Tonight’s recap was penned by Sumner Widdoes, ClipperBlog’s newest contributor. Enjoy:

I’m not sure how to feel about making my ClipperBlog debut on this inauspicious first day AD (After Dunleavy).  The hope is that new voices will help improve the fan experience for followers of this blog, but those looking for a new direction from this team must have been disappointed in the Clippers’ first game in the Neil Olshey era.  This loss certainly presents an unsettling omen for an organization that “want[s] to win now.”

There were plenty of forces working against the Clippers tonight: the second night of a road back-to-back; Eric Gordon missing his third consecutive game; playing against Dwayne Wade in AmericanAirlines Arena.  But it was a slow start, a distinct lack of discipline on offense, an inability to defend the high pick-and-roll and debilitating foul trouble that ultimately did the team in tonight.  They started the game sluggishly then hoped that Rasual Butler’s hot hand alone would keep them in the game – a feat he almost accomplished, going 12-19 for 31 points, including six three pointers.  Wade destroyed any Clipper big that popped out to help on the high ball screen and had plenty of outlets once he got into the lane from Michael Beasley’s midrange jumper and Mario Chalmers, James Jones and Q. Richardson’s spot-up threes.

So it was a game like many we’ve seen recently: A moderately close contest that seldom showed signs of a legitimate Clipper comeback and ended with a substantial loss.  The most intriguing part of Wednesday’s game was actually a phone call that Ralph and Mike placed during the second quarter to the newly promoted GM.  This was the first time I had ever heard Olshey’s voice, as he called in from New York City where he is scouting the Big East Tournament.  He sounded energetic, enthused and especially confident in the team’s current standing (in terms of personnel, not record), and, after thanking Sterling and Roeser for the promotion, made some interesting comments regarding the team’s goals for the remainder of this season and the options they have this summer.  The highlights:

• “The No. 1 thing is working with Kim Hughes … to find a way to finish this season strong.” Obviously fans and season ticket holders want to see a team that is playing to win, but Olshey made it a point to express the importance of further developing the chemistry of the core players and evaluating the free agent players “under the right circumstances,” which presumably means when they are playing hard and trying to win, not just increase lottery chances.  He also noted that the biggest challenge the rest of this season was motivating the veterans to play hard (Read: Baron Davis and Chris Kaman)

• “In an ideal world you find both: need and talent.” Talking about the draft, Olshey was very open about his willingness to trade a first round pick or take a player that plays a position that the team already has filled, which sounds like he views these draft picks not as specific players, but as assets – a necessary trait for a quality GM.  Olshey appears to understand the kind of flexibility this team has right now and sees a first round pick as another great resource with which to build a contending club.

• “There are no bad drafts, just bad drafters.” This is just beautiful.  He went on to say that, with only five guys under contract for next season, as long as a rookie is talented, he would see playing time with this team.  But you really should spend a minute to appreciate that first sentence again.

• “[My wife] was probably as caught off-guard as I was.” I can’t tell what to make of the managerial surprise Donald T. sprung on everyone yesterday evening.  It was reported the Dunleavy was totally blindsided and apparently Olshey was too.  Aren’t things like this the reasons people call the Clippers a poorly run organization?

• “The most important thing for everyone to remember is that we’re in excellent position…” Olshey finished with this, expounding on all the assets the Clippers have in place and the commitment from ownership to make moves that will shape the organization “for the next four or five years.”  It sounds like a similar message as his predecessor’s coming from a new voice….kind of like it is here at ClipperBlog.

The Magic present more than a fair share of problems for the Clippers on both ends of the court. Offensively, the Magic spread the floor with multiple three point shooters and are anchored by the post scoring of Dwight Howard. Don’t collapse on Howard and he’ll foul out all your big men and get a handful of easy buckets at the rim. Do collapse on Howard and those shooters will light you up from outside. Even for the best defensive teams in the league, the Magic are a handful.

