The opening 15 minutes of basketball play out beautifully for the Clippers, exactly how you’d construct a best case scenario against Toronto. Marcus Camby uses his agility and length to stay between Chris Bosh and the basket. Chris Kaman bullies Andrea Bargnani down on the block, getting plenty of space for his step-back jumper. Baron Davis finds seams in a defense that’s been both slow to fight through screens and flabby in the interior once the offense has broken the plane. Al Thornton works close to the basket to get high-percentage looks. And the Clippers perimeter defenders chase the Raptors’ snipers off the line.
The Clippers build a 22-point lead in the second quarter before taking their foot off the gas heading into halftime. Toronto begins to apply more precision to their pick-and-rolls in order to carve out more space for Bosh to work in the halfcourt. All it takes is a little spacing. By forcing the Clipper defenders to stay at home on the weak side, the Raptors enable Bosh to run wild in the second and third quarters.
The game is tied to begin the fourth quarter, then the Raptors begin to pull away. Here’s how the pivotial possessions of the final frame break down:
59 Responses
Pathetic. No leadership, no heart.
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gsr Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 9:09 am
Dunleavy is making it hard. All players are doing their best as long as their legs permit.
Losing to Toronto was not a surprise. With Gordon & Blake, this team is OK.
But Dunleavy is a sick Coach. He must go NOW. He’s hurting our players & fans alike.
Playng Kaman, Baron, Gordon 40 min. a game will not yield any success. Next in line to get injured: Kaman, Baron & Camby.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 5:04 am
Having been to all four games this week, I found myself surprised when the Clips blew the game open early, but unsurprised as the lead began to dwindle around halftime. What happened in the last 7 minutes was mind boggling. With the players that we have, that is inexplicable. And I’m sorry, that’s got to be on the coaching staff. These fourth quarter debacles that keep happening — we all know that EJ is great and his presence is greatly missed, but there were a couple doozies even with him (PHO, DAL, UTH) — are a sign of poor leadership and coaching. Sure, sometimes talent can let you scrape by. But all the creativity goes out the window in the last twelve minutes. Kaman always seems to get hounded and flustered, Baron seems to be less aggressive, Butler seems to brick everything… Good coaches will find ways to get some good looks down the stretch, but we’re not even getting that. This is becoming the third disastrous season in a row, I don’t walk into that building with a shred of confidence that we’re going to win versus anybody else than the bottom feeders of the league. And with the talent we have, that’s really depressing. I had VERY high hopes for this season – was willing to look past ‘07 and ‘08 and who was in our coaching box – and to have them squashed in the first eleven games is crazy. Never would I have anticipated that the malaise that I felt the last two years would be here again this soon. Something has gotta give. I don’t have the Dunleavey hate that some others have, but please God, fire that man.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 6:22 am
Clips should patent the “4th Quarter Collapse” so at least they could have a nickel for every time it happens.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 8:06 am
Sure the Clips didn’t score a basket for 8:20 to finish the game.
But the Raptors did the same thing to the Bulls on Wednesday.
The Bulls didn’t score a basket for 9:20 to finish that game and got stuck on 89 points too.
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Rey Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
The Bulls were coming off a terrible loss to the Nuggets the night before. They were gassed in the fourth quarter.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 8:27 am
only problem with firing Dunleavy is that I have no confidence the next coach will be better. Dunleavy is at least mediocre. Do you really think John Lucas will do any better?
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neiljphx Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 9:16 am
do you really think lucas (or whoever) will do any worse?
time for change.
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qd Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Probably the same as dunleavy, but we have to try to see if the grass is greener on the other side
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VH Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
yes, yes i do think the next coach will do better.
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mcpancakes Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
if that person is byron scott, than yes i do.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 8:36 am
Dunleavy owes every penny he earned from Clippers to SAM CASSELL.
Sterling was over the top happy & granted long term contract to Dunleavy. But he didn’t know about importance of Sam Cassell.
Dunleavy literally destroyed this team for his own financial well-being. Sterling let down his team & fans by his poor decision making. This will continue as long as he owns this team.
Kim Hughes can do better job than Dunleavy. He must go NOW.
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qd Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 10:12 am
We owe a retirement to cassell
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Stian Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Yep, the two horses from our 2006 playoff run really fucked us good.
Cassell is the ONLY reason Dunleavy got his fat extension.
