Boston 94, Los Angeles Clippers 85

[recap] [box score]

I haven't attended all that many NBA games in person. One when I was in high school -- I remember that Grant Hill had a 15/10/10 triple double, but I don't remember who won -- a couple when I was in college, and then a couple or a handful per year since I graduated, in D.C., and Boston, and L.A.

I've had some great times at those games. I saw Ryan Gomes, one of my favorite players since he was a freshman at Providence, score 21 of his then-career-high 27 points in the first half of the same game that Paul Pierce nailed the overtime game-winner over three Wizards at the horn. I've sat behind Delonte West's mother and had her show me and a buddy pictures of Delonte when he was in high school -- prom, graduation, etc. I've gone to several games in Boston over the last several years, connecting with friends in the city on an annual trip that fell victim to the lockout this season.

But as far as regular season games go (Game 1 of the 2008 Finals is on a whole other level), I haven't been to one where a win was more satisfying than it was tonight. And, probably as a result, I haven't had more fun at one either.

It didn't start out that way. Before tip-off, I wasn't feeling great about the game, a combination of the tough loss to the Lakers the night before, the absence of our top two centers against an already overwhelming front line, and the fact that the Clips would be pissed after losing at home to the Warriors the night before.

Things started out okay, but it started to get chippy really fast. Greg Stiemsma flopped on a Blake Griffin drive in the first quarter, and Griffin, after scoring and drawing a foul on Brandon Bass, showed his displeasure with the acting job by handing the ball to Stiemsma. The Boston rookie casually flipped it at Griffin's back as the latter walked to the free throw line, resulting in double technicals. Double techs were also the result of a bizarre sequence in which, several beats after a whistle, Kevin Garnett "drove" the lane for a meaningless dead-ball layin and was met aggressively at the rim for DeAndre Jordan. Doc Rivers got hit with a technical in the second quarter, as well, and as physical as the game was, I figured it was even money that either he or Garnett wouldn't last the evening.

Honestly, in the first half, it felt to me like a dangerous atmosphere. I had noted to my girlfriend early in the first quarter that the defensive intensity was unusually high for the first few minutes of a regular season game. By the middle of the second quarter, the atmosphere seemed dangerous, like something big was going to erupt.

It sounds awfully dramatic, but reading some commentary on the Internet and catching a little bit of the replay on ESPN2 as I write this, it sure seems like I wasn't the only person in attendance who felt that way.

It made sense, really. The Clippers are up-and-coming, trying to climb to a place among the league's elite teams. On their way up, they are passing, or have passed, the Celtics, on Boston's way down that same mountain. The Clips play physically, and all this "Lob City" stuff has them playing with an obnoxious amount of swagger (more on this later), which adds to the testosterone on the floor. Add to the mix the fact that L.A. fans, no matter what flavor, hate Boston fans, and it just seemed like a powderkeg.

Thankfully, nothing happened. The players more or less calmed down, for whatever reason, and the officials opened the third quarter by calling the game a bit tighter. I'm normally a pretty calm guy at live sporting events, preferring to save the manifestation of emotions for games I watch in the privacy of my apartment. But the intensity and physicality of the first half got my adrenaline going, and I found myself on my feet for several big moments in the second half.

Enough color. Time for some Xs and Os.

* Boston's pick-and-roll defense was excellent all night. The Clips run a ton of high pick-and-roll with Chris Paul and Griffin, and the strategy for Boston was to clog the lane for Paul, let Griffin pop for 17-footers, but take the lane away for Griffin rolling, too. It by and large worked: Paul was held to 14 points and five assists, with the bulk of his scoring coming in the fourth quarter, and while Griffin had a big first half including hitting a couple of jump shots, he didn't do much in the second half. The focus on Paul and Griffin did lead to some open jumpers for the Clippers wing players, but forcing your opponent to their third offensive option is usually a pretty good thing.

* Pierce got off to a good start, but picked up three fouls in the first half. He stayed out of foul trouble in the second half and closed the game out well from the free throw line. He also hit a huge three-pointer with under three minutes left that got me out of my seat.

* Ray Allen had a very quiet first half, but came alive in the second. Despite having a big size advantage, the Clips played a small lineup for a large portion of the second half. That small lineup gave Allen a size mismatch over Mo Williams in the post, and Boston went to an interesting triangle set that sometimes saw Rajon R-ndo posting up at the foul line, with Allen and Pierce screeing for each other along the baseline. As is their wont, they went to the well a few too many times with that set, but it was effective for a pretty good stretch.

* Watching on TV never does justice to just how physical the NBA game is. The seats we had gave us a great angle on a lot of post ups, and the amount of strength it takes to simply catch the ball in the post in this league, much less be able to keep your balance, make a move, and take a shot, is remarkable. Garnett had Caron Butler all over him when he hit the game-sealing 20-footer.

* Rebounding was once again a huge problem (the Clips outrebounded the Celts 45-31 for the game and had a 20-6 advantage on the offensive glass), but let me just throw out there that I don't think I've seen a team get away with more pushing on the rebounding action than the Clippers do. Griffin, Jordan, even Reggie Evans to a lesser extent, all use their hands and arms a ton when trying to get rebounding position.

* OK, here comes my dressing-down of the Clippers: You guys are blowing it. You have an all-world point guard and incredible athletes at the four and five positions. You have Lob City. You have the long-time underdog angle going. You have the chance to win over the younger generations of basketball fans in Los Angeles.

But you're blowing it, by becoming one of the most unlikable teams in the league. You haven't even made the playoffs yet. And yet the sense of entitlement that is so obnoxious to behold in even those who are entitled is already creeping in.

Griffin is the worst. He plays extremely physically but flops like crazy, throwing his arms in the air at the slightest touch. He loves to show up officials by grabbing the sides of his head in disbelief, or by sitting on the ground and staring at them after a no-call. At one point, he seemed offended that R-ndo dare challenge him for a rebound, jawing at the Boston point guard after R-ndo was called for a harmless foul on the play.

It's frustrating, because I really want to like the Clippers. Everyone likes an underdog, and selfishly, I'd love to see the Lakers playing second fiddle in their own city. But in less than two years, Griffin has already developed the habits that cause me to loathe superstars like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. It's a shame, but at this point, it seems that I am doomed, from a basketball standpoint at least, to hate LA forever.