Jamal Crawford says Clippers’ need for team meeting ‘concerning’

The Clippers had a team meeting after their 121-104 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. According to Jamal Crawford, the point of the meeting was to make sure everybody was on the same page.

Crawford acknowledged that it was a bit worrisome that the team needed to have a meeting only five games into their season.

“I think it’s concerning, but sometimes it’s needed,” Crawford said. “Sometimes teams can go one way or another. They can go the other way and it doesn’t do anything, or it can be kind of like the moment of truth, and you can kind of take off there. So we’ll see how it goes.”

Crawford declined to disclose exactly what was discussed.

“Some things I want to keep private,” he said.

The Clippers are 3-2 but have shown a lack of effort in their play. They’ve blown double-digit leads in four of their games, and in their fifth, they trailed by as many as 29 points while lagging defensively. They’re also last among the 30 NBA teams in rebounding.

Before Friday’s practice, Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said he’s not so sure the team meeting was effective.

“I don’t believe in team meetings, that’s just my opinion,” Rivers said. “Sometimes they help. I’m just not a big fan of them.”

He’s not a fan of them for his own teams, that is. Apparently he loves it when other teams have them.

Said Rivers: “When I read about team meetings in the league, I’m thinking ‘I hope we play them next.’”