On the defensive end the Magic can be equally imposing. Orlando employs a ton of rangy, athletic defenders who are afforded the luxury of relentlessly chasing shooters off the three point line because Howard is backing them up.

Without Eric Gordon, the Clippers are stagnant as an offense. Orlando’s guards play smart defense on Baron Davis all night, offering him plenty of space on the perimeter by going under on every pick and roll possible. With Baron’s penetration abilities taken away and Gordon sidelined, the Clippers play absolutely no one who can penetrate and score, and more importantly, penetrate and draw the Magic perimeter defenders in a bit. Without the Magic defenders moving and having to rotate, the Clippers pass the ball along the three-point line and are forced to settle for a ton of perimeter jumpers. The Clippers shoot 14 of their 21 shots from the field beyond 15 feet in the first quarter. To give you an idea of why this is bad, the Clippers shoot right around 36% on the season from beyond 15 feet. It’s not exactly the ideal shot location.

To beat the Magic, or at least stay within shouting distance, you have to at least attempt to get Dwight Howard in foul trouble. Marcin Gortat is a capable backup, but he isn’t much of a one-on-one scorer in the post or a big shot blocking threat. Get Howard on the bench and Orlando’s perimeter defenders can’t sell out on every perimeter swing of the ball. Minus Howard you can stay at home defensively on those shooters and made Jason Williams or Jameer Nelson beat you at the rim. Unfortunately, the Clippers never even come close to getting Howard in foul trouble. Howard doesn’t collect a single foul the entire game, which is preposterous from someone of his size and strength. You’d think at some point he’d accidentally crush someone like Lenny from Of Mice and Men, but it never happens. The Clippers only shoot two free throws in the entire first half.

Essentially the Clippers got themselves in a jump shooting contest with the best jump shooting team in the league. And of course, the results were predictable. The Magic shot 52% from the field, made 7 three-pointers, and scored a whopping 67 points in the first half. Meanwhile the Clippers only shot 42% from the field and scored 41 points. You’re not making up a 26 point deficit against a team like Orlando.

Watching Dwight Howard do most of his work in the post prior to the arrival of the ball, then finishing with a pretty jump hook, is a nice reminder of how even the rawest of big men can be polished into serviceable low post scorers with time and plenty of patience. When Howard first entered the league, he was all freakish dunks, blocked shots and rebounding. DeAndre Jordan, although not on the level of Dwight Howard, obviously, is much the same way. Plenty of size and athleticism, but just a lack of general skill and footwork in the post. Watching the two go at it in their early stretch of one-on-one time against each other late in the first quarter is fascinating.

After Dwight Howard makes a pretty post move and baby hook on one end [:47, 1stQ], DeAndre Jordan goes all Howard circa 2005 by rolling clean to the hoop and skying high to throw down a Baron Davis alley-oop with one hand that was up near the top of the square [:32, 1stQ]. At [8:22, 2ndQ] Dwight Howard starts on the left block against Jordan and sweeps across the lane with a big running righty hook that falls in. It’s a skilled shot, one that Howard’s been working on for years, and it finally looks natural and unforced. To his credit, DeAndre Jordan comes right back at Howard on the other end [8:07, 2ndQ], posts up and gets great position in the middle off the key, turns, and puts in a right-handed jump hook.

At this point, wins and losses don’t mean much of anything. It’s the small moments– the tiny, barely visible victories like DeAndre Jordan holding his own against Dwight Howard for a few series that mean something. It’s the development of the players we know will be Clippers come next year. It’s finding out who can fit with Blake Griffin and who can’t. In that sense, every game serves a purpose. The end result may not matter, but the games themselves still do. Even the 26 point blowouts.

