“This is humiliating. It is absolutely embarrassing.” — Ralph Lawler [4th, 0:59.2]
With Devin Harris and Courtney Lee not suited up for New Jersey, the Nets have precious few places to go in the halfcourt. Brook Lopez on the block provides the Nets with a viable option, but there’s little else on the floor provided the Clippers do a reasonably good job depriving shooters of clean looks. Since the Nets have few offensive weapons who warrant auxiliary attention by help defenders, a passable defensive effort by the Clippers should get the job done.
The Clippers’ rotations and decision-making defensively are atrocious from the outset, which is how Kris Humphries gets what’s essentially an open foul shot at [1st, 3:39, Craig Smith/Baron Davis], and why Chris Quinn gets a wide open look from beyond the arc at [2nd, 8:32, Al Thornton], and why Yi Jianlian gets an uncontested jumper from 18 feet [2nd, 5:35, Craig Smith].
The Clippers do a marginally better job patrolling the perimeter in the second half, but they completely neglect the interior and get lazy in transition. The ugliest example of the Clippers abandoning the paint comes with the Clippers trailing by four points, with under 9:00 remaining in the game. What happens to Craig Smith on this possession?
Once Smith commits to the trap on Quinn and Ricky Davis rotates over onto Yi, Smith’s original assignment, he’s responsible for cutting off the drive by Williams.
So far as the lackadaisical transition defense, here’s some incriminating evidence:
You can appreciate Smith’s instincts to get in front of the ballhandler, but (a) Bobby Brown has recovered (b) he needs to shade to the side of the floor where his man, Kris Humphries, is filling the lane.
Offensively, the Clippers muster only 87 points on 93 possessions against one of the worst teams in the NBA’s recent history. They waste about 20 percent of those possessions on turnovers. A wasted possession is a wasted possession, but there are nights when the cringe factor of those miscues is spectacular:
There are turnovers, then there are the kinds of plays that kill a team’s spirit. Watch Rasual Butler on this possession. He’s at the bottom of the frame — and he’s wide, wide open beyond the arc. Kaman sees him but still opts for the semi-contested jumper.
Which shot do you suppose has the higher effective FG percentage? Butler, who has an eFG of 50 percent as a 3-point shooter (and who’s wide open) or Kaman who has an eFG percentage of 40.8 as a jump-shooter (and has a moderately contested look here). If you want to understand why a team ranks in the bottom third of the league in offensive efficiency, this is Exhibit A.
Virtually every member of the team plays to his weaknesses. Baron Davis shows shades of 2008-09. He takes seven of his 10 shots from outside the paint, converting only one of those attempts, before leaving with a sore knee toward the end of the third period. The two might very well be related. Craig Smith has an efficient game offensively. He scores 18 points (6-for-8 from the field) and collects eight rebounds, but is dreadful from the stripe (6-12 FTAs) and hurts the team defensively. He commits five fouls and is rarely where he’d be most useful in the defense. Those hopes that Gordon will evolve into a playmaking 2? They seem awfully remote tonight. Butler misses seven of nine from long range and doesn’t give the Clippers much else. Apart from Smith — who’s a virtual starter after Marcus Camby departs with bruised ribs seven minutes into the game — the bench contributes little. The team shoots a collective 64.3 percent from the stripe and gets outhustled on seemingly every loose ball.
The short end of a hard-fought squeaker can cost you sleep, but the symbolic nature of a loss to a 3-40 team is impossible to swallow. The Clippers’ incompetence inspires a team that had previously been uninspirable.
45 Responses
At least clipperblog brings it every game
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Posted on January 27th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Wow, you do very great work Kevin…the comedy of errors video is to me, very haunting rather then funny it had a very profound effect on my mood. Great work you really break things down and even if the Clips continue to flounder your work makes up for it at least a little bit!
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Posted on January 27th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
Were these guys stoned tonight ? Schedule Urine Tests tommorrow!!!!
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Posted on January 27th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
lol…that’s the new team’s theme music…the benny hill tune! love it!
glad i didn’t waste my evening watching this mess….now i gotta put up with fakers fans at work!
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brad Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 7:05 am
lovin the benny hill theme! you want to listen to something funny,go to you tube and search for “jim rome yakety sax” u wont be dissapointed
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craig Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 10:58 am
…with apologies to Boots Randolph for the cheesy synthesized sax!
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Posted on January 27th, 2010 at 10:27 pm
absolutely pathetic
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Posted on January 27th, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Michael,
You’re being too easy on these guys.
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Posted on January 27th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
I’d like to see a video Kevin putting together the video clips of this game. Must have been hard.
