In the End, Clippers Have Plenty in Reserve as Subs Sink the Bulls

As if to avoid giving in to the temptation, Clipper Coach Don Chaney would not even look at Marques Johnson and Derek Smith getting fidgety on the bench during the frantic final three minutes of Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls.

Even if it meant losing, there was no way Chaney was going to yank his reserves after they had worked so hard to wrest the lead from the Bulls. The tag team of Johnson and Smith, whose offensive exploits through three quarters kept the Clippers close, would just have to sit.

“Sure, I thought about it, bringing those guys back in,” Chaney said. “But I was thinking not only of this game but of future games. It was important for the reserves to stay in and win it. It was just a lot of faith.”

And it turned out that it wasn’t blind faith, because as Clipper reserves were able to hold off the charging Bulls and post a satisfying 120-112 victory before a disappointing but not disappointed crowd of 7,809.

Confounding as it seems, the Clippers are 4-0. Only one other time has the franchise won four games to open the season. That was 10 years ago when the team was the Buffalo Braves.

“People don’t really believe in us yet,” Chaney said. “We’ll have to show the public and the media all the way to the playoffs that we can play.”

Even though they didn’t have to face Chicago’s sensational Michael Jordan, out with a severely jammed left ankle, the Clippers hopes of remaining undefeated seemed in serious doubt at several junctures Thursday.

Only fantastic offensive displays by Johnson, who scored 17 of his 33 points in the third quarter, and Smith, who had 11 of his 21 points in that span, enabled the Clippers to enter the fourth quarter trailing by only two points, 92-90.

When Johnson and Smith tired early in the quarter, Chaney went to his reserves with 7:32 left and the Clippers trailing, 104-99. And, somewhat surprisingly, the Clippers not only caught Chicago but pulled away. In slightly more than three minutes, the Clippers had recorded a 10-0 run.

The catalysts were small forward Jamaal Wilkes, power forward Michael Cage and guard Junior Bridgeman. Those three combined for 18 of the Clippers’ 28 points in the fourth quarter. Cage had two crucial offensive rebounds that he converted to baskets in that stretch, while both Wilkes and Bridgeman sank pressure free throws and played sparkling defense.

They were supported all the while by starting point guard Franklin Edwards, who scored 13 points and a career-high 15 assists in 43 minutes. And, although neither was counted on in the end, Johnson’s 15 of 24 shooting and Smith’s 9 of 16 were big factors.

“Confidence wise, it did a lot for us non-starters,” said Cage, who had seven rebounds in 18 minutes. “I looked up with 2:15 left on the clock and they were rallying (111-108, Clippers) and I thought we’d come out for sure. We just made the big plays. I think now, the reserves realize how important we are to this team.

“When Coach Chaney sent me into the game, the first thing he said was ‘make something happen right away.’ That got me focused.”

Chaney may have needed to give Cage, who is in his second season, advice. But Wilkes and Bridgeman, two veterans, knew exactly what was needed to secure the win. They simply outhustled, outrebounded and outplayed.

“We did a good job holding the lead,” Wilkes said. “I’m sure most coaches would stay with us after we played that well.”

Privately, Smith and Johnson had to be wondering why Chaney didn’t put them back into the game. Johnson didn’t sit on the bench, anyway, since he was constantly leaving his seat to lend vocal support. Smith admitted afterward he was surprised that he sat.

“Those guys (the reserves) probably thought they were coming out and I sort of thought so, too,” Smith said. “But, like Duck (Chaney) said, we’ve got to think three weeks ahead. I know what Marques and myself can do, but we didn’t know about the subs. We’re going to have to go to them more often.”

One player the Clippers were happy to see sitting on the bench the entire game was Jordan, who injured his ankle Tuesday night against Golden State. Jordan’s role Thursday night was reduced to being Albeck’s corner man.

This was Albeck’s first game back on the bench after a one suspension for fighting with Detroit Coach Chuck Daly.

“I don’t know if I could have made a difference,” Jordan said. “It was definitely tough to be on the bench.”

Especially watching the Clipper bench play so surprisingly tough.

Clipper Notes

Before being forced out of Thursday night’s lineup with a severely sprained ankle, Michael Jordan said he had never missed a game. Not last season as a rookie. Not at North Carolina or at Laney High School in Wilmington, N.C. “I broke my left wrist once as a sophomore (at North Carolina), but I didn’t miss any games,” Jordan said. “I wore a rubber cast up to my elbow. I just couldn’t go left.” When it was jokingly suggested that Jordan can’t go to his left anyway, he said, “You want to bet?” . . . Bull Coach Stan Albeck on Jordan’s injury: “I always tell a player that he should tell us when he’s ready to come back. (But) Michael’s the kind of guy who’d lie to you and say he’s OK so he can get back in the lineup. He’s so damn competitive.”