Clippers Fire on All Pistons in Comeback

Clipper point guard Jeff McInnis dribbled away from the Detroit Pistons one final time Sunday afternoon, letting the closing seconds tick away and giving a pleasantly surprised Staples Center crowd a chance to stand and roar its approval.

At the final buzzer, McInnis slowed and hurled the basketball toward the roof in celebration. No question, their 13th victory felt especially good to the Clippers, mainly because it was so unexpected.

Down by 13 points in the fourth quarter, the Clippers rallied with a fury not seen this season and took an 82-77 victory from Detroit. Took being the operative word because the Central Division-leading Pistons gave nothing away Sunday.

The Clippers had to scramble just to be within striking distance entering the fourth quarter. They had to give more of themselves than they have all season, and still they trailed midway through the fourth, 75-67.

“Coach brought us in and said, ‘We’re not losing this game,”’ power forward Elton Brand said, referring to one of Alvin Gentry’s timeout speeches late in the game. “We didn’t. We fought on every play. We fought hard against a good Detroit team.”

Lamar Odom, who led the Clippers with a season-best 25 points, got the comeback started by making a free throw. Brand added another, then swatted a Cliff Robinson jump shot in the lane, raced down court ahead of the pack and dunked.

Suddenly, the Clippers trailed by only 75-71.

Soon enough, Brand made two free throws, Odom two more and the Clippers had tied the score at 75-75. Jerry Stackhouse’s jumper gave the Pistons the lead again with 2:08 remaining, but it turned out to be the final points they would score.

McInnis countered with a 21-foot jumper with 1:45 left.

On their next possession, the Clippers called timeout with 42.2 seconds left. The play was designed to get the ball to Odom. Brand was to set a pick for Quentin Richardson and Odom was to get the ball to Richardson for the go-ahead three-point basket.

“I had a lot of room,” Richardson said, explaining the play.

“Elton set the good screen. When the ball left my hand, I knew it was in. Once again, coaching brilliance.”

Richardson then laughed.

“Coach and them were out there drawing up the play,” he added when asked to describe what went on during the pivotal timeout.

“I was sitting there on the bench waiting. Later, I said, ‘All right, coach has confidence in me.”’

Detroit’s Jon Barry threw the ball away after Richardson’s bucket and the Pistons were forced to foul McInnis, who made two free throws.

Game over.

“This was one of those wins that feels so good because you really have to grind it out,” Gentry said. “We defended. We came up with the big stops.... I think it’s our best defensive effort in the two seasons I’ve been here. We kept emphasizing to the players, ‘Stay together, grind it out.’ Our guys didn’t give in. They kept fighting and fighting and good things happened.”

The Clippers haven’t always listened to Gentry’s sideline pleadings. Two nights earlier, they played poorly but were still within the same zip code of the Lakers to start the fourth quarter. But the Clippers collapsed in a heap of missed shots and missed defensive assignments en route to a 110-80 loss.

Sunday, there were moments that must have had many in the crowd of 16,416 wondering why they were inside on such a lovely day. The Clippers trailed, 66-56, after three quarters, shooting 38.7%. They seemed hopeless for long stretches.

But the Clippers never gave up. They turned up their defensive intensity down the stretch, Richardson made the key shot and all that remained was for McInnis to dribble away the final seconds.

“This,” Gentry said without hesitation at game’s end, “was the best win we’ve had all year.”