For the past twenty one years, Clippers games in Salt Lake City have come to resemble traditional Japanese Kabuki theater.  Fans would enter the venue, secured in the knowledge of the storyline and how it will end.  There are no surprises and no suspense, the joy of spectacle lies in small deviations; how the Jazz might prevail on this night and by how much.  The players in their respective jerseys might have changed over the course of two decades, but there is a comforting rhythm to the almost unbroken string of Clippers losses in Utah, as predictable as the tides and the turning of the earth.  When the Clippers finally pulled out their lone victory in twenty one years, on January 22, 2003, the world did not come to a cataclysmic end as the ancient Mayans had prophesized, though perhaps the world did hold its breath for a brief moment to ponder this inexplicable outcome, which had defied all known laws of physics, before exhaling and settling back into its comforting axis of rotation, from which the unbroken streak of Clippers losses would continue on as before.

For most of those twenty one years, when the Clippers record in Utah was a cumulative 1-39, the coach of the Utah Jazz has been Jerry Sloan.  It is perhaps no coincidence that one of the most stable franchises in the NBA would  have such an unfathomable home record against one of the most unstable franchises in the league.  Since Jerry Sloan took over as coach of the Utah Jazz from Frank Layden in 1988, the Clippers had hired and fired 12 coaches, counting Kim Hughes and Dunleavy for seven of those years.  It is no wonder then, that even though players have come and gone, their bright eyed rookie seasons turning into tearful retirement speeches, the Utah Jazz continues to run the same pick-and-roll plays for Darren Williams and Carlos Boozer that they had run for John Stockton and Karl Malone, with the same effectiveness against succeeding new generations of Clippers.  That Jerry Sloan has survived for so long as a coach in the NBA is a rare anomaly, as the tenure of most NBA coaches, particularly Clippers ones, is often short, nasty, and brutish.  It is no wonder that current interim Clippers Head Coach Kim Hughes professes his admiration for Jerry Sloan and perhaps, if he were honest with himself, also a bit envious of Sloan’s long tenure.

In any other town, in any other franchise; being the bridesmaid but never the bride for twenty one years would have brought out fans with pitchforks and the taciturn Jerry Sloan would have been led to the guillotines a long time ago.  But there is a certain faith in the system which the late Larry H Miller held for his long time coach, and though Sloan never won a championship, it is hard to quibble with his consistent winning record and consecutive playoff appearances year in and year out.  There is a great article by Ian Thomsen for Sports Illustrated recently about the head coach in the NBA being a lion tamer in a cage with five lions, trying to get them to perform before a jeering crowd of 20,000 each night.  More than any other professional sports league; the power, money, and the guaranteed long term contracts reside with the players.  Coaches like Jerry Sloan, despite their long tenure, have to find ways to inspire and cajole their players, to get them to sublimate their own sometimes selfish desires for the greater glory of the team.  Being in the same office for over 21 years earns you some respect, and for an interim coach like Kim Hughes, who is under contract for another month, the ability to shape and hold his players accountable must seem like a daunting task.

The Clippers started out the game with a hot hand, and they looked like the team that had shocked the Jazz five days ago at the Staples Center.  That victory remains the crown jewel of Kim Hughes brief coaching career; a rare win against a playoff bound team who was fighting to hang on to their top four ranking in the West.  Before that victory, Coach Hughes had implored his team to give maximum effort for four quarters.  He said that wins and losses against teams like Utah no longer mattered, he just wanted a consistent effort for 48 minutes and would live with the results, with his head held high.  In the exuberance aftermath of that victory, there were some optimism that perhaps this collection of Clippers players will be able to build something positive for the off season after all; that individual growth and an espirit de corps can be forged for next season, and perhaps a few of the players with expiring contracts can be brought back, instead of being scattered to the four winds.  Bring on the playoff teams, Kim Hughes had insisted; he welcomed the challenge, and his players would welcome it too.  They needed to be tested and they needed to chart their growth and maturation as a unit. 

