PLAYA VISTA, Calif. – In the Saturday night afterglow of their 112-91 Game 1 playoff victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Clippers were only too happy to throw some credit in the direction of guard Eric Bledsoe.
He earned it.
Bledsoe had an exceptional game off the bench, going 7 for 7 from the floor, adding four assists and grabbing as many rebounds (six) in 18 minutes as the Grizzlies’ big men, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, did in 56 combined minutes.
Asked why he seems to come up with big games every time he faces Memphis, Bledsoe deadpanned, “I have no idea.”
His teammates do.
“He had a perfect night,” Clippers forward Caron Butler said. “He’s a guy that physically gets defenders on their heels, gets into the paint and creates opportunities for his teammates and himself. He’s one of the best in the game at it.”
Bledsoe scored 13 points and had all of his rebounds in the Clippers’ closing fourth-quarter drive when they out-scored the Grizzlies 35-15 over the final 10 minutes to pull away. Game 2 is Monday night at Staples Center.
In three regular-season games against Memphis (he missed one because of a sore left calf), Bledsoe averaged 12 points and 3.6 assists, both above his season averages. His energy and quickness give the second unit a burst of intensity, and his rebounding and shot-blocking skills – amazing given his 6-foot-1 size – make him a sneaky defender.
“Bled is one of the best guards in our league,” Chris Paul said. “I’ve said it all season long, I’m enjoying playing with him right now because there’s no way he can be here next year because we probably won’t have enough money to pay him. He should be a starting point guard in this league next year.”
Actually, Bledsoe doesn’t become a free agent until after next season, but the Clippers may find themselves in the position of trading him rather than extending his contract because it would cost too much to keep him. In the meantime, his presence with Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes and Lamar Odom give the Clippers a formidable second group.
“The experience and leadership we have coming off the bench is just as strong as our first five,” Blake Griffin said. “They’ve been huge all season long, and they did a great job (Saturday) coming in and extending the lead and maintaining the lead.”
Bledsoe’s play was just one factor in the Clippers’ best-of-seven series opener. They held the Grizzlies to just nine rebounds in the second half and 23 in the game; neither Randolph, who led the NBA in total offensive rebounds, nor Gasol had an offensive board.
“I just think we did a good job playing team defense,” Bledsoe said. “Everybody came in and did a great job keeping them off the glass, and we played our game.”
But the Clippers know there will be adjustments in the second game. They don’t expect to control the boards as they did Saturday, and they realize the Grizzlies made several runs each time they began to pull away, at least until the deciding fourth quarter. The Clippers spent part of their practice session Sunday watching video and looking for ways to get better.
“There’s always things we have to get tighter on,” coach Vinny Del Negro said. “I was proud of the way we rebounded the ball. We made mistakes, but it wasn’t from lack of effort. We controlled our turnovers in the fourth quarter, which was big, and made a good run with our defense. But guys stepped up and made plays.”
That includes Bledsoe. But the Clippers expected no less.
