Playoff Spot Is a Little Closer

No one phoned Staples Center and demanded a refund because Michael Jordan wasn’t playing Wednesday for the Washington Wizards against the Clippers. And that’s another sign that something special is going on in Clipperdom this late in the season.

A sellout crowd of 20,282 watched the Clippers wear down and, ultimately, thump the Jordan-less Wizards, 96-75, as six players scored 10 points or more. The victory moved the Clippers within one game of the idle Utah Jazz in the battle for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

Actually, the battle isn’t for only one precious spot at this point. The ninth-place Clippers, holders of a season-high four-game winning streak, also trail the seventh-place Seattle SuperSonics by two games.

So, if Jordan had to sit out his ninth game because of a bum knee, the seventh consecutive Staples sellout was pleased enough to watch Darius Miles soar for acrobatic dunks and Quentin Richardson and Eric Piatkowski swish jump shots.

The fans also got an eyeful of Michael Olowokandi’s new and improved touch around the basket. Olowokandi led the Clippers with 22 points, less than a week after going for a career-best 30 against the Chicago Bulls. He also had 11 rebounds.

Miles had 12, Richardson and Piatkowski 11 apiece. Elton Brand scored 19 points and took 15 rebounds, his 45th double-double this season and his 10th in a row. Jeff McInnis added 10 points.

“All things considered, I like the way we’re playing,” Clipper Coach Alvin Gentry said, referring to injuries to guard Keyon Dooling and forwards Corey Maggette and Lamar Odom. “I think we’re playing well. It’s our best basketball considering the circumstances.”

Glancing at the final box score, Brand noticed that six Clippers scored in double figures and two had double-doubles. “Cool,” he said, handing the sheet of paper back to a reporter.

“It’s very exciting to be playing for something more than just pride,” Brand said.

Asked if the Clippers (34-31) can improve in their final 17 games, Olowokandi said, “Yeah. We stepped up our defense in the fourth quarter tonight and if we can maintain that intensity throughout the game, we’ll be better. We had turnovers tonight and didn’t run back on defense a few times. If we can correct that, we’ll be better.”

In the end, this wasn’t much of a surprise. After all, take away M.J. from Washington, and what do you have?

The Wizards (29-35) are just another poor Eastern Conference team. They can’t run, can’t defend the post and struggle to score for stretches that border on painful to watch. In fact, the Wizards with Jordan were no lock to gain a playoff berth. Without them, they resemble the same bumbling crew that won only 19 games last season.

The Clippers beat the Wizards to almost every loose ball in the first half, outrebounded them, 20-10, and took a 53-38 lead. The Clippers had 30 points in the paint by halftime to only 20 for Washington.

Plus, the Clippers helped to make the Wizards look bad by making 22 of 38 shots (57.9%) in the first half. But because nobody in a Washington uniform could defend them, particularly down low, the Clippers took full advantage and led by as many as 17 points in the first half. The Clippers never trailed.

The first home game after a lengthy trip can often be difficult for a team. The Clippers certainly showed no signs of slowing after going 3-1 on their recently completed trip to play Milwaukee, Chicago, Cleveland and Minnesota.

The Wizards simply looked lost early in the first game of a six-game trip.

There’s no question that Jordan gives Washington a sense of legitimacy. But he’s out indefinitely after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery Feb. 27. The Wizards have lost five in a row and seven of nine while he has been sidelined.

“They [Clippers] were tremendous defensively in the first six minutes of the game, and they knocked us backward and we never recovered,” Washington Coach Doug Collins said. “This team, I am so impressed with how good they are defensively. ...

“I am just happy for Alvin. He has done a terrific, terrific job.”

The best Washington could offer Wednesday was Richard Hamilton, a crafty small forward with smooth moves around the perimeter.

Hamilton led the Wizards with 21 points, but he isn’t the sort of player to get the fans up on the edge of their seats.

And now the Clippers, with their best record at this point in the season since 1991-92, are on the edge of the playoffs.

“Nothing spectacular,” Miles said of the Clippers’ game Wednesday. “Just trying to make the playoffs. We’ve been back and forth around .500, but we’re playing our best ball now.

“Well, I wouldn’t call it our absolute best because we don’t have Lamar, Corey and Keyon.”