At home against the Phoenix Suns, who were resting Grant Hill and Steve Nash on the second night of a back-to-back-to-back. Sounds like a winnable game for the Clippers, and it looked like they’d take care of business as they built a 17-point lead in the second quarter. As Reggie Evans, Eric Bledsoe, Bobby Simmons, and Kenyon Martin filtered out of the game with about seven or eight minutes to go, LA still had an eight-point lead. Once again, the bench had done their job and the starters were asked to close the door. Once again, they failed to do so. Give Phoenix credit, they made plays..er..threes. Markieff Morris, Channing Frye, and Shannon Brown went 3-3 from downtown in the final five minutes. I would say Alvin Gentry’s intentional foul strategy failed–the Clippers went 4-6 between 3:47 and 2:14 with DeAndre Jordan tying the game on the final pair–but Phoenix was +1 during the stretch. Sebastian Telfair made the defensive play of the game when he stripped Chris Paul at the 30 second mark. At that point Phoenix led 89-87, and although the Clippers weren’t forced to foul immediately they had to do so after Phoenix came up with an offensive rebound. Tough breaks from a Clipper point of view? Absolutely. Phoenix was forced to make consecutive threes. Chris Paul to the basket is a solid play with the game on the line, it just didn’t happen to work out this time. That aforementioned offensive board took a funny bounce all the way out to halfcourt. This is a prime example of why you can’t allow lesser teams (no disrespect to the surging Suns, but two starters sat out) to hang around. You’ve got an 11-point lead entering the fourth, an 8-point lead with as many minutes to go… you’ve got to win that game. The Clipps have suffered a few depressing losses lately (the Nets game stands out, as does the Golden State game), but this one takes the cake, and…
…If I’m Clipper management I’m losing patience with Vinny Del Negro. This may seem to contradict what I said at the beginning of the season–that this group would need time, maybe even an entire season plus a full offseason to become the team they’re capable of becoming. However, I expected to see at least a little progress, and I have seen none. Seriously, aside from great personnel moves like the addition of Kenyon Martin and the trade for Nick Young, this team hasn’t made a single stride since opening night. The GM can bring in all the players he wants and the Clippers aren’t going to contend for a title playing like they have so far. They need to make progress on the floor… find a way to take advantage of their athleticism, first and foremost. Other problems include stagnant offense and poor shot selection. The Clippers rank 17 spots higher in three-point attempts (5th) than they do in points in the paint (22nd), and 19 spots higher in three-point attempts than fast-break points (24th). Those numbers, to me, tell the story. Every once in a while they’ll get out and run, and they’ll pound the ball into the paint with Blake Griffin. You’ll think okay, this is what I’ve been waiting to see! However, the apparent progress never carries over into the next game. Even the Clippers’ commentators will point it out. During a game a few nights ago Blake Griffin got a fast-break dunk and Mike Smith said “wow, I can’t remember the last time he got one of those.” That right there is disturbing, folks. This is the same team it was during the preseason… talented, but directionless. They aren’t a high-powered offensive team, yet they aren’t a successful slow-it-down, grind-it-out team either. I’m not one to blame coaches, but if you can’t get a team this talented to show any progress whatsoever by the time f@cking mid March rolls around… you need to go, man.
This is probably the fan in me talking, but I’d love to see Mike D’Antoni coach the Clippers. Yeah, I know, that’s just about the most unpopular opinion I could possibly have right now next to “it isn’t Carmelo’s fault,” but the Clipps have the right pieces to run his system. Can his system win a championship? I can’t say that that’s been proven… however, this could be the most talented team he’s ever coached. This much I’d guarantee: the Mike D’Antoni Clippers would be an improvement over what we’re seeing right now. They’d be worth the price of admission, too. Lob City’s lookin’ more like Contested Jumper Town these days.
If Zach Randolph was an adjective it would flawlessly describe the following report. Via UPI.com…
PORTLAND, Ore., March 15 (UPI) — Police documents were released that shed light on a beating incident at the Portland, Ore., home of basketball player Zach Randolph.