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Posted on January 27th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
Since that seemingly season-altering win against the Lakers on January 6, we are 4-7, with crushing losses to Memphis, New Orleans, Cleveland and now previously 3-40 New Jersey. It is difficult to not fault Dunleavy at this point.
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Posted on January 27th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
I see that Baron brought his A game tonight with a 2-9 fiasco….and oh he left with a sore knee that might be related to his poor shooting….please he left because he didn’t want to play anymore….when are you all going to learn he couldn’t care less about winning or the Clippers…he is a selfish p***k, stealing money, and placing basketball too far down on his priority list…..I’m sure he probably just wanted to make sure he was in front of a TV by 6P to see the State of the Union….hey I’m a big Obama guy to, but if I have to work, I have to work.
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Posted on January 27th, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Well at least two good things came from this, Bobby asserted himself on his very first game, an admirable accomplishment I do say, and if the Nets don’t win another game this season, they can at least say they had fun tonight.
This better light a fire underneath the team because a part of me died tonight. I was hoping for a 5 – 3 record on this road trip, so if they don’t demolish the last four teams (I don’t care who they’re facing) they might as well give up. Just an incredibly disheartening loss.
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Posted on January 27th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
LIke Curtis said, I saw the Clips coming out of this road trip goin 5-3 and this game was a gimmie. I HOPE they pick it up vs Cle and vs CHI but i highly doubt the Cavs will take the Clips lightly @ the Q. This was really pathetic.. The whole Baron Davis signing doesn’t make any sense to me anymore. There are days when he plays like an all star and a leader and there are days when he plays like a 3rd string point guard on a championship team. This guy needs to get his act together. I wish we could ship him off, hell i’d take Devin Harris for him. I don’t see a sense of urgency from this team and I don’t see any player stepping up and acting as a leader. This team is going to continue the same path they’ve been heading until there are changes within the organization and we can do that by bringing in a new coach with new personnel. I’d love to keep John Lucas around, but everyone else needs to go.
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qd Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 7:19 am
Sadly, there are no gimmie games with te clippers
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 12:16 am
[...] you want to see a master at work, check out Kevin Arnovitz’s recap over at Clipperblog, complete with a terrific use of the “Benny Hill [...]
Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 3:29 am
So I was unlucky enough to be at this game and experience the worst loss of the season (and possibly all Clipper history…) and there were a few things I noticed. Mike Dunleavy is supposedly one of the most controlling coaches in the whole NBA, but at this game it was clear that not only do the players not trust him, but they do not respect him either. There were multiple times when the players talked back (and even yelled) at Dunleavy, and what was the response? Nothing. He did absolutely nothing. It is quite clear that Dunleavy cannot work with this team as is, and he now cannot control them either. I have never been on the bandwagon to can Dunleavy, but after a 15 point embarrassment of a loss to quite possibly the worst NBA team in history it is clear that something has to change. I knew there were problems with Dunleavy and his relationship with the team when the team as whole ignored him during timeouts at all 12 games I attended last year (minus the Boston game in LA), but last night was something new. Players clearly quitting (Baron), and others yelling at both Dunleavy and the opposition’s team (Craig Smith went off on the Nets players and Kiki Vandeweghe at the end of the game, a very scary/sad moment to view. I thought he was seriously going to tackle a player, including but not limited to the ex-Clipper trouble maker Keyon Dooling). I was sad to be at this game, and I am not sure I can continue to be a fan if the organization doesn’t make a change, and with all the talent on the team, it seems it has to come from the top. It is about time Dunleavy take a step down and focus his effort on being a GM…
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 5:46 am
Bobby Brown is a serial chucker. 3-9. IN 15 MINUTES. Mark my words, the use of the PUJIT will become commonplace when discussing Brown on this blog. He was the same way in NO which is why he probably got traded.
The kids gotta learn when to shoot. Hes a nice local kid, but he needs some serious seasoning before we play him 15 minutes a game over other players.
Al played 7 minutes the whole game and got 1 shot attempt. A scrub got twice as many minutes and took the same amount of shots as a starter in 15 minutes of play.
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 6:33 am
This is a lowlight video of ej’s dribbling skills, he would be a great scorer if he can get foul calls and dribble
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 7:22 am
[...] I am not talking about Courtney Lee or Devin Harris here, I am talking about the injuries the Clippers suffered. Marcus Camby only played 7 minutes, and while Baron Davis played 29 minutes, he sat out a huge chunk of the third and fourth quarter, a time where the Nets usually blow their big lead. I think the most important loss of the two was Marcus Camby. Camby killed the Nets the first time out with 17 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. What makes Camby so tough is that with Kaman in the game, he plays the 4, and that is such an obvious mismatch for any PF on the Nets roster. Craig Smith is a nice player and he had a nice game (18 and 8), but he isn’t the shot-blocking presence that Camby is, and I think that is part of the reason why the Nets were able to get into the lane. As Kevin Arnovitz explains: [...]
Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 8:01 am
“one of the worst teams in recent history” no you are wrong…it should say ” one of the worst teams in ALL of nba history and missing 2 top players” It would ve been funny if the Jersey coach would say that he can win with ” His Players” ….
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 8:09 am
I definitely called out the Nets as possibly the worst team in NBA history: “15 point embarrassment of a loss to quite possibly the worst NBA team in history.”
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 8:53 am
camby goes down and we have no heart out there. We need to trade for some workers ASAP humphries and other guys punking you would be enough for me but apparently not for baron or Kaman. No wonder rhino wanted to hit someone I would too, this team needs more spirit cuz we have talent but no fire. Why is it so hard for us to win road games?
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 9:23 am
What a perfect summary of the game – A+. Great work, Kevin!
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 9:30 am
I remember that least three coaches lost their jobs after losing games against the Clippers at the Sports Arena and recently at the Staples Center. Since the Clippers GM, Dunleavy, is accountable for the coach job and since Dunleavy (Coach) can not motivate his players to play hard it is time for DS to do a change. You can not wait until the season is over to fill two positions and expects to sign one of the available super stars. So is time for DS to act and act quickly.
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 9:33 am
Hope it was cathartic for you to put this together. Nice job!
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 9:47 am
Baron is a cancer. The guy is uncoachable and is going to be near impossible to unload. Clips should seriously just trade him for nothing more than cap relief to any team that is willing to do it. Forget getting picks, talent…no, just take the cap space and be happy he is gone.
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 10:32 am
Well guys, is it BD or Dunleavy?
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FireDunleavy .com Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Dunleavy, and if you think it’s BD, Dunleavy is the one that signed him.
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 11:03 am
Dunleavy
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 11:27 am
His coaching record speaks for itself. And how many double digit leads has this team blown this year? They have to lead the league
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 11:29 am
How is Dunleavy still employed after just an embarrassing loss? Don’t get me wrong, this loss is a huge blow but we’ve been through worse. Im not abandoning the team, I just want to know why Dunce is STILL GM/Coach. It just doesn’t make sense anymore…
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 11:57 am
The Wall Street Journal says that Clipper fans are the most loyal in the NBA:
http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/64332/20100128/study_clippers_warriors_have_nbas_most_loyal_fans/#
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RL Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
damn skippy. we love the Clips like how a mother loves her child.
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MadGlove Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Too bad that child is a coke sniffing, alcoholic deadbeat who lives in the mother’s basement at the age of 65.
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First2One00 Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
LMAO!!!
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clippafan4life Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
don’t u judge me!
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
kaman didn’t get into the all-star game! studpid lil pau got the nod. i hate that guy even more now.
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bongstradamus Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Did Kaman look like an All Star to you last night?
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kenji Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
pau doesn’t look like an all-star every single night either. every player has off nights, wise guy.
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
There’s nothing I can write about this debacle that hasn’t already been said. What hasn’t been discussed though, is a question: How will the Clippers react to this embarrassment?
Will they react like they did after the Christmas game against Phoenix and play well or will the team mail it in for the rest of the road trip (and perhaps the season)?
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
I can’t see myself not watching the Clippers for the remainder of the season but it really does break my heart when there’s so much talent and potential in this team and they just allow this talent to go to waste. And it also angers me that we have 2 idiots in the organization running the Show. One named Donald and the other named Mike. Clipper fans being the most loyal will continue to go to the games and make sure Donald’s pocket stays full, the only way he’ll make a change is if he notices that the team is not bringing in income. I wish we could take some sort of stand to this but it’s near impossible. Any other organization would have done the right thing by now and fired the head coach.
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
What we gotta do is pool together some money, form a group and buy the team. I’m willingly to sell my AAPL stocks to invest in this team. I don’t need an iPad
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
[...] Kevin Arnovitz gives a primer on how to do one of the hardest things in basketball right now: Lose to the Nets. [ClipperBlog] [...]
Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
bad coach with players with character problems…….
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Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Warrior fan here, who watched Davis for years. “Cancer” is understatement. His entire career is coach killing, quitting and worse. Review his flops at Charlotte and New Orleans. Or just turn away in horror. What a creep.
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Posted on January 29th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
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