OAKLAND, Calif. Air Max Baratas Hombre . -- Blake Griffin buried bank shots, turnaround jumpers and spinning layups. DeAndre Jordan gobbled up rebounds and opposing shots, often flexing his muscles and letting out a roar. The high-flying finishers who spawned the nickname "Lob City" are doing far more than dunking in the playoffs. The frontcourt tandem has carried the Clippers to a 2-1 lead in their first-round series against the Golden State Warriors, who have found no answer for either with centre Andrew Bogut out with a fractured right rib. "Just two animals out there just beastin right now," Clippers guard Darren Collison said. And both are finally performing in places they havent always flourished -- on defence, in the playoffs and at the most pivotal points of games. Since losing Game 1 in Los Angeles, Griffin has dominated David Lee and every other defender the Warriors have thrown his way. And Jordan -- who tied a franchise playoff record with 22 rebounds and five blocks in the Clippers 98-96 win in Game 3 on Thursday night -- has been the kind of rim protector coach Doc Rivers had long believed he could become. The two big men, both just 25 years old, have caused so much disruption that Warriors coach Mark Jackson said Friday hes considering changing his starting lineup for Game 4 on Sunday. The most likely swap would insert Draymond Green at power forward and push Lee to centre for Jermaine ONeal in a smaller, quicker lineup. "Weve got to figure out a way to present some resistance. I think things are going a little too smoothly for Blake," Jackson said during a light shootaround at Golden States downtown Oakland headquarters. Griffin has scored 32 and 35 points the past two games, respectively. Hes shooting 64 per cent from the floor in the series and has been at his best in the biggest spots. The All-Star power forward made five straight baskets -- three bank shots, a mid-range jumper and a short turnaround -- against Lee to open the third quarter in Game 3, part of a run that put the Clippers ahead by 18 points. "Just continuing to believe," Griffin said, speaking to reporters at the teams downtown San Francisco hotel Friday. "My teammates give me the confidence to go out there and shoot every time Im open." Lee promised hed be better against Griffin in Game 4. He has mostly been tasked with guarding Griffin by himself, though Jackson hinted more double-teams might be on the horizon. "Hes playing at a high level right now," Jackson said. "We forced him to be a jump shooter, and hes making jump shots. On the block, hes aggressive. Hes having an outstanding series capping off an outstanding year." While Griffins star has shined brightest, Jordan has been the insult-to-injury figure. The Warriors tried to lure Jordan away from Los Angeles in the summer of 2011, signing him to a four-year, $43 million offer sheet as a restricted free agent. Instead, the Clippers matched the deal. Now the Warriors -- who waived Jeremy Lin and amnestied Charlie Bell to make room for the offer -- can only watch Jordan make a major difference on defence while Bogut -- acquired in a trade with Milwaukee in March 2012 to be Golden States franchise centre -- sits out with another injury. Three years ago, though, Jordans game was not nearly what it is now. Jordan fell out of favour at times under former coach Vinny Del Negro, who was let go after the Clippers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of last years playoffs. Jordans rising game speaks to the Clippers commitment on defence under Rivers, who challenged the young centre to focus on rebounding and protecting the rim this season. Jordan finished third in voting for the NBAs defensive player of the year award behind winner Joakim Noah of Chicago and runner-up Roy Hibbert of Indiana. "These guys really rely on me a lot defensively, and when Im out there, they have all the confidence in the world in me," Jordan said. "So its definitely a huge step for me in my career, but at the same time, its always something to build on and its more motivation for me. As long as Im my teams defensive MVP, thats all that matters to me." Zapatillas Yeezy España . Julien coached the Bruins to the Stanley Cup championship in 2010-11 and is the longest serving coach in consecutive seasons in the teams history. Claude is one of the top coaches in the NHL and has consistently shown a passion for winning, general manager Peter Chiarelli said Sunday in announcing the signing. Yeezy Baratas Hombre . Osasunas Alvaro Cejudo drove the ball onto the crossbar in the fifth minute and his team squandered several long-range strikes before he was denied one-on-one by goalkeeper Jaime Jimenez in the 50th.Its been so far, so good in this playoff season for me as I have gone perfect with my picks through the semis and the finals. Yet now its time for the most important pick of them all; the Grey Cup. The thought of going 5-0 with the correct choice is quite intoxicating, I dont think I have ever gone perfect in my CFL futuristic playoff speculations and would take great pride in guessing - I mean analyzing - correctly. I noticed early in the week that logic rules this matchup. Calgary is the better team with a more explosive offence and running game. On defence, coordinator Rich Stubler has 27 years of CFL experience, so going with the logic he will have a great feel for what Hamilton does on offence and game plan accordingly. On special teams, Sederrick Cunningham is good but cant compare to Brandon Banks after Bankss two touchdown performance in the Eastern Final against Montreal. Hamilton lacks the deep ball ability and the game-changing players that Calgary has, therefore they will need to be more methodical in their approach to this game. A key statistic of success will for the Tiger-Cats will be first downs accumulated. If Hamilton wins that stat, it should result in a time of possession advantage and maybe even one or two less possessions for Bo Levi Mitchell and the Calgary offence. I remember so clearly last years Grey Cup, when Saskatchewan had home field advantage over Hamilton and Kory Sheets had a huge day running the ball. Calgary doesnt have Kory Sheets, but they do have John Cornish, who is possibly a better running back than Sheets. In order to win, Hamilton will have to have a great day tackling Cornish in congested areas and knocking him back from the line of scrimmage. Most importantly, they will have tackle Cornish once he gets in to open space. Tiger-Cats linebackers Taylor Reed, Simoni Lawrence and Erik Harris will be looked upon to limit the damage from Cornish. However, the Stampeders arent the only team that can the run ball. Expect Nic Grigsbby and Mosis Madu to do some damage for the Tiger-Cats and challenge Stampeders linebackers Deron Mayo, Juwan Simpson and Keon Raymond. Zapatillas Yeezy Falsas. The late season signing of Grigsby turned out to be a brilliant move for Hamilton. I dont know if he was a malcontent in Winnipeg, but I do know that in every game with Hamilton he has assimilated to the play book better and found more on field effectiveness as a result. Seven other teams could have signed Grigsby, but hes in Hamilton now and is making a difference while also bringing stability to their backfield. Both teams were competitive in the two games this year, with Calgary winning by three at home and by a lot more than that at McMaster. But both games could have gone either way. What happened months ago has little meaning come Sunday, but it does show that Hamilton is more equal than inferior to a Stampeder team that won 15 regular season games. A lot was made this year of Montreal (1-7) and Hamilton (1-6) having slow starts this season before reaching the playoffs in the East. But to respond and work through that adversity says a lot about a team. I am sure Winnipeg, BC, Saskatchewan and Ottawa all look on with envy. Hamilton started to win the close games down the stretch and that, in association with the return game, is a Ticat strength. Stampeders kicker Rene Paredes has not had a good year, unlike the Tiger-Cats Justin Medlock. Yet, in the climate controlled, smooth surface of BC place, both kickers should excel. Decision time. Everything says to pick the Stampeders. They are an eight-point favourite and have been the best team in the CFL all year, week after week and game after game. If Mitchell had not been injured, he probably would have been the Wests MOP instead of Cornish. Hamilton has a legitimate shot at being a Grey Cup champion and if I could be influenced by underdog emotion over logic I would take them. But I am not, and I cant. Calgary wins the 102nd Grey Cup. ' ' '
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