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Raptors forward Chris Bosh goes up for a basket over Marcus Camby during Toronto's 104-89 victory over the Clippers on Friday night. Bosh finished with a team-high 21 points. (Lori Shepler / Reuters) |
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How do you blow a 22-point lead?
Watch.
The Clippers are proving capable of blowing all varieties of leads -- big, medium and small -- in excruciating and creative ways.
This time, the meltdown came early, not late. The Clippers had a 22-point lead dwindle to nine by the end of the first half, and vanish by the start of the fourth quarter.
Which turned the final 12 minutes into a genuine cliff-hanger.
Not quite all of it. The Clippers didn't score in the final 6:58, as the Raptors won, 104-89, Friday night at Staples Center.
Incredibly, the Clippers missed their final 11 shots.
Chris Bosh led the Raptors with yet another double-double, scoring 21 points and adding 14 rebounds. The Raptors hit nine three-pointers, eight of them in the second half.
Could this be the true definition of rock bottom for the free-falling Clippers?
"I hope so," Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy said. "Coming into the game, we knew what their strengths were and at the end that's what they did.
" . . . It seemed as though every time we made a mistake in coverage, they moved the ball to the right guy and he banged down a shot."
Said small forward Al Thornton: "I wouldn't say rock bottom, but it's definitely a low point. It's frustrating, really frustrating."
No one seems to know quite what to do, including their distressed-looking owner Donald Sterling.
The Clippers, who were led by Chris Kaman's 25 points, are 3-7 in what has been supposedly a soft part of the schedule.
Their prized rookie, Blake Griffin, could be out for another month. Shooting guard Eric Gordon (sore left groin) remains sidelined, and his absence is glaring at both ends of the floor.
Said Baron Davis: "I don't know what to say. We got off to a good start, it's free-flowing and all of sudden we just started getting methodical, lackadaisical.
"We were turning down shots for worse shots, shooting four or five seconds into the shot clock. It seems like it's a lack of flow coming into that third quarter.
"You see the difference in what they did and what we did. They ran their plays. We're not attacking. . . . The first quarter, we're playing, guys are moving the ball, getting shots. In the second half, we settle in and we get complacent.
"In this league you can't get complacent because teams can score. We've got to play with a defensive mind-set."
This punctuated what was arguably one of the worst weeks for the Clippers, well . . . since last season.
Watch.
The Clippers are proving capable of blowing all varieties of leads -- big, medium and small -- in excruciating and creative ways.
This time, the meltdown came early, not late. The Clippers had a 22-point lead dwindle to nine by the end of the first half, and vanish by the start of the fourth quarter.
Which turned the final 12 minutes into a genuine cliff-hanger.
Not quite all of it. The Clippers didn't score in the final 6:58, as the Raptors won, 104-89, Friday night at Staples Center.
Incredibly, the Clippers missed their final 11 shots.
Chris Bosh led the Raptors with yet another double-double, scoring 21 points and adding 14 rebounds. The Raptors hit nine three-pointers, eight of them in the second half.
Could this be the true definition of rock bottom for the free-falling Clippers?
"I hope so," Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy said. "Coming into the game, we knew what their strengths were and at the end that's what they did.
" . . . It seemed as though every time we made a mistake in coverage, they moved the ball to the right guy and he banged down a shot."
Said small forward Al Thornton: "I wouldn't say rock bottom, but it's definitely a low point. It's frustrating, really frustrating."
No one seems to know quite what to do, including their distressed-looking owner Donald Sterling.
The Clippers, who were led by Chris Kaman's 25 points, are 3-7 in what has been supposedly a soft part of the schedule.
Their prized rookie, Blake Griffin, could be out for another month. Shooting guard Eric Gordon (sore left groin) remains sidelined, and his absence is glaring at both ends of the floor.
Said Baron Davis: "I don't know what to say. We got off to a good start, it's free-flowing and all of sudden we just started getting methodical, lackadaisical.
"We were turning down shots for worse shots, shooting four or five seconds into the shot clock. It seems like it's a lack of flow coming into that third quarter.
"You see the difference in what they did and what we did. They ran their plays. We're not attacking. . . . The first quarter, we're playing, guys are moving the ball, getting shots. In the second half, we settle in and we get complacent.
"In this league you can't get complacent because teams can score. We've got to play with a defensive mind-set."
This punctuated what was arguably one of the worst weeks for the Clippers, well . . . since last season.
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