| Clippers Force Showdown In The Desert Authored by Graham Flashner - May 19, 2006 - 3:39 am
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Quinton Ross and Corey Maggette were only too happy to oblige.
Maggette, a model of efficiency, scored 25 points on a mere 8 shots (he made 7), most of them on slashing drives to the basket. Ross, hitherto known as the Clippers’ defensive stopper, had his first breakout game, scoring 18 points. And with Elton Brand being his usual brilliant self (30 points, 14-21 FG, 12 rebounds, 5 blocked shots,) and the Clippers shooting at a torrid 61.5%, they cruised to a 118-106 victory, forcing Game 7 in Phoenix on Monday night.
After the double-overtime loss in Game 5, you had to wonder if the Clippers were going to come out flat. But it was the Suns who lacked energy, staying with the Clippers for a lights-out first quarter (5-10 from the 3-point stripe) before the Clippers ran away with a 31-18 second quarter in which they shot 70%, kept the Suns scoreless from beyond the arc, and took a double-digit halftime lead (62-50) that they would maintain for most of the night. The Suns would get no closer than 7 points.
“We played a good mix of attacking, and slowing the game down” said Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy.
Did someone say, ‘attack’? The Clippers outscored the Suns in the paint, 66-40. They crushed them on the boards once again, 48-28. Most notably, they attempted only 5 shots from downtown, as opposed to the Suns’ 31. “I don’t like guys coming down and pulling up to shoot 3s,” Dunleavy said. “They’re a different team – they like to do that.”
“I’ll definitely give them credit for a terrific game,” said Suns guard Steve Nash. “It didn’t seem like we had a lot of pop tonight.” Including Nash, who shot just 6-16 on his way to 17 quiet points.
The Clippers have been wearing Nash down all series, and tonight, it was Ross’s turn. As Dunleavy reminded a crowd of reporters, “The guy averaged 18 points a game in college. He can score from the low post.”
“I made my first shot, and with that, came confidence” said Ross, clearly enjoying a rare turn in the spotlight.
Maggette, who enjoyed his finest night of the playoffs after an up-and-down postseason, did not start. But he made his presence felt with a 10-point second quarter, including two scintillating drives that were vintage Maggette, pre-foot injury. “”I got more minutes, to show what I can do,” said Maggette. “After [Sam Cassell] played 52 minutes the other night, it was up to other people to pick up the slack. And they were tired out there.”
The only Suns who didn’t look tired were Shawn Marion (34 points) and Leandro Barbosa (25) who scored the last 11 points of the first quarter to wipe out an 8-point Clippers lead. Raja Bell, the hero of Game 5, and fast becoming Public Enemy Number 1 in Los Angeles, was a non-factor, shooting 2-9. And Tim Thomas (3 points, 4 fouls) was simply eaten alive by Brand in single-coverage.
The bottom line is, the Clippers played like a desperate team facing a close-out game, while the Suns played like a team with a home-court Game 7 in their pocket.
The teams have alternated victories since Game 1, which would appear to favor the Suns, not to mention the home team’s 76-17 all-time record in NBA Game 7s…. the most recent one, of course, the Suns’ 121-90 demolition of the Lakers in the first round. But the Lakers were reeling from a Game 6 defeat that they had let slip away, and had lost any sense of momentum by the time they flew back to the desert. The Clippers, on the other hand, have regained momentum, and have played the Suns fiercely at America West Arena.
Both teams expected to benefit from an unusual three-day layoff between tonight and Game 7. The Suns, who’ve played 13 games in 25 days, most of them with six or seven-player rotation, get a chance to revive a fatigued Nash and a beat-up Marion. But the Clippers also saw an advantage.
“Sam Cassell's legs are tired, and he's 58, so I think the days off will help him," coach Dunleavy said, only half joking (Cassell is 36). On a more serious note, there’s the X-factor of experience: the Suns have already survived one seven-game series and are trying to make the Western Conference Finals for the second year in a row.
The Clippers? They’ve never even made it past the second round. But if they have any doubts, they certainly weren’t showing any.
“It’s a great moment for this team,” said Brand of Game 7.
"We have no road fear at all," said Mike Dunleavy. "We feel we can play with anybody."
They’ll find out soon enough. |
