Upset Alert: Is This Big Super Team About To Lose?
Updated: Sep 10, 2023
The Clippers versus Suns series wasn’t expected to be relatively close or have an upset as the Clippers were missing Paul George. The Suns had Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton going into the matchup fully healthy. With the Clippers taking game one, is there a potential upset in the books?
Depth Is The Key For An Upset
Kawhi Leonard had a terrific game going for 38 points, five rebounds and five assists. Eric Gordon had a key 19 and Norman Powell had 14 off the bench. As for the Suns, Kevin Durant had a near triple-double going for 27, nine rebounds and 11 assists, Devin Booker also had 26 points.
Depth is the key to this series. The Suns have two terrific scorers in Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Both average close to 30 points per game and can take over any game. The Clippers without a player who averages 23 points is playing with house money, they do have the potential to upset. Besides Kawhi, the Clippers have Eric Gordon, Norman Powell, Ivica Zubac, and Russell Westbrook. All of these players are capable of contributing a spark when needed.
The Suns besides Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are lackluster. Chris Paul is looking extremely washed finishing the game with five points. Deandre Ayton has looked disengaged all year and did so Sunday night. Ayton finished with 16 shots and ended with 18 points. The upset is possible for the Clippers.
Players like Bismack Biyambo, Landry Shahmet, Terrence Ross, and Cam Payne are not players you can rely on to provide a spark. They are liabilities at times.
Final Thoughts
The key to the upset for the Clippers is to get Norman Powell going. Powell averages 17 off the bench and without Paul George, he needs to be the primary scorer off the bench. The Clippers don’t have the firepower the Suns do, however, they have much better depth. If Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are both clicking averaging over 30 points per game, then it may be a lost cause for the Clippers.
If the Clippers can limit one, and their depth steps up when needed, Los Angeles has a chance. Russell Westbrook had a horrible game finishing 3-19 shooting from the field. Russ will need to be better. Despite all this, the Clippers were able to hang on to the game.
This series should be a lot closer than many expected, and if the Clippers can get some production from their bench, this very well may be anybody’s game ending with a Clippers upset.
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