For most of the first quarter, the Clippers took the game to the Jazz, they played with fierce abandon, as if to defy the gods.  They moved the ball crisply and they made Utah seems like a tired team, whose energy and future was all but spent.  For a brief moment, it seems possible that the impossible might happen again, as the Clippers shot out to an early ten point lead, forcing Jerry Sloan to call a timeout.   It is worthwhile to watch disciplined teams like Utah and San Antonio after they emerge from a timeout huddle.  There is no panic in their game, and more often than not, they don’t try to do anything different, they just run the same plays they ran before, but with more attention to details and execution.  The Jazz came out of the timeout and stopped the bleeding.  Then they slowly, methodically, cut into the Clippers early lead.  You can feel the inevitable turning of the tides, and even though the Clippers were playing relatively well, with Drew Gooden scoring inside and the ball finding the right shooters in the corners, you felt that Utah was just patiently waiting for their familiar foil to self destruct, in accordance with the cosmic laws which govern Clippers games in Salt Lake City.

When they finally lost the last vestige of their lead late in the second quarter, it seemed as if the final breath of life had vacated the Clippers players lungs, and any hope they had of defying the gods or the immutable laws of the universe had dissipated.  Generations of Clippers players before them had lost to generations of Utah players on the other side, and now the familiar rhythm of the Kabuki play was once again established.  Utah had clawed out a one point advantage at halftime, but to long time fans of the Clippers, it might as well have been a twenty point lead.  To ensure that the ending is no longer in doubt, and that the storyline adheres to tradition, the Jazz came out and scored seven straight points in the third quarter, essentially ending the game.  They would methodically outscore the Clippers by 21 in the second half, sending them reeling toward another blow out loss in Utah. 

That the Clippers were playing without Eric Gordon, on the second night of a back to back, probably didn’t matter very much.  The same lack of focus, poor shooting from their key players–Baron and Kaman–and lackadaisical turnovers did them in once again.  Baron and Kaman combined to shoot 9 for 32 from the field, for a 28% field goal percentage, and combined for 10 turnovers between them.  To the comical delight of the crowd, with the game decided in the fourth, the Clippers had a four on one fast break and turned the ball over on a traveling violation.  These priceless moments are why people attend Kabuki plays.  The ending, the victory was never in doubt, but little variations on how you get that victory is entertaining.  Kim Hughes’ ultimatum, his plea that the Clippers play with all out effort and focus for 48 minutes is yet to be fulfilled.  Even in their previous victory over Utah at the Staples Center, they had played with focus and determination for only 46 minutes, with the final two minutes almost costing them the game.  Now that the gauntlet of effort has been thrown down by Kim Hughes, and what he has asked of this Clippers team is not unreasonable, what will happen if his players defy this simple challenge?  Certainly  Drew Gooden played with effort and toughness tonight, and he needed to because he is playing for his next contract.  But for Baron and Kaman, secured in their guaranteed money, knowing that they will be here next year even though Kim Hughes may not, what incentive or threat can Interim Coach Hughes hold over them?  If he benches Baron and Kaman, the team will, in all likelihood, lose even more games, and he will certainly be cleaning out his desk next month, even as Baron and Kaman will remain, watching him carry out his belongings, ready for their next coach.

The Clippers sustained record of futility in Salt Lake City might be etched upon the stars, or it might have been the last will and testament of some ancient gods, but a more reasonable explanation might be attributed to the quiet steadiness of Jerry Sloan; his long tenure and enduring system amidst the ever changing faces of Clippers coaches, most without much authority, defied by their players, and ultimately sacrificed to the altar of futility.  And so continues the rhythm of the tides.  The Clippers are now 1 for their last 41 against Jerry Sloan’s team in Salt Lake City.

The Oklahoma City Thunder has been a good measuring stick for the Clippers the past two years.  In the final game of the 2009 campaign, the 23-win Thunder team hammered the Clippers at the Staples Center by 41 points, 126-85.  In a nightmare season, marred by injuries, the 2009 Clippers walked off the floor for the final time to a chorus of boos from their usually forgiving fans.  Though both franchises were destined for the lottery, the Thunder finished the season on a resoundingly strong note, and a clear message was sent to the league that their talented young core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green would be a team to contend with in the future.  In a way, the Clippers and Thunder were as two trains passing in the night, one franchise bound for future glory, and the other was wracked with familiar questions and doubt.

