Clippers Staged an Incredible 27-Point Comeback to Beat Grizzlies in Game 1

Vinny Del Negro admitted that he was thisclose to throwing in the towel last night, and Chris Paul confirmed that he had to beg his coach to let him back in the game. Thankfully for the Clippers, CP3 and the gang were given a chance to make the comeback of a litetime, and they took full advantage. From the LA Times: “In a game that defied all logic, the Clippers amazingly defeated the Grizzlies, 99-98, Sunday night at the FedEx Forum in one of the greatest comebacks in NBA postseason history. That was the biggest playoff comeback in the last 10 years, according to Clippers’ officials. ‘Man, they want to talk all that [stuff],’ Chris Paul said to his brother, C.J. Paul, on the court after the game. ‘Now what!’ ‘That’s going to hurt,’ a dejected Memphis fan said. The Clippers were down 27 with 2:38 left in the third, down 24 with 9:13 left, down 18 with 7:21 left and down 12 with 5:08 left. And yet these Clippers who are so new to the playoffs, these Clippers who had Paul playing with a mild left groin strain, these Clippers who lost Caron Butler in the third quarter to a fractured left hand, pulled out a victory to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and to take away the home-court advantage from Memphis. ‘We put a mask on and robbed that one,’ said Blake Griffin, who had eight of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. The Clippers outscored Memphis 35-13 in the fourth quarter. They ended the game on a 28-3 run. The Clippers shot 76.5% in the fourth, 83.3% (five for six) on three-pointers. They held Memphis to 26.3% shooting (five for 19) in the final 12 minutes. ‘I don’t remember what happened right now,’ said Paul, who had 14 points and 11 assists. ‘It’s all a blur. It’s too intense. Man, what a win for us. A big win for us. We came to get one. Now it’s time to get greedy.’ Nick Young (19 points) and Reggie Evans (seven points, 13 rebounds) played big roles for the Clippers.”