We speak abstractly about the razor thin margin between winning and losing in basketball, but rarely do we get such a lucid illustration. I can’t recall the last time I’ve seen a game in which a team has been resuscitated the way the Clippers are Saturday evening.

With the game tied 99-99 in regulation and 0:11.1 remaining, the Sixers have possession:

Most hardcore basketball fans are programmed with the ability to instinctively determine the legality of a buzzer-beater most of the time. Watching it initially, I thought Iguodala hit it. Did you?  More...

When Elton Brand spurned Los Angeles for Philadelphia 17 months ago, no party involved was left unscathed. Brand’s previously sterling reputation was sullied, management was again portrayed as horribly incompetent, and David Falk’s name suddenly became synonymous with Satan himself. At the time, there were no winners, only losers. Clippers fans are notoriously hardened (2 winning seasons in 25 years will do that for you) but even this was a bit too much to handle. The Clipper faithful had previously endured “star” players bolt via free agency, but none of this caliber. They saw a temporarily delusional Kobe Bryant “almost” cross the hall, but no one really believed him. They learned that Gilbert Arenas decided to go to Washington instead of L.A. because of a coin flip, which still hasn’t really sunk in yet. Point being, this particular fan base was not exactly weaned on sunshine and lollipops. Clippers fans instinctively expect the worst. That being said, no one was really prepared for the announcement that came on 7/8/08.  More...

Opening night is always a little dizzying. It’s difficult to measure the new versus the familiar, and to banish what you want to forget while still recalling the stuff that’s useful to remember.

Though all five Clipper starters Tuesday night are alumni of last season’s miserable squad, it’s clear that the 2009-10 Clippers are a measurably improved team.

A few notes:  More...

The Clippers spent a good part of Tuesday’s practice working on defensive rotations. During the team’s 5-on-5 scrimmage, the coaching staff would have one practice squad run a high pick-and-roll, with a direction by Mike Dunleavy to go left or right off the action. The defensive unit was then ordered to trap or “red” the point guard, which means the PG’s primary defender would crowd him directly on his shoulder, with the screener’s defender joining his teammate out on the perimeter.  More...

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

An NBA source has confirmed that Stefanski has shopped power forward Elton Brand, last off-season’s blockbuster acquisition. That same source indicated Brand is unlikely to be traded because he has four years and $65 million left on his deal and has health concerns because his last two seasons ended in injury.

Here’s a tough one for you (and one that’s purely intended as a hypothetical exercise): Would you rather have Brand with four years and $65M remaining, or Zach Randolph with two years and $33.3M? When you factor in character, which is the more odious contract?  More...