They Come to Clippers’ Rescue Too Late

The Clippers trailed the Portland Trail Blazers by 25 points in the third quarter of Sunday night’s game at the Sports Arena when the chant arose.

“Barry, Barry, Barry,” the crowd screamed, urging Clipper Coach Bill Fitch to insert Brent Barry into the game.

Fitch walked past Barry and summoned Rodney Rogers and Lamond Murray.

But Fitch finally relented, inserting Barry with 8 1/2 minutes remaining in the quarter.

He scored a season-high 18 points, but it was too little, too late as the Clippers lost for the seventh time in nine games, 106-94, before 8,359.

“Did I put him in because people were asking for him? Hell no,” Fitch said. “I put him in because it was his time to go in. I think a lot of times when fans holler for guy it deters the amount of time he gets.”

Barry, who had averaged 5.2 points and shot 41.4% in his last six games, made an immediate impact, scoring five points during his first minute.

He made five of eight shots, including three three-point shots, and had three rebounds and two blocked shots in 20 minutes.

Did Barry hear the crowd?

“I really had nothing else to do on the bench, so, yes, I heard it,” he said. “I heard that and the guy yelling, ‘there’s no waiting for ice cream.’

“If he calls my name I’m going to go in, regardless of how he does it, whether he kicks me to go in, hollers at me to go in or if I have to check myself in.

“It seemed like the game was pretty much over [by the time he got in]. I got to go in and run around for a while with Lamond and Pike [Eric Piatkowski]. It was nice to get some exercise.”

Although Barry played well, the Clippers seemed lifeless, registering season lows of 20% shooting and two field goals in the third quarter as the Trail Blazers (38-28) defeated them for the second time in less than a week.

“It was disappointing to play like this against a Portland team that we sort of wanted to give payback to for the beating they gave us up there,” Barry said. “Tonight, we didn’t play like a playoff team, so I apologize to the people who came tonight.”

Murray, who had averaged only 11.9 minutes in the Clippers’ last seven games, scored a season-high 20 points and had 10 rebounds, one under his season high, in 32 minutes, one shy of his season high.

“The starters weren’t playing that well, so I go more minutes tonight,” Murray said. “If we have more nights like this, obviously, I will play more minutes.

“Obviously, everyone wants to start, but my job is the position I’m in right now--to go out and to do as much as I can.”

Fitch was pleased with Murray’s game.

“Lamond had a good first half, but I would have liked to have seen him be more accurate on his outside shooting,” Fitch said of Murray, who had 13 points in the first half and wound up making six of 15 shots.

The Clippers, who trailed by as many as 27 points, seemed overmatched against the Trail Blazers, who have won nine consecutive games, the longest ongoing winning streak in the NBA.

“The way we played is unacceptable,” said Clipper forward Loy Vaught, who had nine points and four rebounds. “We can’t win many games playing like that.”

With a 1 1/2-game lead over Phoenix for the final Western Conference playoff berth, and having lost to the Suns by 16 points last Thursday, the Clippers play at Phoenix on Tuesday.