Clippers yet to right the ship
PUBLISHED: January 14, 2007 at 12:00 a.m. | UPDATED: August 29, 2017 at 2:44 a.m.
LOS ANGELES – The Clippers are becoming the Little Engine that Couldn't.
They gained some steam to conclude a six-game trip with two wins, including one of their best victories of the season in Minnesota. Then they came back to Staples Center on Saturday night and lost their momentum with a 104-92 drubbing from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In several ways, the loss was a baffling affair. The Clippers started out great, went up 10-2, and played the Cavs neck-and-neck until the final 30 seconds of the third quarter.
And that was that.
Cleveland struck for six quick points in the final 30 seconds of the third to go up 79-69.
After that, the Clippers briefly pulled to eight, then trailed by double digits the rest of the night and by as many as 20.
"Once we got down a little bit, they hit some shots and took us out of it," Clippers guard Shaun Livingston said. "We let the crowd take us out of it. It shouldn't be like that. We have to continue to play, regardless."
The Clippers again were sloppy with the ball. They had 16 turnovers, which Cleveland turned into 22 points.
LeBron James had his typical night with 28 points, six assists and six rebounds.
In the midst of his fourth NBA season, the 22-year-old already has had an array of accomplishments, and he added something else – his first win in L.A. after going 0-6 at Staples Center before Saturday.
But if you ask Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, the loss was more about his team's lack of concentration than James' prowess.
"We didn't come out flat," Dunleavy said. "We came out sharp. We came out doing everything we're supposed to be doing. And that's the point of it.
"Our concentration, our focus level, drifts on us. And to be a really good team, it can't."
The troublesome turnovers hurt, but so did the shot selection.
"It wasn't until we took shots that you get groans from the crowd," Dunleavy said. "OK, if that one doesn't go, it's as good as a turnover at times. And we have to get better at it."
The Clippers looked fine in the first half, leading 48-47 at halftime. Chris Kaman and his counterpart at center, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, had an inside battle going throughout the night, and they each finished with 20 points.
Other than the turnovers, the statistics didn't look all that bad as Maggette scored a team-high 22 points and Elton Brand had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
But the fact that the Clippers couldn't sustain a winning streak, falling three games below .500 and aspire for the playoffs, was disheartening.
"It is very frustrating, not keeping the momentum going," Brand said. "We pretty much dominated the first quarter of the night, and it is definitely frustrating to not play well for the entire game."
The Cavs started their run at the end of the third by capitalizing on the Clippers' mistakes. Drew Gooden converted a 3-point play, after being fouled by Maggette on a jump shot. Then Quinton Ross fouled Damon Jones on a 3-point shot with 1.7 seconds left, making all three free throws.
"We had a lot of mental mistakes, some unforced turnovers," Clippers guard Sam Cassell said. "It doesn't take much to turn a whole game around, and they had two defensive plays back to back. We were down four, then down by 10 in a matter of seconds. But that's how the game goes."
CLIPPER NOTES: Dunleavy was asked if he thought the injury effects of training camp and an additional malaise because of preseason trip to Russia still was being felt. The coach offered a response that mentioned these current injuries: Kaman (ankle), Sam Cassell (hip flexor), Aaron Williams (flu) Zeljko Rebraca (flu) and Tim Thomas (ear infection). After that, he said, "Other than that I feel pretty good." & Rebraca remains out indefinitely as he recovers from a lower back problem, and Williams was the only other Clipper unavailable. & The attendance was 20,027, for the Clippers' fourth sellout this season.
Joe Stevens can be reached at joe.stevens@presstelegram.com