Reports totaling 158 pages by the Clackamas County, Ore., Sheriff’s Office, evaluated this week by Deputy District Attorney Christine Landers, include details of a party at Randolph’s West Linn, Ore., mansion in August, where attendee James Reuben Beasley allegedly attempted to sell marijuana to Randolph but set the price too high.
“That is when Zach aggressively snatched the marijuana out of James’ hands and yelled to other people at the house to get him (James) out of the house,” the report said.
Beasley told deputies he was beaten by “six or seven” of Randolph’s bodyguards as he was hustled from the house and hospitalized. The following day, the documents state, Beasley’s mother called police, who obtained a warrant to search Randolph’s house.
Once inside, Randolph, in bed, refused an order by police to “show me your hands,” but complied after a deputy aimed a handgun at him. He denied any knowledge of the beating, the reports say.
No arrests have been made in the case, police said.
This is actually an old story with just a few new details made available by the recently released police documents. Still, it’s funny to me. If you never read my extensive research project on the most “thugged-out” teams of the past decade, which was headlined by Z-Bo’s Jail Blazers, I highly recommend it. Also, if you’re interested in buying the house in which Randolph’s posse whipped a guy’s ass with pool cues, it’s up for sale for about a million bucks. Talk about a unique venue for your NBA-themed man cave…
Kevin Love and Paul Millsap have probably been the NBA’s premier power forwards in crunch time this season (sorry, Dirk, your team’s blown too many games). They faced off last night in a battle that ended up in overtime, and it was Millsap who’s late-game performance lifted the Utah Jazz to a 111-105 victory… although he did have one crucial flub. After Nikola Pekovic tied the game (!!!!!!) on a stick-back layup with just .7 seconds to play, the Jazz Drew up a back screen/lob for Millsap. It was flawlessly executed… but Paul just missed the layup. I wanted Minnesota to win this game so my dude Pekovic could be the hero, but man, I almost felt bad for Paul Millsap… he’s been such an excellent late-game performer all season long, and he’s such a likable player. I didn’t have to feel bad for long, though. PM ended up coming away with two huge steals, as well as the jumper that made it a two-possession game with 19 seconds to go. His first overtime steal was actually his 7th of the game, and it led directly to Gordon Hayward’s go-ahead dunk in transition. His 8th and final steal came after the aforementioned jumper when he stripped Kevin Love. A fitting play to complete ice the game, as Millsap has outplayed Love in all three match ups this season. Said Al Jefferson: “One word for Paul: heart! He just don’t give up. Anybody, including me, could have have just felt sorry for himself when you miss a layup that could’ve won the game, but not Paul.”
Jamaal Tinsley has quietly stepped in and made a recent impact for the Jazz. He’s averaging 8 assists over his last three, and he contributed 6 points and 5 dimes last night. Naturally, he did so in Rucker-Park fashion…
Denver is in legitimate danger of falling out of the playoffs now that they’ve traded their post presence. They’ll probably edge out the banged-up T-Wolves, the aging Suns, and the inconsistent Jazz, but it’s hardly a sure thing. They fall into the 8th spot with last night’s loss to the Thunder, in which they got just 10 combined points from their starting PF/C combo. As I said in my trade deadline recap, the fan in me hates this trade. The Western Conference playoffs will be less interesting because of it. In other Nuggets news, Wilson Chandler is reportedly close to being signed. The deal is said to be for something like five years and $30 million. I’m not sure what I think of the move. I like Wilson, but he’s going to be a reserve behind the team’s best player.
Box Score Observations: Rodrigue Beaubois scored 14 points on 7-9 to help the Mavericks beat the Bobcats 101-96. I didn’t see the game, but that score certainly doesn’t seem too convincing. John Wall dropped 26 to lead the fumigated Wizards past the Hornets. Javale McGee’s temporary replacement, Kevin Seraphin, contributed 12 points, 9 boards, and a pair of blocks. Russell Westbrook had 7 of OKC’s 13 turnovers in their victory over Denver. Just had to mention it ’cause that’s more than half.
Highlight Recap, Kenyon Martin Edition: Vintage K-Mart right here…