The summer of 2009 changed the Clippers fortune, when they unexpectedly won the lottery and the rights to Blake Griffin.  Then, Mike Dunleavy, wearing his general manager cap, orchestrated some canny moves to bolster the bench by turning Zach Randolph’s bloated contract into Craig Smith and Sebastian Telfair, as well as the acquisition of Rasual Butler.  Optimism was restored to Clippersland, and there was hope that the now rejuvenated, deep and athletic Clippers squad can make a run for the final playoff spot in the West.  As the 2009-10 campaign began, many observers saw the Clippers and Thunder on equal footing.  Both teams were on the rise, and has a chance to compete in the difficult Western  Conference.

The Clippers and Thunder met earlier in November, playing two games in a span of five days.  Each team won on the other’s floor, and both contests were decided in the fourth quarter.  Though the Thunder has proven themselves as contenders in the West and had a better record, the Clippers clawed back from their tough earlier schedule and proved their mettle by beating their Western Conference rival in a hard fought game in Oklahoma City.  It was a much needed victory, a type of win that playoff teams squeak out during the course of a season.  But four months later, that win in Oklahoma City has remained the Clippers best road victory against a playoff bound team in the 2010 campaign.  And when the two teams met again on this early March night, the fate of both franchises has already been defined.  And from the first few minutes on, the Thunder proved that, without a doubt, they are a team to be reckon with, come playoff time.  While the Clippers are once again, bound for the lottery, the fate of their franchise, their coach, and their free agents, unclear.

The Thunder asserted themselves on the defensive end very early on.  Coming in to the game, it was clear that the Clippers have an edge inside, and it was as if Oklahoma City almost conceded one on one coverage to the Clippers big men.  Their perimeter defense was suffocating however, and the Clippers perimeter players could not get an open look against the Thunder’s taller and more athletic counterparts.  Durant, while not known as a defensive stopper coming into the NBA, has groomed himself into a serviceable defensive player.  Green, Westbrook, Harden, Collison, and Serge Ibaka all played very physical and tough team defense, their defensive rotations were quick and aggressive.  They concede nothing and outmuscle the smaller Clippers wing players.  They would get 13 steals and block 11 Clippers shots during the game and hold the Clippers to 37 percent shooting.  Asides from Smith, no Clippers player was able to hit even half their shots.

Durant is a burgeoning offensive star who’s about to cross that rare threshold into superstardom.  But it is clear that the Thunder’s calling card is their rangy, athletic, perimeter defense.  It is the mark of a good, young team, one that the Western Conference powers will be loathed to face come the final weeks of April.  They suffocated Baron Davis early on.  With the Clippers offense stagnating after a promising early start, they trapped Baron in the corner and blocked his desperation three.  As if to redeem himself, Baron came right back down the floor and clanged off another three at the six minute mark.  Oklahoma City capitalized on every Clippers missed shots and boneheaded miscues early on and ran off 12 points in row.  By the time Craig Smith was brought into the game for Drew Gooden, the score was 18-6, Oklahoma City.  The burly Smith made his presence felt right away, scoring on his first touch and drew a foul.  All night long, the Clippers would crawl their way back to eight points, to six points, only to have Oklahoma City pull away again.  Never once did it feel that the Clippers were going to legitimately mount a charge against this Thunder team.  Near the end of the first quarter, Durant made a beautiful jab step against Rasual and blew by him for a thunderous dunk.  It is hard to blame Rasual, as Durant has been hitting step back fifteen footers against him early on, racking up 15 points in the first quarter alone.  It was a clear case of going up against someone who is taller, more skilled, and more athletic, someone who is on a completely different level as a player.  In a way, the dream that the Clippers have of being on the same level as this young Thunder squad was revealed to be a fantasy tonight.  As the 2010 season slowly winds to a close, the Thunder has proven to be a clearly a superior team, and a legitimate playoff squad.

