Clippers Give Motion Offense a Try --but These Days, Nothing Works

It wasn’t done in ritualistic book-burning fashion, but Coach Don Chaney unexpectantly threw out the Clippers’ offensive playbook before Friday night’s game here against the Seattle SuperSonics.

The plan, no doubt devised after Wednesday’s 39-point debacle in Denver, was to inject some motion into the Clippers’ plodding offense by letting the players improvise and have these stagnant and listless bodies run whenever possible.

Nothing else has worked lately for the Clippers, but this one actually did for a short while in the first half. Eventually, though, the Clippers reverted to form and were administered their sixth blowout loss in the last 10 games.

This time, it was a rather mild rout, the SuperSonics coasting to a 114-95 win before 5,860 at the Coliseum Arena. They had led by as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter.

No matter what Chaney does, he hasn’t been able to deter the Clippers’ nose-dive that has seen their record drop to 8-16 after opening the season with five straight victories. Certainly, this loss was less brutal than the 40- and 39-point indignities the Clippers suffered earlier in the week.

That was one of the few positive things you could say about the Clippers Friday. Only a Jamaal Wilkes three-point shot right before the final buzzer prevented this loss from being the Clippers’ seventh by 20 or more points this season.

The main thing that distinguished this loss from others recently was the Clippers’ fast start. Compared to the way they have been playing, the Clippers were a blur on offense in the first quarter, opening a 12-point lead at one point. They converted SuperSonic misses into fast breaks and had more movement in their half-court offense than ever.

Soon, however, the Clippers had their tongues hanging out and couldn’t sustain their fast-paced game. So Chaney went back to calling plays for most the second half, and another blowout loss was fast in coming.

Seattle, which has the NBA’s second best defense, had a lot to do with grounding the Clippers. From the second quarter on, the SuperSonics started making their shots, which is a great way of snuffing out an opponent’s fast-break chances.

As usual, former Clipper Tom Chambers had a big night. Chambers scored 14 of his game-high 31 points in the second quarter and also finished the game with 12 rebounds. All five Seattle starters reached double figures, Tim McCormick especially hurting the Clippers with 14 points and 8 rebounds.

The Clippers, who shot 43.9% from the field and had 17 turnovers, were led by Johnson’s 25 points. His was the only noteworthy performance, but even Johnson tired in the second half.

The Clippers, concentrating on movement in their offense, sprinted to as much as a 12-point lead, 26-14, with 3:13 left in the first quarter on a layup by Michael Cage.

Seattle Coach Bernie Bickerstaff called timeout at that point, and it took some of the run out of the Clippers. By the end of the quarter, the SuperSonics had cut the Clippers’ lead to 31-16. Still, it was the Clippers’ best first quarter in at least a week, maybe longer.

Eventually, though, the Clippers reverted to their form. Midway through the second quarter, the SuperSonics caught the Clippers and their late surge enabled Seattle to take a seven-point lead into the locker room at halftime. The Clippers only trailed, 51-48, with 2:01 left in the half, but then they folded up early again. Chambers converted a Clipper turnover into a fast-break dunk with 1:25 left in the half, but then they folded up early again.