Payton Doesn’t Let Clippers Off Hook

Defeating the Clippers is something opposing teams have done 19 of 20 games this season and Seattle point guard Gary Payton made sure they knew that he enjoyed every second of their latest loss Sunday night.

Not only did Payton--who had a game-high 28 points and 11 assists--let his play on the court speak for him in the SuperSonics’ 108-89 victory but he also rubbed it in whenever he had the opportunity before 17,072 at KeyArena.

With the Clippers holding a 65-64 lead early in the third quarter, Payton helped jump-start a Seattle rally with his play, facial expressions and mouth. It all began when official Jim Kinsey called a technical on Payton for taunting after he scored over the Clippers’ Darrick Martin.

Payton had yelled “Sweet, Sweet” while his shot went through the net and Kinsey read his animated act as a taunt. Payton disputed the call for a while and even shot an airball before he decided to take over the game.

Payton scored four points and had three assists over the final three minutes of the quarter to help Seattle to a 77-75 lead, but it was his cockiness that seemed to get the SuperSonics going.

With the Clippers still clinging to a one-point lead late in the quarter, Payton directed Seattle’s offense to perfection. The SuperSonics moved the ball inside to Detlef Schrempf, who drew a Clipper double-team. Schrempf then passed outside to Payton in front of the Clippers’ bench.

When the ball got to Payton, he calmly passed to an open Hersey Hawkins at the top of the key while Clipper coaches hollered for their players to rotate. Then after Hawkins scored on a three-point basket, Payton turned around and faced Clipper assistant Jim Brewer and stared at him as if to say “too late.”

In the fourth quarter, which Seattle owned by outscoring the Clippers, 31-14, Payton was in peak form. He had just five points and three assists in the quarter but again his statistics did not tell the whole story.

Payton showed why his nickname is the “Glove” as he spearheaded a defensive charge by Seattle that left the Clippers helpless. Whenever the Clippers looked as if they had an open lane for a pass or a drive, Payton or one of his teammates seemed to be there to disrupt things.

“They were turning up the defense and not allowing us to run our sets and our guys just settled for the long distance shot,” said Clipper Coach Chris Ford, whose team made only two of 13 fourth-quarter shots. “Against a team like [Seattle] you have to continue to shoot the ball really well to stay in the game and we didn’t.”

On the offensive end, Payton had fun keeping the Clippers on their heels. Whenever he passed into the post to Vin Baker, he told his teammate to “Go to work Dog” and Baker did just that, finishing with 23 points and eight rebounds.

Payton also enjoyed distributing open three-point attempts to Dale Ellis, who had 17 points, or to Hawkins, who had 13 points. As he passed each the ball, Payton mixed up his calls with either “Bucket” or “Count it” and Ellis and Hawkins didn’t disappoint, combining to make five of eight three-pointers.

“That’s why he’s an all-star point guard and a Dream Teamer and he’s the leader of that team,” Martin said about Payton. “It is on his shoulders to step it up and get the team going.”

Clipper second-year guard Charles Smith drew Payton as a defensive assignment to start the game. Because he’s a shooting guard, it was the first time Smith had to guard a point guard with Payton’s skills.

“I was really pumped up,” Smith said. “I was going for any fake because I didn’t want him to score on me. I had to relax. He scored on a couple of easy layups before I settled down.”

Smith did a decent job stopping Payton from scoring in the fourth quarter, but the rest of the Clippers appeared to tire down the stretch as the team completed its fifth game in six days.

Eric Piatkowski’s 21 points led the Clippers, whose schedule continues Tuesday when they play at New York against the Knicks, followed by a game at Boston the next night.