Gentry Disagrees That Team Has Packed It In

With 11 losses in their last 15 games, the Clippers would seem to have packed it in for 2001-02, content to have improved by seven victories over last season.

Coach Alvin Gentry hopes that’s not the case, however.

“We still have a lot to play for,” he said. “We’ve told the players it’s no different from working at IBM or Xerox or whatever. If you work for 10 months, you don’t all of a sudden stop the last two months of the year.”

Gentry attributes the lackluster stretch of games to facing difficult opposition in the last few weeks.

In fact, the Clippers haven’t lost to a team below them in the Western Conference standings since a defeat March 23 against the Phoenix Suns. Moreover, the Clippers have played only two teams in their last 10 games that won’t advance to the playoffs.

Their final games are Tuesday against the Memphis Grizzlies and Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors--two teams that will join the Clippers in watching the postseason on TV.

Two victories would give the Clippers a 40-42 record, only the third time in the franchise’s L.A. history it has won 40 or more games. Gentry is also fond of pointing out that the Clippers would be the first team since the Houston Rockets of the early 1980s to go from 15 victories to 40 or more in two seasons.

“I still think we could end up on a positive note and have a really successful season,” he said.

Forward Darius Miles echoed his coach’s comments.

“We’re going to try to finish the season strong and win the next two games,” he said. “I knew it was going to take time. We didn’t come out [this season] to win a championship. We’ll take it step by step. We’re a couple of games out of the playoffs this year and, hopefully, we can make the playoffs next season.”

Added guard Earl Boykins: “We still have to go out and play. We’re going to go out there and try to finish the season with a couple of wins.”

The Clippers hold their final practice today and Gentry has no plans to scrap his lesson plan.

“We’re approaching it like it’s still the middle of the season,” he said. “We’re not going to take any shortcuts.”