January 2, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Jarrett Jack (2) dribbles the ball against Los Angeles Clippers point guard Eric Bledsoe (12) during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 115-94. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

This time, it’s personal. Jaws 4, the Revenge

Riding a four game win streak (with three of the victories on the road, against possible playoff teams), sitting comfortably atop the Pacific Division, and holding the NBA’s second best record, we fans should be doing cartwheels and clicking our heels three times, no? Sloppy as it was, the Clippers are now at the level where they can get wins without playing at their best and that puts them into the elite as far as this editor is concerned. Their game against Washington, in which they shot only 35% (including missing 11 of 14 shots in one 4th quarter stretch), is proof that the Clippers have enough firepower, defensive intensity, and wherewithal to hold off most teams.

No. Of all the successes our team has enjoyed thus far, we have two blemishes that remain to be dealt with, and our heroes get their chance to check them off in successive games.

First, there’s the matter of “the one that got away in OKC.” Back on November 21st, the Clippers faced the Oklahoma City Thunder in their arena riding a six game winning streak. With a playoff-like atmosphere, our team fell behind by as many as 12 points late, but managed to cut the lead to 7 going into the 4th quarter home  stretch, finally tying the game at 102 with only a few second left and the ball in Chris Paul’s hands. Paul managed to launch a decent shot as time expired, but it barely missed and the game went into overtime, the Thunder finally prevailing as Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook scored every point, including a ridiculous 7 for 8 from the charity stripe, to secure a 117-111 win. The Clippers were granted only one free-throw in the extra period and Chris Paul was left shaking his head in the locker room afterward, saying, “Man, we shoulda won that game. Regardless of what anyone says it’s gonna be tough for us to win a game when I play that bad. It’s tough because you work so hard but there’s just gonna be nights like that.”

The second item is to payback the Golden State Warriors for their lopsided victory over us in Oracle Arena to start 2013. In that game, their bench taunted Blake Griffin after a bad miss (and Coach Mark Jackson piled on, suggesting Blake was an “actor”) and celebrated as though they’d won the NBA title after the blowout. Once could argue the Clips exacted suitable vengeance after beating the Warriors badly back at Staples a few days later – even rubbing it in with a DeAndre Jordan alley-oop dunk while up by 36 points – but it’s time to go back into their house and clean it up, wiping the smirk off David Lee’s face once and for all. The Warriors have stumbled of late, and were terrified when guard Stephen Curry re injured his ankle in practice a week ago, but he’s recovered and the team will be at full strength for the Monday matinee.

January 5, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) dunks during the first half of the game against the Golden State Warriors at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Read the Sports Illustrated game recap here.

“The first time they beat us here, you’d have thought they won the NBA finals.” Chris Paul

It’s becoming increasingly clear that Chris Paul has a long memory. And you’d rather not be on the wrong end of those remembrances.

So, playing the second night of a back-to-back against thorn-in-their-side Golden State (and missing scoring machine Jamal Crawford due to a foot injury), one could forgive the Clippers if they came out flat and struggled against the rested Warriors. We here at FullyClips figured this to be a tough contest that might come down to the end and go either way, befitting a game of sudden divisional rivals fighting for the control of the Pacific. The Warriors, seeking their fourth straight win, seemed to be a chic pick among the various blogpers and pundits, while the Clippers, still smarting over a smack down in Oakland and coming off a tough win over their Staples co-tenants were suddenly being questioned as true title contenders.

Well, folks, let’s just examine what happened last night, starting with Blake Griffin. On Wednesday, David Lee, he of the annoying smirk and constant smack talking, had his way with Blake, scoring 24 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and dishing out 7 assists, while Griffin could only muster 10 points on 2-11 shooting. The Warriors, from their coach on down their bench, kept taunting him, especially after he clanked a shot off the side of the backboard with the shot clock running down, Coach Mark Jackson even calling out Blake as an “actor” and proclaiming Lee his superior. This time around, Lee was smothered by Griffin and managed only 10 points on 3-10 shooting, that constant smirk relegated to the bench in garbage time. In fact, Lee got so frustrated that he decided to dole out a flagrant foul in the second quarter, pushing Blake from behind on an ally-opp attempt that sent him sprawling to the floor and into the basket support padding. That he wasn’t ejected is a refereeing travesty and there may be a fine coming once the league examines the play further. For his part, Blake popped up and stared down Lee but kept his temper in check, another sign of his maturity over last year, when he most likely would have gone after his opponent. Blake finished the night with a solid 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in barely 30 minutes.

Now let’s get back to CP3 and his checklist of who’s been naughty and nice, who has had enough of this Warriors nonsense and decided to send them a distinct message: not in my house, not in my city, and not in my league. In 28 minutes, Paul torched the Warriors for 27 points on 10-12 shooting, hauled in 5 rebounds, adding 9 assists, and tallying a steal to add to his league lead while building a 39 point lead. That’s not a typo – 39 points up midway through the 3rd quarter – before Coach Del Negro pulled him from the game with Mark Jackson staring down the Clippers bench after a DeAndre Jordan slam off a Paul assist to throw a little emphasis on who’s boss in the Pacific Division. Coach Vinnie, for his part, wrote “NO MERCY” on his clipboard to let his team know there would be no taking their foot off the gas until this message was received loud and clear.

So Golden State, the next time you decide to celebrate on our floor (or anyone else’s), remember this beating well and STFU!

As for the game itself, it was a laugher from wire to wire, the Clippers leading again for the entire contest. The score was 35-12 after one, a crazy 77-43 after two, and ended with a 26 point margin after both teams emptied their benches with just above six minutes to play. For their part, the Clippers have a well-earned four days rest before taking on the Mavericks on Wednesday night, and have put to rest any doubts about who is not only best in their division, but who now rules LA basketball.