That the Clippers somehow closed the 10-12 point lead to four points in the third quarter at the four minute mark is a bit of a surprise.  Rasual Butler got hot in the third, abetted by some beautiful drive and dish by Eric Gordon, and hit some three pointers to pull  the Clippers to 68-64.  During one sequence at the 6:27 mark, Drew Gooden set a solid pick and freed Eric for a drive into the lane, as the defenders converge on Eric, he kicked the ball out to a wide open Butler for a 3.  It was a solid play, executed by a fundamentally sound basketball player from Kansas who knows how to set picks.  At the 5:50 mark, the same play was ran but with Kaman instead of Gooden.  This time, Kaman rolled to the basket too early, hoping to get the ball, and the play broke down as Eric was never able to find daylight.  It was another opportunity lost, and the Thunder once again pulled away convincingly as James Harden was brought back in.  They would score the next eight points during the next three minutes and re-establish their lead back to 76-64 as the third quarter drew to a close.

With Craig Smith picking up his fifth foul at the 11:43 mark of the fourth, the Clippers most effective offensive weapon on this night was taken out of the game.  After that, the Thunder re-asserted their dominance and slowly put the game out of reach.  Harden made a smart, aggressive move to the hoop and put his body into Kaman’s chest, drawing a foul and putting the Thunder up by 15 at the 9:57 mark.  Gordon would hit a three and made a tough layup to pull the Clippers to within 11 but that would be as close as they get the rest of the way.  The final score of 104-87 was not quite emblematic of the game, as the Clippers were within striking distance for most of the night.  However, one never got the sense that it was all that close, that the Clippers were capable of overtaking the Thunder on this night, or this season.  As the final stretch run of the 2010 season begins, it is clear that the path of the two franchise has diverged, as clear as that last game of the 2009 campaign.  Thinking back on the exuberance from the Oklahoma City Thunder players on that April night of last year, when it seems that they enjoyed their time on the court, and didn’t want to go home for the off-season, it reminded me of another Clippers squad from the 2000-2001 campaign.  The season was lost a long time ago, but their joy was infectious as they blew away a 51-win Phoenix team on their final home game of the season.  Darius Miles, Quentin Richardson, and Lamar Odom celebrated on top of the scorer’s table and thanked their fans.  They milled around the Staples Center floor afterwards, not wanting to leave, wanting to play on, as if the promise of their vast potential shimmered seductively before their eyes, as fragile as a mirage; and as if by leaving, they might forsake that beautiful synchronicity which they had miraculously achieved on that night, and might never attain again.  Yet the promise of next season burned brightly that evening, and Clippers fans left the Staples Center yearning for the 2001-2002 season to begin.  It is perhaps too much to hope for with this 2009-10 Clippers squad, and one cannot help but admire this young Thunder team with a bit of jealousy and perhaps yearn for what could have been.

With Eric Gordon assigned to Steve Nash for the bulk of the night, both Jason Richardson and Grant Hill are eager to post up Baron Davis and give the Clippers’ guard a little taste of his own medicine. That’s what Hill  does at about the 7:40 mark of the third quarter in a half-court sequence that illustrates the Clippers’ poor decision-making at the outset of the second half. The Clippers give up 39 points in 24 possessions to Phoenix (162.5/100 possessions). You begin to understand why when you see Drew Gooden leave Amare Stoudemire to double Hill. Davis is ceding a bit of ground to Hill, as the vet backs him down off the left block, but it’s not a Defcon 4 situation. As Gooden comes over, Rasual Butler rotates onto Stoudemire.

Now facing a double-team, Hill kicks the ball to Nash out along the perimeter. Butler leaves Stoudemire to return to his original assignment on the possession — Jason Richardson along the weak side arc. And Gooden reacquaints himself with Stoudemire at the foul line.

