Chaney Gets Reprieve; Clippers Lose

Beleaguered Clipper Coach Don Chaney received a phone call from owner Donald T. Sterling Friday morning, just as he no doubt had feared all week after continually hearing talk that his job was in serious jeopardy.

But it turned out that Sterling called to tell Chaney that he was not going to be fired anytime soon. Chaney said it took him by surprise, since management had decided last weekend to give Chaney a week to turn the struggling Clippers around or he would be out as coach.

So, even though the Clippers dropped a 119-104 decision to the San Antonio Spurs before 5,790 at the Sports Arena, Chaney doesn’t seem to fretting about being unemployed on Christmas.

“I spoke with him (Sterling) today on the phone and he said he doesn’t like or want to make any more changes,” said Chaney, cracking a thin smile. “Let me rephase that and say that he won’t make any changes in the immediate future. I’m surprised because I’ve been reading about these sources high in management who say my job’s in trouble.”

Sources say Sterling actually told Chaney that he’d like him to be the Clippers’ coach for the next four seasons. Don’t expect the club to start preparing paper work on a contract extension, but it makes Chaney feel more secure.

“I do feel better after our conversation,” he said.

Chaney also didn’t feel so badly about the way the Clippers’ played Friday night. Even though it was a 15-point loss, the Clippers challenged the Spurs throughout the second half, pulling to within three points early in the fourth quarter.

Clearly, what differentiated this from other recent Clipper losses was the fact that the club played hard and did not give up when behind.

Sterling and team president Alan Rothenberg still sat stoically at halfcourt and watched the the team register its 19th loss in 27 games, but there wasn’t the usual irksome expressions.

General Manager Carl Scheer was upbeat, also saying that Chaney’s job is not longer an issue.

“Write about the game,” Scheer told writers outside the locker room. “There’s nothing to talk about about Chaney.”

San Antonio (16-12) simply had too much talent for the Clippers. Guard Alvin Robertson scored a career high 32 points (15 of 22 from the field) and had seven assists. Mike Mitchell added 19 and Steve Johnson and Artis Gilmore 16 each. Most of the noteworthy performances for the Clippers came from their reserves, no doubt another pleasant shock to Chaney.

Seldom-used guard Lancaster Gordon scored 16 points in 19 minutes, 14 coming in the second quarter when the Clippers fought back when on the verge of being blown out by the Spurs.

Franklin Edwards scored 19 points and clearly outplayed starting point guard Norm Nixon, who scored only 6 points in 21 minutes.

Marques Johnson, playing with the flu, scored 17 points--11 coming in the fourth quarter.

Another disastrous had start put the Clippers in a hole again. Although they recovered, to a degree, they still trailed, 66-54, at halftime. The Spurs took a 6-0 lead in the first two minutes before Chaney wisely called a timeout. But that didn’t help a bit, as San Antonio sprinted to a 14-2 lead punctuated by a savage Robertson dunk off Johnny Moore’s lob pass.

Robertson was assessed a technical foul for hanging on the rim. Junior Bridgeman made the foul shot, but it wasn’t a harbinger of better things to come.

In fact, the Clippers played even worse after that. They bottomed out with 4:43 left in the quarter when Moore stole the ball and went in alone for a layup. No Clipper player followed him and the ball was left unattended. Chaney was the only one who realized that a five-second violation would soon follow, so he called a timeout.

San Antonio took its biggest lead--31-15 with 1:51 left--and Chaney and the small Sports Arena gathering had had enough of the starters.

With no other choice, Chaney pulled the starters with 1:38 left. Surprisingly, or maybe not surprisingly, the Clipper subs rallied. The reserves scored seven straight points to end the quarter, putting the Clippers within 10 points, 32-22.

The starters remained benched for the entire second quarter, and the Clippers pulled to within five points on two occasions midway through the quarter. Gordon and Edwards were the catalysts.

Gordon had his best performance of the season in one quarter, scoring 14 points and making things happen offensively. Edwards made starter Nixon appear to be playing on slow motion. Edwards had 10 of his 13 first-half points in the second quarter.