Yesterday, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers made his return to the city he spent ten years in, and now he gets to see the players who he won a championship with. Yesterday, Rivers and the Clippers beat the Celtics for Doc’s first game back since walking away from the team. It was incredibly emotional for Doc Rivers who received a standing ovation from the home Boston crowd. Tonight, the Clippers are in New York to face the Nets and get to see Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett for the first time in different uniforms.
The Nets have gotten off to an awful start this season, but are currently riding a two game win streak. One reason for the improvement may be the return of point guard Deron Williams. This is a great time for Williams to be healthy as he will battle Chris Paul tonight. Last time Paul played in Brooklyn, he had 12 points and 13 assists. I am unsure of the NBA betting lines for this game, but having Williams back is definitely a huge factor for tonight. Another key matchup will be Brooke Lopez and Blake Griffin. Lopez has normally gotten the better of this matchup, averaging 23 points against the Clippers, while Griffin is only averaging 14.8 points a game.
It will be great to see Rivers, Pierce, and Garnett reunited tonight and to think about their great years together. Pierce and Garnett still have not captured that greatness in Brooklyn and it is very likely it will never come back for either of them. Rivers finds himself on a team that can compete for a championship, something the Nets were expected to do as well with the trade. They have started to dig themselves out of the 7-14 hole they dug themselves but they cannot keep up with the Clippers. Los Angeles is a face paced team that can outrun the Nets on the court. Clippers vs. Nets- who you takin?