Brand is the reason why we’re stuck with Barren Davis.
Dunleavy and Davis are the 2 people that need to go for there to be any sort of turnaround.
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brad Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
you got to put some of the blame on baron as well. At least sam was always digging into these guys when they messed up, the on court leader is just as important as a coach
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 9:00 am
Speechless !
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 9:48 am
There’s a rumor that Golden State might fire Nelson. I don’t really like Nelson or Scott though, I think the team needs something new. Mentally some kind of change.
Hire Barkley or Bill Simmons as GM and let them pick the coach. Make sure to ask Baron.
The bad thing about Dunleavy (besides is bad 4th quarter play calling and roster management) is his massive playbook and system. There are too many plays and only works if everyone is on the same page and fits into those roles.
People say, Dunleavy is better than anyone else we could have gotten, but I’d rather have someone roll the ball out there than confuse everyone.
Here’s a quote by Phil Jackson about Red Auerbach
“The Celtics had six plays with Red,” said Jackson. “When you can win the championship from a limited amount of what we would consider offense at this particular time in the history of basketball, it is remarkable. But it was about reading personnel and understanding your teammates’ strengths or weakness. It’s what coaching is really all about anyway. It doesn’t matter how many plays people have now, if they have 100 or 150.
(Reading Simmons book made me find a quote for this)
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Stian Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
“Hire Barkley or Bill Simmons as GM and let them pick the coach. Make sure to ask Baron.”
Barkley is a loudmouth who knows nothing about GMing. Bill Simmons is a know-it-all dweeb who knows nothing about GMing. And the only question Baron Davis should be asked is – “do you have a preference which city you’d like to be traded to – Oakland or Memphis?”
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FireDunleavy .com Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
It’s hard to say how Baron, or any else will play like under a new coach. At this point I’d want to trade him too, but he’ll have no value. The only one with value right now who I would trade is Kaman.
A good GM can come from anywhere. There are no rules. Daryl Morey from the Houston Rockets is an example, some stats guy from MIT.
I doubt Barkley or Simmons will be the next GM, but;
Barkley might be able to convince players to play for the Clippers and maybe could put together the right people. Like he said, give him a year to screw things up.
Simmons knows a lot about basketball and probably not much different that Morey.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Funny, but Dunleavy has a million plays, but why do they run the same one over and over in the fourth quarter.
I don’t see how Dunleavy can weather this storm. He has to go, but I wouldn’t ask Baron anything. He’s a large part of the problem and hopefully, he’ll follow Dunleavy out and we can get a young PG who will grow with our young talent. By the time we get good, Baron will have slowed down even more than he has already.
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qd Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
I feel like we are watching semi-pro where they run only one play over and over
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Dissapointing I know Blake and Gordon are injured but come on man the Kings have a better record than us and they dont even have K. Martin playing…I have always been a Dunleavy supporter but this was it this did me in we need a new coach and a couple of trades….my suggestion trade Camby while hes still worth something trade him for a scorer although he is a good defender at times he is slow and although he is a good rebounder so is Kaman we need a solid scorer my suggestion would be Caron Butler, Rodney Stuckey or Aaron Brooks…we no longer need Camby or Davis we be better off with say Butler and Stuckey wed have Kaman, Griffin or Smith, C. Butler, Gordon, and Stuckey our bench would still be solid with Thornton, Jordan and Telfair we need a change and we need it soon or else im sure Staples Center will have 5,000 people every game, its sad to get emails offering Clipper tickets at 5 bucks but thats how bad this team is I am a die hard Clipper fan and will not turn my back on them but something needs to change.
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pez Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
This sentence is like Dunleavy’s tenure as head coach…way too long.
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Javyg Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Sorry my anger didn’t let me think of punctuation.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 10:21 am
If Donald Sterling is really serious about making Clipper team a professionally run sports team, he must do all of the following:
1. Release Dunleavy immediately.
2. Make KOBE BRYANT a part owner of the team(with 25% of stake & future buying rights)
3. Play this season to lose. Focus on making Blake-Griffin-Kaman trio play well together.
4. Draft a talented young PG or Shooting guard next season. Get Kobe Bryant’s input in talent scouting.
5. Hire Sam Cassell as new Clipper coach.
6. Let Kobe Bryant chose Clippers next GM.
I know, none of the above is going to happen. That’s why this team will remain the same for many more years to come.