Here’s where the breakdown occurs: Hill re-posts against Davis and Nash feeds him again.  And, again, Gooden darts over with the hard double-team — but this time, there’s no one to pick up Stoudemire. Butler is at home on Richardson (probably not a bad idea since Richardson drained a 27-footer on the preceding possession), while Chris Kaman guards Robin Lopez beneath the weak side glass. Hill has been playing professional basketball since the merger, and he delivers a smart bounce pass through the lane to a diving, unguarded Stoudemire, who finishes untouched with a slam.

The Clippers get beat in the third quarter on the defensive end in every conceivable way:

• They fail to get back on the break (Hill, 3rd, 10:07) or pick up shooters who trail then spot up (Richardson, 3rd, 8:02), or trailers who dart to the rim untouched (Stoudemire, 3rd, 6:22).
• The Clips’ smaller guards get beat by Jason Richardson in the post (3rd, 10:23; 3rd, 0:43).
• They get abused by Stoudemire on dribble-drives that start inside of 15 feet (3rd, 11:25; 3rd, 9:33; 3rd, 3:44).
• They fail to provide help on the most potent pick-and-roll combo in the game (3rd, 2:51).
• They unwittingly slough off the best 3-point shooting center in the game, even though there’s nothing worth protecting below the foul line in this particular sequence (3rd, 4:22).
• They give up easy points on turnovers (3rd, 0:21).
• They also foul with impunity, sending Phoenix to the line for 14 free throws in the quarter. Some of those trips to the stripe materialize because the Clips have no other recourse in transition (3rd, 2:19; 3rd, 1:29) and some of them occur because the Clips have no recourse against Stoudemire down low (3rd, 1:46; 3rd, 1:14).

It’s really too bad because the Clippers do a lot of positive things in the first half. Most notably, they creatively generate some nice looks for Eric Gordon — a flare screen (1st, 9:47) and a pin-down from Kaman (1st, 6:53) are my two favorites. It’s high-grade, well-executed offense that not only delivers the ball to Gordon where he can do some serious damage, but also lowers the likelihood of a turnover.

Wednesday is the kind of game that tempts you into believing that Marcus Camby would’ve made a difference — especially when you examine the 50-30 rebounding deficit — but the Clips haven’t defended the Suns all season.

There is a swirl of themes surrounding the Clippers right now, many of which come into focus in a big win over a very good team Monday night, albeit the Clips almost blow the game in spectacular fashion over the final couple of minutes.

It’s clear that the Clippers aren’t a horrible team. If this core group remains healthy though the final quarter of the season, they won’t embarrass themselves on a regular basis, and they’ll probably pick up some solid wins at home (As it is, the Clippers have won 12 of their past 16 games on their home floor). They still have a couple of wings who can stretch the floor, a center who — when he makes good decisions — can put a lot of pressure on the opponent’s interior defense, and a point guard who — when he’s not preoccupied with trying to shoot his team to success — does a good job of finding those scorers. They also now have a power forward with a versatile enough game to keep the defense off-balance. None of these five guys is a complete player at his position and the team defense won’t be top-shelf, but there’s a cohesive unit out there that can score — the Clippers have racked up an offensive rating of 107.7 or greater in four of their past five games.  Add to that starting five one of the better backup point guards in the league, a couple of intriguing talents, and an efficient, othersized power forward in Craig Smith (who’s dinged up right now). That’s a solid nine-man rotation — one that can tilt big or small, depending on need.

With Gooden in place, we’re seeing a half court offense that features rotating pick and rolls on both sides of the floor. This requires more of some players than they have been accustomed to contributing, especially Eric Gordon. Because he’s the ball man on more ball screens, Gordon is being asked to do more as a playmaker. He’s struggled with his handle this season, but tonight he looks a lot better, particularly in the second half.

