How the Suns dissect the Clippers

A film room recipe for the Clippers to adjust for Game 2

BY DAVID THORPE

Losing the first two games was OK against the Mavericks and the Jazz. But for the Clippers it is incredibly unlikely to work against the Suns, who will be much better than either of those teams once Chris Paul returns. Tuesday’s Game 2 will tell us a lot about the Clippers’ title chances. 

Here are four areas where the Clippers could improve from Game 1:

Suns weakside action

Most NBA offenses are based on a shot creator or two, and well-spaced shooters. On the Suns, those shooters routinely do a lot more than wait for the ball. While Devin Booker goes to work, his teammates screen, cut, and generally keep defenders too busy to bother much with Booker. This has been constant, all season, it’s so baked into Suns players team DNA they even do it when faced with a trap on the ball. 

Here we see Booker making the pass to the middle after the trap. Opportunity! Now the Suns can play four-on-three. 

Watch Cameron Johnson. Most players would slide to the corner, hoping the ball swin…