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pez Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
lol. Of course Kobe can be counted on as team president…he was the best man at Lamar’s wedding after all.
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Ian Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
What Clipper fan would suggest making Kobe a part owner? The day that happens is the day most of us stop caring.
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FireDunleavy .com Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
I thought the poster ment Lebron, but then they put Kobe twice.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 10:56 am
what? little kobe kiss ass here
just dump dunleavy and trade a couple of the bench players for a solid small forward..
all the Clips need is a all around SF
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 11:05 am
What do you think, KA: is this team under performing due to coaching or is this simply a talent issue?
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 11:19 am
I told management that I refused to renew after 11 seasons if DUNCE was coming back….so I watch from afar with great delight actually…..i read the comments and laugh, “don’t fire DUNCE, because who else are you going to get”…let me remind you all, coaches like Nate McMillian, Phil Jackson, Rick Adelman, etc. etc. etc. weren’t successful coaches before they were given a chance….DOnald needs to hire a great consultant to go find him the next up and coming coach…then Baron, the greatest slug in the history of the NBA needs to be banished to begin…then the cleansing will begin.
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Ian Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
What? All of those guys were successful coaches! Both before their current stints — as head coaches elsewhere — and as assistants.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Wow, that was an amazing breakdown of the fourth quarter in that video, seriously. Nice work.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
OK. Forget buying a new car. The Clippers are going to get me a new house. Raptors -3 and I was never worried. Not even down 22. My wife was scared that I’d risked the enitre 1,000 on the game but I told her to watch….and we did. GOD THIS TEAM IS HEARTLESS. FREE MONEY PLAYA’S! Vegas is going to wise up but it’s still fun.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Dunleavy is a mediocre coach who has won because he has had floor leaders (Pippen, Cassell) who demand that their teammates play well. There are no floor leaders on these team. The team needs a strong coach, someone the players are motivated to play well for, someone who they trust will make the right calls, substitutions, etc. His rotations are so bizarre – he seems to constantly be reacting to what the other coach is doing, he seems panicked or something. The thing that kills me is that he thinks he can get these guys to turn the corner, or that he can coach his way out of this black hole. Its a delusion. Firing him at least sends a message to the team and the fans that incompetence is unacceptable. But what are the chances this happens?
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bongstradamus Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
$5 million to 1 odds….
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pez Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Interesting point about floor leaders. Baron is vocal and seems driven…important qualities in a floor leader, but maybe he just isn’t the right guy.
It reminds me of an article last year on Chauncey, in which he credits Garnett and Sam Mitchell with teaching him how to be a leader–and it’s clear the effect he’s had on Denver. Maybe if Baron had played with some savvy veteran leaders instead of Stephen Jackson he’d be that guy now.
As disappointing as the loss last night was to watch, Griffin and Gordon getting on the floor together should change the dynamic of this team in multitude of ways. At least we still have good things to look forward to.
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Stian Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Baron never learned from a savvy vet because he always thought he knew everything better.
Baron is not humble enough to learn from the best.
He’s not humble enough to acknowledge that he’s mediocre at best at what he does and could vastly improve every facet of his game.
I could rattle off 20 NBA point guards that smoke his ass right now – incl. CP3, DWill, Nash, Billups, Parker, Westbrook, Ty Evans, Jennings, Rose, Arenas, Nelson, Brooks, Kidd, Bibby, Rondo, Ellis, Calderon, Fisher, Barea, Mo Williams, Lawson, and Flynn.
Baron is THE #1 reason why this team sucks so bad without Eric Gordon because he is simply incapable of setting a semblance of an offense where multiple options can score.
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SamMays Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Yep to all of the above… Baron has been here for 92 games now and “led” us to a 22 – 70 record in that time… I don’t care who’s coaching, or how bad Dunleavy is, he’s not on the floor playing… If Baron were any kind of leader, we would have won a lot more than 22 even with Dunleavy.
We need to get rid of them both… Dump Ricky too and we’ll have the beginnings of a team we can grow with. All the cancers will be gone.
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SamMays Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I don’t think Dunleavy believes he can coach his way out of this… He’s doing the only thing he can do, keep coaching and keep trying and pray he gets fired soon. He can’t resign, or he’ll lose millions.
