The Los Angeles Clippers shocked everyone but themselves when they got the Game 1 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Chris Paul looked more like the MVP than Kevin Durant as he finished with 32 points, making eight 3-point shots as the Clippers went on to get the 122-105 win. Now the Thunder have the newly crowned league MVP and they are aiming to tie the series up in Game 2.
Paul finished seventh in the league in MVP votes. He averaged 19.1 points in the regular season while missing nearly a month due to a shoulder injury. He has turned into an even better scorer in the playoffs, something the Thunder are thrown off by. Mix that with the six of Blake Griffin and sixth man of the year Jamal Crawford and the Clippers have the ability to get mismatches in their favor.
The success of Los Angeles in Game 1 came from beyond the arc. The team made 15 of 29 3-point attempts while shooting 55 percent overall and committing just nine turnovers. That kind of production across the board would get any team the win. Durant admits the ball movement threw the team off as the Clippers were able to get every player involved in the scoring effort. Paul is normally a career 36 percent 3-point shooter but that did not stop him or his teammates for putting up some points. Crawford finished with 17 while JJ Redick had 12.
Oklahoma City looked sluggish in Game 1 after coming off a Game 7 win against the Memphis Grizzlies. They took a 16-0 lead to start the game but then slowly let go as the Clippers went on a 24-6 run. In the first quarter alone, the Thunder allowed the Clippers to shoot 67 percent overall and things only got worse from there. If the Thunder are going to take one before heading on the road, they have to step up the defense and slow down Los Angeles' long range shooting.
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