Making the Playoffs Will Take Last-Fitch Effort by Clippers

Clipper Coach Bill Fitch prefers to forget the first half of the season.

“What’s there to talk about?” Fitch said.

Not much.

After finishing with a 36-46 record, their best in four seasons and making the playoffs for the first time since 1993, the Clippers regressed, losing 37 of 48 games before the All-Star break.

The Clippers are eight games worse than they were at the all-star break last season.

But Fitch hasn’t surrendered. He still thinks they have a shot to make the playoffs.

“It would be the longest shot in the history of the game, but as long as you’re alive, you’ve got a chance,” Fitch said. “But we’re short term. Winning the next game is as far as we look.”

The Clippers ended the first half with their best game of the season, beating the Utah Jazz by nine points last Tuesday.

The Clippers open the second half against the Jazz tonight at Salt Lake City.

“It’s too bad we couldn’t have just gone right on and kept playing,” Fitch said. “We looked like a team that had seven days off today in practice. We’ve just got to play our way back into shape.”

Guard James Robinson, who got off to the worst start of his career after signing with the Clippers last summer, is starting to show signs of life.

He had a season-best 25 points against the Jazz, making nine of 16 shots.

Signed to play point guard, Robinson, who played shooting guard before coming to the Clippers, never took to the idea.

“I think he’s got a better idea of what’s expected of him and where he fits in the system,” Fitch said. “He’s not playing a lot of point guard, but being around and learning the system will help when we get back on that project.”

The Clippers were defenseless in the first half, allowing a league-worst 103.5 points.

“We’ve got to get back to playing better defense,” Fitch said. “And we’ve got to take care of the basketball and have fewer turnovers.”

Fitch hopes to avoid injuries in the second half.

The Clippers haven’t recovered after losing forward Loy Vaught, who underwent season ending back surgery in December.

Vaught, the Clippers’ all-time leading rebounder, played only 10 games before suffering a disc injury.

Forward Lorenzen Wright, who averaged 16.4 rebounds during an eight-game stretch in December, sat out eight games because of knee and ankle injuries last month.

Wright, who had 17 points and 15 rebounds against the Jazz, will start at center in place of Stojko Vrankovic.

“He has the best work ethic on our club,” Fitch said. “If every guy worked as hard as Lorenzen, we’d have some great results. If he stays healthy and rebounds like that, he’s found himself and that’s what he’ll be noted for.”

Vrankovic, acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves for center Stanley Roberts in a draft day deal last June, has been a bust, averaging only 3.4 points and 4.4 rebounds.

Rookie forward Maurice Taylor has been the Clippers’ biggest surprise, averaging 15.1 points in his last 14 games before the all-star break.

“The whole thing for young players is to put a full season together,” Fitch said. “They don’t give half-season stats.”