| Clippers Go Small And Play Big Authored by Graham Flashner - May 15, 2006 - 8:27 am
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This time, Mike Dunleavy played Sam Cassell in the fourth quarter, and Cassell responded with the dagger that broke the Phoenix Suns’ heart.
It was the type of big-pressure shot the Clippers envisioned when they signed Cassell last year. Leading 108-105, having withstood a 12-0 Phoenix run that had sliced a 13-point lead to one, the Clippers were hanging on for dear life when Cassell stepped behind the arc - on a play originally meant for Elton Brand – and drained a three-pointer, setting off bedlam in a sold-out Staples Center
“I’m a guy who enjoys getting the ball in the fourth quarter,” said Cassell, who finished with 28 points.
“Last year, we would have lost at the end," said Brand, who had 30 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. "Sam brings swagger, Sam brought swagger tonight."
The 1-2 punch of Cassell and Brand fueled a 114-107 victory that tied the series at 2-2. With each game surpassing the next as the ‘most important’ in Clippers history, the Clippers are in uncharted waters, but after the pall that hung over the team two nights ago, tonight’s win—on Mother’s Day, no less – made the locker room a joyous place to be.
Dunleavy vigorously defended his decision to leave Cassell on the bench for all but 35 seconds of the fourth quarter in Game 3, and Cassell, an aspiring head coach, agreed.
“I don't blame Coach Dunleavy,” Cassell said. “I knew in Game 4 I was going to be in the fourth quarter a lot. I didn't even worry about Game 3."
Cassell also didn’t worry about being shut down for a second game in a row by Shawn Marion, who harassed Cassell into a 2-10 shooting night in Game 3. “I played right into his hands,” said Cassell. “Tonight, I got aggressive, took my shots, played my game.”
Give Dunleavy credit for making the necessary adjustments. After Phoenix played big and negated the Clippers’ rebounding advantage in Game 3, Dunleavy inserted Corey Maggette into the lineup ahead of Quinton Ross, and Maggette grabbed 15 rebounds to go along with 18 points.
Dunleavy was forced into another adjustment after Chris Kaman turned up at practice with a shoulder injury. Though he was available, Kaman never left the bench. Playing small and quick, the Clippers still managed to outrebound the Suns, 55-37, thanks to Maggette and even Cassell, who had 11 boards.
But as they did in Game 2, the Clippers won with their defense. They held the Suns to 45% shooting, including 10-36 from three-point land, forced Steve Nash (8 points, 11 assists) into a miserable 3-11 shooting night, and controlled the tempo of the game throughout.
The Clippers did get torched by Raja Bell (33 points), but as Dunleavy said, “He can keep hurting us as long as we keep winning.”
Shawn Marion (14 points) and Tim Thomas (13) got into early foul trouble and were never factors. Vladimir Radmonivic (13 points), who started in place of Kaman, finished strong after a sluggish first half.
The Clippers led by 10 at the half, by 8 after three, and seemed to be cruising with a 106-93 lead with under six minutes to play. But the Clippers tightened up, the Suns scored the next 12 points, and suddenly, the Clippers found themselves on the brink on what would’ve been a catastrophic defeat. But Elton Brand banked in a shot from the low post to break the skid, and Cassell followed with the clincher.
“ I don’t want to have to fight to get a win when we’re up 13,” said Brand. “I was disappointed we couldn’t close them out.”
The series has become a best two-of-three, with two of those games in the desert, but Brand was confident.
“We know we can win on their home court,” he said.
CLIPBOARD: Kaman, who described his injury as a “strain or a tear, not a pinched nerve,” is scheduled for an MRI tomorrow. His outlook for Game 5 is uncertain… NBA Commissioner David Stern held an informal, pre-game news conference, and said he was happy for the Clippers and their fans. "Thirty years is a long time to wait for the second round,” he said. Stern did not say how he’d feel if the Clippers made it to the NBA Finals… Stern agreed that this year’s controversial playoff format, which allowed teams with lower records to have higher-ranked seedings, would be reviewed by the competition committee, but begged off on specific changes. “The one thing I hate to do is answer rules questions,” Stern joked. |
