Clippers Turn Inward, Nearly Beat Celtics

Desperate times call for desperate measures, so Mike Schuler, his Clippers already 1-5 on their Eastern swing and facing one of the best teams in the league, ignored the conventional approach Friday night. For the first time in his coaching career, Schuler hardly touched on the scouting report in the pregame talk to players.

Why?

“Why not?” Schuler said.

Good point. Good reaction, too. Not long after each player had an opportunity to say in front of teammates how they were going to contribute to the victory, the Clippers responded with one of their best showings in weeks, a 109-107 loss to the Boston Celtics that ended the longest trip of the year on a somewhat upbeat note.

“All we talked about going into the game was what we were going to do,” said Charles Smith, who had a game-high 25 points to lead five Clippers in double figures.

“That’s been the disappointment to our season so far--what we can do. We can’t worry anymore what the other teams can do. If we play like this all the time, we’ll be a great team.”

Or at least very good--the Clippers, after all, went scoreless the last 2:07. But considering that it took two free throws by Reggie Lewis in the closing seconds to finally put them away, there was still reason to be pleased.

“They did an excellent job of taking us out of our offense,” Lewis said. “They had the hot hand from the start and the momentum and they took it to us.”

“And gave the Celtics a tougher game than expected?” someone suggested.

“A whole lot tougher,” Lewis said.

After going 10 consecutive seasons without winning at Boston Garden, the Clippers, 114-105 winners here last season during a more memorable January tour, almost made it two in a row. They had a 13-point lead late in the second quarter and were ahead, 59-50, at halftime as Benoit Benjamin had 16 rebounds to come within one of the team record for a half.

But thanks to an 11-2 surge to open the third quarter, the Celtics (29-5) pulled even for the first time since the score was 12-12.

Neither led by more than six points the rest of the way. The Clippers (12-24) led, 105-101, but Robert Parish responded with a tip-in basket for Boston. Smith made two free throws with 2:08 to play to make the score 107-103.

Those turned out to be the last Clipper points. The next three possessions resulted in Smith’s shot being blocked by Kevin McHale, Tom Garrick’s baseline jumper missing, and Smith being called for traveling when he was forced to hurry his shot to beat the 24-second clock. The Celtics, meanwhile, pulled within a point.

They tied the score with 20 seconds to play when Lewis made one of two free throws. The Celtics went back to him during their final trip down court, too. He worked the left side before driving the baseline and being fouled by Danny Manning with two seconds to play.

“I was trying to draw the foul in case I didn’t get the shot off,” Lewis said. “I gave a head fake and everybody jumped.”

After Smith’s free throws, Manning’s inbound lob from half court was knocked away from Smith by Parish.

“I was really pleased with my team tonight,” Schuler said, despite the Clippers’ 16th loss in their last 19 games. “They had all the makings and excuses to pack it in. This is the end of a long road trip, they were up at 4:30 or 5 this morning and played one of the best teams in basketball. The only thing I ask our team on the road is to give themselves a chance to win in the fourth quarter. And they did.”

Clipper Notes

This was supposed to be the first reunion between the Clippers and their coach during the previous 1 1/2 seasons, Don Casey, but Casey, a Boston assistant, stayed home because of flu. “I had been eyeing this game with mixed feelings,” he said. “But as the season went on, it became more a part of the schedule and less of an event to me. I would just like to have played it and gotten it out of the system. But we’ll get a chance at the Sports Arena.” The Celtics will play there March 8. . . . Benoit Benjamin finished with 20 rebounds for the second time in three games. . . . Michael Cage holds the L.A. Clipper record for rebounds in a half, 17, accomplished twice. Swen Nater holds the franchise mark of 21, set Dec. 14, 1979, as a member of the San Diego Clippers.