Game 2 Grades: Clippers 88, Spurs 105

May 17, 2012; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) reacts during the second half in game two of the Western Conference semifinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT

The Clippers improved their shooting percentage (49.2%) but Chris Paul’s eight turnovers along with their complete inability to stop any facet of the Spurs offense proved to be detrimental to the Clippers’ cause. Plus, they didn’t receive the same kind of performance from Eric Bledsoe (23 points in Game 1).

For them to stand a chance in this series, they will need to play almost flawless basketball or hope for the Spurs to collectively throw up a stinker in Game 3 or 4. That’s their only hope. Winning by playing mediocre basketball simply isn’t an option for them.

James Anderson, SG 2:02 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 0 PTS | 0

He almost posted the rare 0-0-0-0-0-0 line if it wasn’t for his assist. Grade: Incomplete

DeJuan Blair, C  2:02 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS | 0

He did post the rare 0-0-0-0-0-0 line. Congrats. Grade: Incomplete

Matt Bonner, PF 13:04 MIN | 1-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -5

Theoretically, his skill set lends itself to a lot of minutes this series. Pop doesn’t concur. In the end, it may not even matter. Grade: C-

Boris Diaw, PF 27:02 MIN | 7-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 4 AST | 16 PTS | +12

Made every shot, including two 3-pointers. Diaw consistently took advantage of the Clippers’ aggressive pick-and-roll coverage by being an effective safety valve for Parker. Once Diaw has the ball, his decisions are very sound and they usually lead to points. Grade: A

Tim Duncan, C 32:46 MIN | 9-14 FG | 2-2 FT | 5 REB | 3 AST | 18 PTS | +23

I love the Diaw-Duncan tandem. Seriously. Their interior passing and knowledge of the game are pretty difficult to stop. Grade: A-

Manu Ginobili, SG 25:49 MIN | 3-11 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 5 AST | 10 PTS | +4

Manu began the game by knocking down a couple of 3-pointers. He scored 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting after the first quarter. What happened? Grade: B-

Danny Green, G 24:52 MIN | 4-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 13 PTS | +9

Danny is averaging two 3-pointers per game this postseason. On a related note: Is there anyone in the NBA that knocks down more open 3-pointers than Green? Grade: B+

Stephen Jackson, SG 15:09 MIN | 0-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 3 AST | 0 PTS | -4

For all the talk of Jack’s poor shot selection, Jack seems content with being a great teammate, passer and a capable rebounder while guarding multiple positions. Excuse him for his first two performance this series, please. Grade: C

Kawhi Leonard, SF 25:37 MIN | 2-5 FG | 1-2 FT | 6 REB | 0 AST | 5 PTS | +20

Expecting a duplicate of his Game 1 performance would have been way too much to ask for. Give Kawhi some time. Grade: C

Patrick Mills, PG 2:02 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 3 PTS | 0

I enjoy watching Mills close out every game. Really. Grade: Incomplete

Gary Neal, PG 13:13 MIN | 3-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 7 PTS | -3

Nothing out of the ordinary for Neal. Ran the point, took a couple of 3-pointers and did other Neal stuff. Grade: B-

Tony Parker, PG 37:08 MIN | 8-19 FG | 6-6 FT | 5 REB | 5 AST | 22 PTS | +25

Is that Chris Paul guy supposed to be any good, again? Grade: A

Tiago Splitter, C 19:14 MIN | 4-6 FG | 1-5 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 9 PTS | +4

Oh art thou, Tiago. When will thee start making free throws again? Grade: B-

Conclusion. Ho-hum performance from the Spurs. The only game I can see the Clippers taking is Game 3 so we will see how that turns out. I wouldn’t be surprised with another sweep which would increase the Spurs’ winning streak to 18 games.