Harper Sparks Clippers : NBA: Guard acquired from Cavaliers scores 21 points and has 15 rebounds in his debut to lead 106-97 victory over Nets.

This is why 500 respondents to a phone-in survey by the Akron Beacon Journal voted, by a 3-to-1 margin, that the Cleveland Cavaliers made a bad trade. This is why one of the callers added, “I’m a season-ticket holder. Who wants my tickets?”

This is why the Clippers wanted Ron Harper.

Starting at shooting guard in his debut and often displaying the flashy style that promises to make him a crowd favorite, Harper was not flawless Wednesday night, but he did play well in the first half and then provided a fourth-quarter spark to help the Clippers defeat the New Jersey Nets, 106-97, before a crowd of 8,416 at the Sports Arena.

“I made some good stuff happen and I made some bad stuff happen,” said Harper, acquired last Thursday in the trade that sent Reggie Williams and the rights to Danny Ferry to the Cavaliers.

Far more good than bad, though. One of four Clippers to finish with 20 or more points--led by Charles Smith’s game-high 26--Harper had 21 points and 15 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive end.

He also came in with the Clippers (3-5) behind, 87-84, with 9:31 to play. He never went out, and the Nets, who had a total of 14 points in the fourth quarter, were outscored, 22-10, the rest of the way.

“I felt I came out and got into the flow of the game early,” Harper said, adding he was nervous at the outset. “My teammates gave me a lot of easy baskets, which helped. Once I felt comfortable, my ballgame started coming around.”

Benoit Benjamin, who ended his contract holdout last Thursday, played 11 minutes. He scored one point, had two rebounds and two blocked shots in his first appearance.

“I was so-so,” said Benjamin, who made a contribution to the Clippers opening a double-digit lead in the first half. “It was all OK. I wasn’t happy, but I wasn’t disappointed. It was about what I expected.”

Clipper Coach Don Casey was satisfied.

“Tonight, he went just enough (minutes),” Casey said. “He was a little sore from our workouts, and he went good.”

After back-to-back poor-shooting quarters (36.4% in the second and 43.5% in the third), the Clippers trailed, 83-80, entering the final period. They stayed close before going ahead, 90-89, on Smith’s turn-around jumper on the left baseline with 7:35 to play, and never lost the lead.

First impressions: Harper hit his initial shot, a 15-foot jumper from just to the left of the free-throw line, making it 2-2. New Jersey’s Joe Barry Carroll missed on the next possession, and Harper’s rebound started an eventual layup by Smith. Chris Morris missed, Harper rebounded. Moments later, Harper has his third rebound.

It was 8-2 when Harper stole the ball from Dennis Hopson, came down two-on-one against Morris and dished off to Norman for a 10-2 lead. Three minutes into the game, New Jersey called timeout and the Clippers came off to a standing ovation.

More first impressions: Benjamin, overweight but having fared well in three days of hard practices, debuted with 9:44 to play in the second quarter. On his 25th birthday, he received a bigger reaction from the crowd than Harper, most of it positive. Within 10 seconds, he swatted away a shot by Hopson.

He came out in favor of Smith with 5:36 remaining. This time, all the reaction was positive. The Clippers led, 49-36, meaning they went 10-4 with Benjamin.

New Jersey, which lost its fifth in a row and is 3-7, fell 13 behind on several occasions in the second quarter. The Nets made up some ground but still trailed at the half, 58-51, despite the Clippers shooting just 36.4% in the period.

“We got a great start, played hard and with enthusiasm,” said Smith, who scored 16 points in the first half. “We got sort of lackadaisical when we went up by 13. We started to coast a bit.”

Nothing they couldn’t change.

Harper went five of nine from the field in the first half for 11 points to go with seven rebounds, three steals and no turnovers in 19 minutes.

A good first impression, indeed.

Clipper Notes

Danny Manning will be examined again Monday by Dr. Steven Lombardo, and the Clippers are projecting his return for the Nov. 29 home game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Manning says he ready now, but others, such as Lombardo and General Manager Elgin Baylor, prefer to see how Manning’s knee reacts after several days of intense practice. . . . Reggie Williams made his debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday night, getting five points and one rebound in five minutes. Cavalier Coach Lenny Wilkens’ thinking is much like Williams’, that this is a chance for a new start after a disappointing two-plus seasons with the Clippers. “I think a lot of Reggie’s problems had to do with the environment he was in,” Wilkens told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “He was a kid who came from a structured situation (at Georgetown) to one in which there was a lack of discipline. I am basing a lot of what I like about him from what I remember about him from college.”

Harper, a lifelong Ohio resident, has spent much of his first days in Los Angeles hunting for a townhouse or condo. His reaction to the prices was not surprising. “I knew it would be bad, but, wow,” he said. “I said, ‘Man, I need a new contract quick.’ ”. . . . The Nets scored seven points, an all-time team low, in the third quarter Tuesday night, when they turned a 10-point halftime lead into a 114-84 loss at Seattle. “I’m sure every guy in the CBA who sees that third-quarter score is going to have his agent calling New Jersey,” Coach Bill Fitch said.