NBA PLAYOFFS : It Got Clippers Moving : New Offense, Better Practice Made Difference

The Clippers had just lost to the Portland Trail Blazers at the Sports Arena, extending their losing streak to six. Ron Harper, slumped in a chair in front of his locker, was asked if the emotions from a recent run of five victories in six games--including a victory over the the Lakers at the Forum--had disappeared.

“It’s gone, isn’t it?” he said. “It gets to a point where it’s very frustrating. It gets to a point where you’re thinking, ‘When does the season end?’ if we continue to go like this.”

It was only the 12th game of the season.

Fast forward five months to April. Once looking for the side-door exit, the Clippers finish the season at 45-37, third-best record in franchise history. They set numerous individual and team records and reached the playoffs for the first time since their ancestors--the Buffalo Braves--did it in 1976.

“It seems like last year that I said it,” Harper said of his November proclamation.

So what happened?

LARRY BROWN

When the Clippers played at Miami Arena in early March, Coach Larry Brown walked 15 feet up the sideline to shout instructions to his team at the other end. When he turned to return to his seat, a fan 10 rows up shouted, “Hey, Larry. Where you working next week?”

Brown didn’t break stride. But he looked toward the stands and shot back in deadpan tone: “Hey, that’s a great line. I haven’t heard that one before.”

Nearly two months later, there is nothing to indicate Brown still doesn’t have all the quick answers. He put in a new part-time offense and scoring increased from 99.9 points under Mike Schuler to 106.9 after Brown took over on Feb. 12. Brown moved Danny Manning to power forward and Charles Smith to center and got big results. He put Ken Norman, who had been the subject of trade rumors, back in the starting lineup and was repaid by strong play.

Most of all, Brown gets respect from his players. It’s the biggest change from Schuler, well respected in X’s and O’s but ultimately tuned out by most players because of a poor relationship. The fact that Brown has a five-year contract and credentials to match doesn’t hurt, either.

“He deserves a lot of the credit,” veteran guard Doc Rivers said. “He came right in and started teaching. The biggest thing was that he came in and made the guys believe we could win. I thought Coach Schuler did a good job, but the attitude was different. We had the longest winning streak of the season with Coach Schuler, and a lot of people forget that, but we would also turn right around and go on long losing streaks.”

Said Loy Vaught, a fan of Brown despite his reduced role: “He’s showed us how to win. Most guys on the team thought we were playing hard all the time, but we weren’t doing the things necessary to win. He taught us how to execute properly, how to sustain the effort that equals a win.”

Could it have been like this all season? “If Larry would have been here,” James Edwards said, “I think so.”

PRACTICE

It is easily overlooked, but very important for several reasons.

Players, winded when Brown first implemented the passing game in practice despite having played 47 games, got in better shape because of the repetition involved in an offense that requires constant movement.

And defenses were no longer going against scripted offenses creating a more aggressive work ethic that carried over to the games. In turn, opponents who had shot 46.1% against the Clippers before Brown’s arrival shot 45.5% thereafter.

Said Rivers: “He’s done some great things in games. But he has been unbelievable in practices.”

THE OFFENSE

The passing game is also known as the motion offense, an attack using quick ball movement, mobile and unselfish players who lose their defenders in the frenzy of screens and cuts. Organized confusion. It’s like a five-man circular fast break conducted within 15 feet of the basket.

Because it is an equal-opportunity offense, problems can arise; logic dictates that a team’s worst player shouldn’t have as many chances to shoot as an all-star. The spontaneity of the attack backfires. But the Clippers made it work by taking their usual shots. Brown intentionally avoided any precautionary guidelines for fear that players would feel restricted before getting comfortable with a new offense.

The result was that the Clippers shot 44.9% before Brown arrived, 50.6% after. Projected over a full season, that would have challenged for the league lead. As it was, they finished the season at 47.3%.

Another benefit might come during the playoffs, when the opposition analyzes game films and scouting reports. The passing game, though not in full-time use by the Clippers, is more difficult to scout because of its unpredictability.

RON HARPER

Ron Harper has returned to his old method and approach.

“When I got here I told him what I remembered about him when he was so great before the (knee) injury,” Brown said. “He was a slasher and a driver. I asked him that if he was physically able, could he please go back to that kind of player again.”

So Harper did, abandoning the mad bomber approach that had dramatically reduced his effectiveness. In 47 games before Brown, he took 171 three-point shots. In 35 games after the hiring, he took 40.

He started to look more like the Harper of old, going airborne through the lane for shots. Before Brown’s arrival, he shot 39.2% and averaged 16.8 points. After the hiring, the figures were 50.3% and 20.2, and he finished the regular season at 44% and 18.2.

“He (Brown) made me aware of what got me here,” Harper said. “Shooting jump shots did not get me here. I could face the reality--I’m not a great jump shooter. It’s nothing he said in a bad way. It helped me face where my game was and where my game should be.”

Said Brown: “I’ve been saying it a lot lately--I think he is playing as well as anybody in the league right now. That’s probably as big a reason for us winning some of these games as anything because the schedule has been so tough.”

CHARLES SMITH

Charles Smith played only 49 games, easily the fewest of his four-year career, and only 25 for Brown. But that was more than enough for a favorable impression.

Even now, as his knee problems continue, Smith has been a force. Brown has noted the improvement of Manning and Norman, but the return of the Clippers’ best and most versatile front-court defender has solidified the team inside.

“I never realized he could defend and rebound and block shots like I’ve seen,” Brown said. “I still don’t think he’s 100% yet, and he has still been a big plus.”

Indeed, Smith, who last season showed the quickness to limit small forwards such as Lionel Simmons and Dennis Scott, has proved to be tough in the middle. He goes into the playoffs with 24 blocked shots in his last six games, and his interior play has been even more of a key than his equally versatile offense.