Can Clippers survive first round without Chris Paul?
For all the talk of their Big Three, the Los Angeles Clippers are really all about the little one.
A prognosis on Chris Paul's hand is forthcoming, but at the very least, it's safe to assume that he'll be out for the remainder of the first round. Paul suffered a fractured third metacarpal in his shooting hand Monday and is expected to be sidelined for at least three weeks.
Without Paul, another playoff disaster looms on the horizon for this historically cursed franchise.
The Clippers predictably folded after Paul subbed out midway through Game 4.
The Clippers march to Paul's beat, and without their diminutive conductor waving the baton, the tightly wound symphony descends into a mindless cacophony. There were no more thundering alley-oops to DeAndre Jordan, no more simple pick-and-pops to Blake Griffin for the elbow jumper, and no more pin-downs for J.J. Redick.
Instead, it was a sloppy jam session for all of the Clippers' haphazard soloists. Austin Rivers shot seven times in 16 minutes against just two assists while Jamal Crawford one-upped him by hoisting eight shots. The two combined for just three made field goals and scored nine points after Paul went out.
Meanwhile, Griffin, Jordan, and Redick shot a combined eight times.
The Clippers posted an offensive rating of 91.8 over the final 18 minutes of Monday's game. It wasn't an aberration - with Paul off the court this season, the Clippers have dropped from the sixth-best offense in the league to scoring like the Los Angeles Lakers. Expect more of the same going forward.
Expect some drop-off on the defensive end as well. Rivers is a capable defender, but his insertion into the starting lineup leaves the 38-year-old Pablo Prigioni to mop up minutes as the backup. That's a recipe for disaster against Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.
The Clippers won three of the eight games that Paul missed in the regular season, but that came against three subpar opponents in the Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, and the Utah Jazz. Beating the Blazers without their superstar is another question altogether.
It might be a different story if Griffin were healthy. He could run the offense and produce triple-doubles.
But he's not healthy. Griffin continues to be plagued by a torn quad that he was spotted massaging and icing during Monday's game. Doc Rivers said after that Griffin is "50-50" for Game 5, but regardless of his availability, it's clear that he isn't near 100 percent.
Griffin has carried the Clippers in the past. Two seasons ago, Paul went down for a month and Griffin went off for 27.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists to lead the team to a 12-6 record.
Save for some posterizers against Mason Plumlee, Griffin has looked like a shell of himself in these playoffs. He's shooting 37.7 percent from the field and isn't nearly fully up to speed.
Throw in a sore heel for Redick, and the Clippers have no one left to save them. Injuries have caught up with the Clippers at the worst moment possible, and it's thrown the door wide open for the Blazers to charge into the second round.