Tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET the Los Angeles Clippers must move on from their gritty Game 7 victory in Round 1 over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs and focus on the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets. Fans can watch Game 1 on TNT or live stream it free by clicking this link. Clippers fans can listen to the radio broadcast on KFWB 980, while Rockets fans may do likewise on Sports Talk 790.
Houston made quick work of the Dallas Mavericks in Round 1, dispatching them in five games and giving big man Dwight Howard a valuable breather before he must go to battle with Los Angeles' talented big man duo of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
"It's been good to have our rest -- (Monday's) going to be a big game for us, especially with our energy," Houston's James Harden said. "They're coming off a really tough Game 7. So we just have to do a really good job of coming out here with energy, making sure we're playing well on both ends of the floor."
Game 7 wasn't just taxing emotionally for the Clippers. Point guard Chris Paul limped through much of it with an injured hamstring. While his efforts to push them to victory were heroic, he can't be expected to keep that up on a bum leg vs. one of the best teams in the NBA.
"My guess right now if I had to guess, I would say no," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said Saturday of Paul being available for Game 1. "But I'm not sure."
Losing Paul, who averaged 22.7 points and 7.9 assists in Round 1, would be devastating for a Clippers roster with an extremely thin bench. His absence places a heavy playmaking burden on Griffin, and also increases the necessity of having Jordan on the floor even if he's being purposely hacked and sent to the free throw line.
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