Cassell Calls Out Team After Frustrating Effort

The Clippers have to get tougher for the playoffs.

That was point guard Sam Cassell’s message to teammates after Tuesday’s 120-108 loss to the New Orleans Hornets.

Although the Clippers have made strides this season, Cassell said, they won’t last long in the postseason unless they toughen up.

“To win in this league, you’ve got to bring it every night, I don’t care who you’re playing,” said Cassell, who had 13 points and 11 assists.

“That team had lost eight games in a row, so it’s a pride factor. They beat us at just brute hustle.

“They wanted the game more. They wanted the basketball game more. It’s just that simple.”

It followed a defensive effort in Monday’s 99-91 victory over the Houston Rockets that Coach Mike Dunleavy called among the best of the season.

So, what happened Tuesday?

“We’ve got to get tougher. I know we’ve got to get tougher,” Cassell said. “We’ve got to be ready to bang the boards and play everybody. The way we played, we deserved to lose this game.”

Swingman Corey Maggette agreed.

“There’s only one word to describe what went wrong: Toughness,” said Maggette, who scored a team-high 25 points off the bench. “We just didn’t do what we have to do as a collective [group].

“We can’t have this happen to us this late in the season. It’s a team thing, and we’ve got to correct it as a team. With what we’re trying to do as a team, we’ve got to play tougher.”

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Hornet forward Rasual Butler, who scored a career-high 32 points, visited the Clipper locker room after the game to apologize for his three-point basket in the closing seconds that angered the Clippers.

“He came in and showed class,” Maggette said. “He went in and spoke to Coach first, and then he came in here and talked to all of us.”

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The Hornets, who scored a season-high 120 points, won the season series, 2-1, against the Clippers.