I think keeping him in that job is Sterling’s way of making the guy suffer the way we’re all suffering…
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MGC Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Hmmm never thought of sterling as a sadist. Could be
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gsr Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Best comment ever. Thank you.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Dumbleavy is pretty bad. Sat courtside last night for the first time, what a waste. Novak comes in and starts draining shots in the 1st half. Dumbleavy puts him in the 4th quarter and doesnt run 1 play for him, He gets 7 points dropped on him during the Raps final run, 3 more coming on Baron’s utterly stupid defense shown in the video. WHAT IS HE DOING! Stands between Bosh and Turkoglu and gives Turk the 3. Just hands it to him. So after Novak gets burned Dumbleavy brings a cold Butler off the bench (hadnt been in for 8-10 min gametime), sticks him in the corner to jack up a three. He literally got off the bench walked to the corner, stood caught and shot. Thats the play he calls out of a timeout. Also Kaman abuses Bargnani in the 1st half and Camby plays great defense on Bosh. But down the stretch the Raps go with Andrea in the middle with no Bosh and Kaman is on the bench, and he only comes in when Bosh does and subs in for Camby, so Kaman has to matchup with Bosh. WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
the coach had someone checking in with less than a minute to play and the game out of reach..does anyone know who it was…The play never stopped and the player never got in..if I was that player i wouldve refused to go in…..
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
MGC, what am I missing? Where did Dunleavy have Pippen as a floor leader? But it is a good point.
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MGC Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
On Portland
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
I was at this game and the game against the Hornets. It’s getting really hard to root for the Clippers and the losses are harder to take and its scary because this is supposed to be the softer side of the schedule. How can anybody justify paying Dunleavy over $5 Million for the joke of the job he has been doing!!! Over $5 Million a year for the joke or the pretense of him being a coach or GM. Oh, I forgot. We have a great owner with a great reputation for great things. NOT!! Its a lose-lose situation. I guess I am just surviving on the fact of being an NBA fan first.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Wow, OKC beat the Spurs & Chris Paul is out for a couple weeks. There will be no excuse for when we play the Hornets this coming week not to win this time. Hopefully OKC is a little tired from it’s SA game.
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SamMays Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 8:47 am
You’re worried about wins and losses? As usually, we have much more important things in Clipperland to be concerned about. Whether our coach should be fired and if our most expensive player is a dog… In other words, the usual….
Until we solve those two issues, winning won’t happen so there’s no point getting concerned with it.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
do you think they would let a fan coach the team for a game. it would be fun to watch some regular joe totally out coach Dunleavy!! i would pay extra for tickets for that game!!!!
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Hey, maybe if every player on every other team catches swine flu and they all go blind we might have a chance to… My God, do you hear yourselves? My wife doesn’t watch basketball and she figured it out in 2 minutes. “They’ll never win until they change the name of the team. Clippers is and will always be connected to a loser. Seems simple to me.” God, I love this woman.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Oh man, after watching Brandon Jenning’s highlight reel tonight, is it okay for a Clips fan to have “buyer’s remorse” on Griffin yet?
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FireDunleavy .com Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Jennings is great, love watching that guy play. I’m gonna get tickets for Bucks game next year for sure. Griffin is the right pick though.
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ghost_ride Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
It’s early but Griffin, Jennings, and Evans look like the gems of this draft.
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Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
The storm passed and Dunleavy’s still here to coach another disappointing loss in Oklahoma.
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Posted on November 15th, 2009 at 7:52 am
Can we do a poll on who would keep the Dunce as GM or who would fire him outright?
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Posted on November 15th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
why does everryone insist that we will be able to keep Dunleavy as GM but not as coach…he wont do it! Hes an egomaniac…plus why the hell does anyone want him in L.A.? Its beyond me
Funny how hes credited for getting rid of Zachs contract when….hey what do you know hes the one who brought him over in the first place! Oh and look at all these pieces hes put together on this team and they freakin suck!
He should’ve been booted a long damn time ago!
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Posted on November 15th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
[...] wasn’t the only great video to come out of this game. Check out Kevin Arnovitz’s work for ClipperBlog. Along with Rob Mahoney at The Two Man Game, online basketball analysis is going to the next level [...]
Posted on November 16th, 2009 at 6:25 am
..]another interesting source of information on this subjectis ,clipperblog.com,..]
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Posted on November 27th, 2009 at 4:59 am
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