Clippers Ready for Part Two

And the surprising story continues.

It has been a season of new experiences for the Clippers, who resume their schedule tonight against the Dallas Mavericks, eager to take the next step.

They had their best record at the All-Star break since the franchise moved to California and appear on track to earn a playoff berth for the first time in nine seasons, but aren’t at full strength and had another shaky stretch before the break.

So there’s still work to do as the curtain rises.

“You’d always like to be in a good spot after the All-Star break, to be in a good position to make the playoffs, and we really haven’t had that a lot around here,” said power forward Elton Brand, averaging a personal-best 25.4 points with 10.3 rebounds and 2.57 blocked shots.

“So when you look at what we did, yeah, we have to feel good about that, but we’re not satisfied. We know it’s not going to be easy, we’ve got our work cut out for us, and we like it that way.”

The Clippers (30-21) have their best record through 51 games since the 1975-76 season, when they were the Buffalo Braves.

They’re second in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division -- 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Phoenix Suns -- despite playing most of the season without swingman Corey Maggette, sidelined 38 games because of hamstring and foot injuries.

Maggette has not been cleared to participate in contact drills, and team medical personnel said there is still no timetable for his return, but the Clippers expect him to be back soon.

With a 13-12 road record, the Clippers already have three more road victories than they did last season.

Consistency in winning, however, hasn’t been among their strengths.

After a 14-5 start, the Clippers went 3-9. Then they had another strong run, winning 12 of 15, but lost four of five before the break, including their last three against the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors -- teams a combined 19 games under .500.

Why such extremes?

“That’s what happens when guys are learning what it takes to win.... It just doesn’t always happen easy,” said veteran point guard Sam Cassell, averaging 17.9 points and a team-high 6.5 assists in his first season with the Clippers.

“When you’ve got a young team like we’ve got, that’s never been where it is now, it’s going to take time to get it figured out. But like I’ve been saying, this is a team that can win 50 games, so I’m not worried.”

Neither is Coach Mike Dunleavy.

The Clippers would have played better if Maggette had played more, Dunleavy said, and things should improve in their remaining 31 games, of which 15 are at Staples Center.

“As long as we can get healthy and stay healthy, we have all the pieces in place to be a good playoff team,” Dunleavy said. “Even though we’re not built to be great if we have to plug multiple holes, we’ve done a pretty good job plugging those holes.

“But when you look at it, and you put us against everybody else when we’re totally healthy, we have a chance. We have certain strengths that we can attack people with, and we also have certain weaknesses that we can try to cover up a little bit better.”

Maggette could provide a big boost.

He sat out the first four games because of a hamstring injury, and then suffered a separated ligament in his left foot Dec. 5 against the Miami Heat.

Without Maggette, averaging 21.7 points in 13 games, the fastbreak isn’t as effective, the Clippers said, and they’ve had matchup problems on defense.

The performance of 7-foot center Chris Kaman is also among the keys for a strong Clipper finish, players said.

Kaman is averaging career highs with 11.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.57 blocked shots, contributing to the Clippers’ league-leading totals in rebounds and blocks.

“His game will either stay the same [after the break] or it’ll get better,” Dunleavy said. “This is exactly the vision I’ve always had about him.”

General Manager Elgin Baylor recently moved to improve the team’s long-range shooting, sending inconsistent forward-center Chris Wilcox to Seattle for 6-foot-10 forward Vladimir Radmanovic.

The career 37.7% three-point shooter “could give us a different dimension, something that we’ve really been looking for,” Dunleavy said.

Backup point guard Shaun Livingston could also add something significant.

The promising second-year player, who sat out the first 21 games because of back problems, struggled on offense while often playing without the ball when he was on the court with Cassell.

Livingston impressed on defense, Dunleavy said, but Livingston’s defense wasn’t what prompted the Clippers to select him with the fourth overall pick in the 2004 draft.

“We’re not going to be tremendously overpowering, we have to do it all just right, and there are things we can do better,” Dunleavy said. “But I’ve said all along that I like the guys we have, and, for the most part, I like what I’ve seen so far.”

TONIGHT

at Dallas Mavericks, 5:30 PST, FSN West 2

Site -- American Airlines Center.

Radio -- 1150.

Records -- Clippers 30-21, Mavericks 41-11.

Record vs. Mavericks -- 0-1.

Update -- The Clippers, who have lost three in a row, resume their schedule against the team with the league’s second-best record. As expected, power forward Vin Baker signed with the Clippers and joined them in Dallas. The Mavericks, who have a one-game lead over San Antonio in the Southwest Division, routed the Clippers, 101-81, Jan. 20 at Staples Center.