Harper Gives the Clippers Some Painful Inspiration

Here is the new game plan for the Clippers, the secret strategy that emerged after Sunday’s 116-95 rout of Seattle:

Turn Ron Harper’s upper body into an accordion.

The SuperSonics’ budding star, Shawn Kemp, did roughly that on the first play of the game at the Sports Arena when he went airborne for the block as Harper drove down the left side, came down on the Clipper guard and drove him into the wood slightly beyond the baseline.

Harper landed on his right hip and shoulder, stayed on the floor a few moments, then briefly exited.

“I felt like Mike Tyson after he just got hit by James (Buster) Douglas,” said Harper, ice packs strapped to his hip and shoulder.

He responded by making eight of 11 shots for a game-high 24 points.

After having made two of 22 three-pointers in the previous 11 games of January, he made three of four.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to make such bruising events a regular happening. That made sense to all but one Clipper.

“I’m not doing this every game to rev the team up,” Harper said later. “My teammates said someone should foul me real hard every game. No thanks.”

Almost anything to keep results like this coming. The Clippers dominated a team in close pursuit of the best record in the league, a team that had defeated them by 19 points three games earlier.

The SuperSonics (27-11) lasted only until the start of the third quarter, scoring the first basket of the half to pull within 52-47. That’s the last they saw of a game.

The Clippers hit a stride rarely seen in a month and scored on their first 12 possessions of the second half, going six of six from the field and 10 of 13 from the free throw line.

Harper had the second of his three-pointers during that stretch, then a three-point play soon after, and eight points during the 21-10 run.

The result was a 75-57 lead with six minutes left in the period, but the Clippers were not done. In all, they shot 64.3% (nine of 14) during the quarter and 73.7% (14 of 19) during the fourth to finish at a season-high 60.3%.

Seattle, down to as low as 29.7% with 3 1/2 minutes remaining, rallied to reach 32%, still a season low.

“This is the way we were playing at one time this year,” Clipper Coach Larry Brown said.

Late November and early December, for example.

“Everything we did tonight was everything you have to do to win,” Mark Jackson said after getting 10 assists.

Both teams committed 22 turnovers, but the Clippers had 36 assists to 17 for Seattle.

The Clippers also overcame the loss of Stanley Roberts, who drew two technical fouls and an ejection with 2:12 to play in the first half.

Continuing his hot shooting, Roberts had made three of his four attempts when called for traveling. Angry because he thought he had been fouled, Roberts gave the ball to referee Jim Capers with a hard bounce pass. Technical No. 1.

He persisted to voice displeasure as Ricky Pierce made the free throw for Seattle, even as Danny Manning tried to calm Roberts down. No luck.

Roberts, acknowledging later that his actions might have been the result of frustration during a foul-plagued season, continued to berate Capers. Technical No. 2.

“I was a little upset,” Roberts said. “I said a little too much to the ref. I guess he got sensitive out there.”

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Clipper Notes

The Clippers’ largest margin of victory this season is 26 points, a 124-98 victory over the Lakers on Nov. 13. This was Seattle’s largest margin of defeat. . . . The NBA record for fewest offensive rebounds in a game is one, done twice. The Clippers had only two, but no records are kept for the Clippers or Buffalo Braves. However, it is known they were not involved in any of the eight games previous outings in which teams had two. Seattle had 21 offensive rebounds.

Attendance was 15,540. . . . Former Clipper Benoit Benjamin did not play, the fourth time in five games he has not even made an appearance.