NBA schedule 2012: Mavs-Thunder, Celtics-Clippers on Thursday

It’s time to start talking seriously about the Clippers. It’s way, way past time actually. They have the best record in the league, which is nice, but they are also the only team who ranks in the top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency and that is something else altogether.

Teams aren’t getting to the rim often against the Clippers and when they do make it, they’re not that likely to score. Opponents are shooting just 57 percent inside the restricted area per NBA.com, and the Clippers are just as stingy in other areas of the court. While some teams protect the paint or the perimeter well, the Clippers’ defense controls the whole court. And we haven’t even mentioned the steals yet.

The Clippers dominated in every facet of the game with the score not being indicative of how much the Celtics fought early in the game. But a 13-point halftime lead continued to grow and ended up getting out of hand in the fourth quarter as the Clippers held the Celtics to only 10 points in the fourth.

The Clippers improved to 23-6 on the season and the Celtics dropped back to .500 at 14-14.

Reggie Miller is apparently getting ready for his part in Tombstone 2. Or maybe he’s a month late for Movember. Then again, maybe he’s ready to play some Monopoly. No matter the reason, the Pacers legend once known for a smooth stroke and smooth face is now ready to reveal a new side to the world. Now all he needs is a monocle.

Dallas opened the overtime period on a 6-3 run, but Westbrook took over for the Thunder. He scored the next six points, giving Oklahoma City a 107-104 lead. After scoring just eight points in regulation, Westbrook finished overtime with eight points.

Why was this so weird? The following things led to that shot:

Nevertheless, the shot went in and gave the Mavericks new life after they blew an 11-point fourth-quarter lead. For at least a little while, we won’t need to talk about Dallas’ horrendous fourth-quarter execution. The Mavericks suddenly have new life.

That’s how eye-popping this play was.