My favorite offensive possession of the game comes at about the 4:25 mark of the fourth quarter. The Clippers demonstrate both patience and execution. It’s the kind of set that good offensive teams run on a regular basis:

Gooden and Chris Kaman offer Baron Davis an early stagger screen along the arc. Baron moves from right to left, but Deron Williams fights through the screens and Wesley Matthews is also waiting for Baron as he tries to turn the corner. Baron backs out as the Clippers reset. This time, Gordon curls around a back screen from Kaman, catches the pass from Baron in motion. As the Utah defense collapses on Eric, he dishes the ball in traffic out to an open Kaman, who drains the jumper from about 18 feet.

Eric Gordon has a massive fourth quarter, scoring 13 points. He goes 4-for-6 from the floor, 2-for-2  from the stripe, and hits all three attempts from beyond the arc. On the first two (4th, 10:54; 4th, 9:52), C.J. Miles drifts too far from the arc. On the final one (4th, 6:28), nobody picks up EJ in transition on a break initiated by a ridiculous swat of a Williams’ attempted layup by DeAndre Jodran, who swoops in from the weak side.

That 3-pointer by Gordon should be the dagger, as the Clippers go up 95-78 with just over six minutes to go in the game. The Clippers still lead by 12 with 2:29 remaining. The Clippers move themselves and the ball fairly well on the next two possessions (4th, 2:15; 4th, 1:50), but come away with only an off-balanced, fadeaway elbow jumper from Davis and a contested 25-foot Rasual Butler jumper from beyond the arc. Neither shot goes in. When the Clippers walk the ball up with a minute and a half remaining, their lead has been trimmed to five.

After that, the offense screeches to a halt:

• (4th, 1:30) Davis milks some clock, then gets a high screen from Kaman with :08 remaining on the shot clock. Everyone in the building knows that’s the call, including Williams and Carlos Boozer. Williams walls off the lane as Baron tries to penetrate, and ultimately strips Baron of the ball.
• (4th, 1:02) This time, the screen from Kaman doesn’t come until the :05 mark on the shot clock, but he pastes Williams (you argue it’s a moving screen as Chris seems to give Williams a little bit of a shove. Williams jaws about it with the official after he converts a layup on the other end + one.). Either way, it gets Baron the space he wants, as he drives to the foul line, pulls up and drains the jumper.
• (4th, 0:38) Yep. Again. Boozer practically leaves before Kaman does. As Davis dribbles left, he loses the ball. The only consolation is that he’s able to catch Williams in transition and foul before the Utah point guard can convert the layup. Williams misses both free throw attempts, a pair that would’ve tied the game.

During the Utah rally, the Clips give up a big bucket in transition to Andrei Kirilenko (4th, 1:05), but the other points are surrendered courtesy of slow reactions. Boozer beats Gooden off the dribble + one (4th, 2:01) to cut the Clippers lead to seven. On the next Jazz possession, Kaman loses track of Millsap, as the Utah power forward drifts out to about 17 feet along the baseline, where he catches a pass and buries an open jumper to cut the lead to five (4th, 1:31). Off the Davis made jumper, Deron Williams knives through the Clippers defense in about three seconds, drawing a foul on Kaman in the process (4th, 0:40). When Williams hits the free throw, the Jazz trail by only two. For about 40+ minutes, the Clippers play solid defense. They’re particularly sticky on the perimeter, and consistently effective against the pick-and-roll. If not for the pair of Williams’ misses, one of the more complete efforts of the season could’ve been squandered.

DeAndre Jordan’s line doesn’t look like much, but he plays one of his better games under the Hughes regime. The four blocks electrify the crowd, but it’s the humdrum part of the gig that impresses most. His screen/roll defense is decisive and, as the blocks suggest, he’s a help side menace against Utah’s inside attack.

As D.J. Foster noted last night, everyone on the Clippers’ roster has legitimate deficiencies and the Clippers can’t afford for each of them to surface on the same night if they want to win basketball games. But so long as some of the team’s worst habits are sublimated, the product on the floor might be good enough to steal some games and, as the very least, entertain.