| For Clippers, Another Night In Heartbreak Hotel Authored by Graham Flashner - March 12, 2005 - 5:20 am
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If life on the road can get any more painful for the Clippers, they don’t want to know.
Tonight’s loss was particularly exquisite: a buzzer-beater by Mike Bibby to give the Sacramento Kings a 113-112 win over the Clippers. It was the 14th straight time the Kings have beaten the Clippers at Arco Arena- a streak that began in November 1997 - and the Clippers’ 7th straight loss in a game decided by three points or less.
Unlike some of those previous losses, however, the Clippers actually executed down the stretch. Playing on the road in one of the league’s most hostile arenas, they held their own in an entertaining shootout. In a rare display of marksmanship, the Clippers shot 56% from the field, had 27 assists, and outrebounded the Kings, 40-33.
Corey Maggette, suddenly hot again, had 26 points and 10 rebounds. Bobby Simmons had 24 points on 10-17 shooting. Perhaps the game of the night belonged to back-up center Zeljko Rebraca, who pumped in 16 points while spelling a foul-plagued Elton Brand.
And yet – as usual – the Clippers died another painful death in the last seconds.
Trailing 111-110 with under 10 seconds remaining, they appeared beaten after the Kings’ Kenny Thomas rebounded a Clipper miss and fired a baseball toss to a breaking Peja Stojakovic. Presumably, the league’s premiere foul shooter would seal the victory with two free throws. But Stojakovic, who was MIA for most of the game (2-10, 6 points) let Rick Brunson beat him to the ball without so much as a hack.
Brunson raced up court, found an open Bobby Simmons under the basket, and the Clippers were suddenly up one with 4.9 seconds remaining.
There was no mystery as to who the ball was going to. Bibby, who’s stepped up his leadership role since the Chris Webber trade, had beaten Memphis with a last-second shot on Tuesday night. The Clippers’ best defender, Quinton Ross, picked up Bibby as he took the inbounds pass and waited for a screen to develop. Ross stumbled slightly getting around the screen, no Clipper came to help, and Bibby, circling to the right of the key, lofted a 22-foot jumper that cleared the nets with four-tenths of a second remaining. With no timeouts left—Mike Dunleavy questionably calling his last one at the 36-second mark – another bitter defeat was assured.
Cuttino Mobley scored 22 and Corliss Williamson 21 for the new-look Kings, who played without center Brad Miller.
The Clippers playoffs hopes appear all but over, and coach Mike Dunleavy has accepted that. What he cannot accept is sub-par effort, and after a lackluster home loss to Memphis on Monday, he ripped into his players and hinted that he was not above benching or even trading his core group.
Considering that Elton Brand and Corey Maggette already tried to escape in the off-season—the Clippers matched respective offer sheets to Miami and Utah – Dunleavy might want to be careful what he wishes for.
After their coach’s tongue-lashing, the Clippers played one of their most inspired games on Tuesday, rallying from behind to beat the Lakers and split the season series.
But tonight’s loss reminded fans that it’s March, a month that, for the Clippers, usually comes in like a lamb – and goes out like one as well. |
