done a good job of late doing that. But you can’t give the Spurs… really, in the playoffs, you can’t give anybody anything free in the playoffs, especially the Spurs.” Barnes also explained how one of his twin sons decided to wear a Golden State Warriors jersey to school. “My ex-wife told me that Friday’s career day, and I’m like, ‘okay, so what are [twins Carter and Isaiah] going to be?’ ‘Well, Carter’s going to be you, and Isaiah’s going to be someone else.’ I’m like, ‘who’s he going to be?’ She smiles and says, ‘Steph Curry.'” 2day for school the boys had to dress up as someone they look up too.. Carter chose daddy & the… https://t.co/0jFE14KQcx — Matt Barnes (@Matt_Barnes22) April 17, 2015 Doc Rivers commented today about legacies, specifically referring to Chris Paul and Pelicans forward Anthony Davis. Rivers doesn’t believe it’s a good idea to seriously consider a player’s legacy when they still have a significant part of their career ahead of them. “He’s still playing,” Rivers said of Paul, who turns 30 on May 6. “What I don’t understand is why anybody talks about anybody’s legacy when they’re 30. I’ve never figures that one out. Already I heard someone before Anthony Davis (played) the game the other day, ‘Anthony Davis has to get to the playoffs!’ I’m like, ‘He’s 22.’ Can we allow him to finish his career, and then let’s talk about his legacy? “Legacies happen after everything is done,” Rivers continued. “You can’t worry about it in the middle of it … what you have to do to make a better legacy. It’s a silly talk to me.”
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