Gentry Ejected as Clippers Rejected

Not only could you see it coming, you could almost feel it.

And when it came to a boiling point, there was no turning back.

Clipper Coach Alvin Gentry finally snapped on an official and was rewarded with his first ejection of the season. The worst part about Gentry’s tantrum was that it was the highlight of the Clippers’ effort as they were smashed by the New York Knicks, 106-78, Monday night before 19,763 at Madison Square Garden.

Official Rodney Mott has a history of calling games in which the Clippers leave the floor feeling cheated. Monday was no different. Only this time Gentry wasn’t around to make the dejected walk with his team after Mott called consecutive technical fouls on him with 2:35 left in the second quarter and the Clippers trailing, 51-32.

“I feel like I have to stand up for the guys because I have told them not to talk to officials,” said Gentry, who has drawn three technicals this season. “[Mott] made the decision and that’s that.”

Gentry was tossed during a timeout after watching the Clippers’ best player, Lamar Odom, get taken out of the game with three early fouls. After he picked up his second technical, Gentry had to be restrained by his assistant coaches from saying more to Mott.

“This was really the first game that we played where I thought we were kind of out of it in the first quarter,” Gentry said. “It was a disaster right from the start. We didn’t play well and they played great. They made shots. Glen Rice started off shooting the ball well and so did Allan Houston and [Latrell] Sprewell. When those three guys get going they are a very good basketball team.”

Gentry was right. In losing their third consecutive game, the Clippers didn’t bring the intensity necessary to defeat a quality team like the Knicks, who were led by Rice’s 21 points and had five players score at least 12 points.

New York, which shot 56.4% from the field, started off like a team looking for payback. The Knicks lost by four points to the Clippers in November at Staples Center and they were determined not to lose focus against them Monday.

“We didn’t play well against the Clippers in L.A. and we wanted to show that we are the better team,” New York forward Kurt Thomas said. “Overall, our starting five had a great start and our bench came in and contributed.”

The Clippers are a team that needs to take advantage of any matchup edge they have. Against New York, they were the ones being exploited. If it wasn’t Rice getting free from Odom for an open jumper, it was Marcus Camby driving to the basket for a running hook shot over Darius Miles.

With Charlie Ward sidelined because of a knee injury, New York has gone with a big lineup, which includes Sprewell and Houston in the backcourt. Against the Clippers, the Knicks basically did anything they wanted.

Sprewell, who started at point guard, and Houston each finished with 19 points. Chris Childs came off the bench to total 11 assists and Thomas had 14 points and eight rebounds.

“We came out flat and it wasn’t because we didn’t know what was coming,” point guard Jeff McInnis said. “I kept telling the team before the start that we beat the Knicks at home and for us to be prepared for them to come out and try to embarrass us.

“It seemed like every time they got the ball, they scored. It looked like a video game. When you play the Knicks in Playstation, they are always making shots like that and that’s what it was like tonight.”

In his first return to New York this season, Odom--a Queens native--had a very forgettable game. Not only did he play only 26 minutes because of foul trouble, Odom struggled to get his offensive game going. Odom missed seven of 10 shots and even blew a wide-open layup in the fourth quarter with the game totally one-sided.

“I don’t have nothing to say,” Odom said. “It was just horrible. Just horrible.”

If there was any bright spot for the Clippers, it was the play of center Michael Olowokandi, who made five of six shots for 12 points. Power forward Brian Skinner also had a good game with 11 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.

But basically, it was a night to forget for the Clippers, who dropped to 5-14.