Clippers Still Lost in Fourth Dimension

Every game isn’t actually the same as the one before, but it certainly seems that way this season for the Clippers. They had another “Groundhog Day” experience Saturday at Staples Center, living through a fourth-quarter collapse that looked very much like so many others this season.

The only difference this time was that Coach Alvin Gentry bellowed long and hard enough near the end to earn an ejection from referee Scott Foster with 41.7 seconds remaining, the Clippers all but finished off by the Boston Celtics.

The Clippers would lose, 92-84, before a sellout crowd of 19,384, surrendering 14 consecutive points before Corey Maggette made two meaningless free throws with 10 seconds left. This was after the Clippers had built a 78-72 lead with 5:22 to play after a 13-2 run capped by Elton Brand’s dunk.

“We have not finished games,” Gentry said, prophetically, before the Clippers lost for the 17th time when holding a fourth-quarter lead. “If we were a hockey team, we would be great because we only play three periods.”

The Clippers (18-34) held an 82-78 lead with 2:35 to play after the last of Cherokee Parks’ 14 points. But J.R. Bremer and Paul Pierce each made two free throws to rally the Celtics into an 82-82 tie moments later.

Next, Pierce stripped the ball from Clipper point guard Andre Miller and Eric Williams made a layup. Walter McCarty swiped the ball from Miller on the Clippers’ next possession and Antoine Walker made a layup, was fouled by Maggette and sank a free throw.

Suddenly, Boston had an 87-82 lead.

“Coach called this the season from hell?” Brand said, repeating a pregame comment from Gentry that was relayed to him by a reporter. “Yeah, I would say that’s appropriate. We’re definitely in limbo somewhere.”

The Clippers had their customary flashes of brilliance Saturday but couldn’t sustain their momentum to the final buzzer.

This has been their method of operation from the start of the season, terrific one instant and lousy the next. The question of team chemistry was posed to Gentry before the game, and he did not duck from answering.

“I don’t think it’s as good as it was last year and that’s part of our problem,” he said. “I like all our guys. They’re all good guys. But you could have all good guys and your chemistry might not work. I don’t think we’ve meshed and fit together like I thought we would.”

Asked if dealing Darius Miles to the Cleveland Cavaliers to get Miller, the point guard the Clippers so coveted during the off-season, had messed with the team’s chemistry, Gentry hesitated.

“I can’t touch that,” he said. “I think it’s irrelevant. The guys are another year older and I think certain agendas have changed. Chemistry is a mental thing. I think this is one of those situations where we haven’t clicked as a cohesive unit.”

Injuries and concerns about upcoming contract negotiations have, by all accounts, conspired to send the Clippers spiraling to the depths of the Pacific Division. Their loss Saturday was their ninth in 11 games.

“The injuries have been a huge factor,” Gentry said. “We’ve got good players. That’s the thing that keeps me up until the wee, wee hours of the night wondering why we can’t win games like we did last year.”

The Clippers led after one quarter, 23-21, at halftime, 44-40, and after three quarters, 66-65.

Brand led the Clippers with 26 points and 12 rebounds and Maggette had 20 points and nine rebounds. Pierce had 35 points for Boston on 12-for-29 shooting and Walker added 26 on nine-for-20 shooting.