Disappointing results are a reason for venting
The biggest problem for the Clippers isn’t that something is broken.
It’s that they don’t know how to go about fixing it.
They’ve lost their last three games and seven of their last nine and at 6-7 are below .500 for the first time since they lost the opening game of the 2013-14 season.
On Sunday, after a 91-80 loss to the Toronto Raptors, the frustration spilled into the locker room, with Clippers players screaming at each other so loudly that reporters waiting nearby in an interview room could hear the verbal explosions.
It was an impromptu venting session, something that Blake Griffin later said could be good for a struggling team with championship aspirations.
“The better teams I’ve been on,” he said, “I think the more confrontations and arguments there’s been because guys aren’t afraid to say something.”
Much has gone wrong for the Clippers.
After Sunday’s games, they ranked 26th in the NBA in rebounding, averaging only 41.8 a game despite having DeAndre Jordan, who led the league in rebounding the last two seasons. The Clippers’ defense has been porous, giving up 104.5 points a game, which ranks 22nd in the league. And their three-point shooting (31.3%) ranks 23rd.
The Clippers also can’t seem to finish, losing four games that came down to the final minute.
On Sunday they played one of their poorest games of the season. They trailed by 29 points at halftime and were booed by the Staples Center crowd as they walked off the court.
After the loss, both Griffin and J.J. Redick cited a lack of effort among their biggest concerns.
Clippers Coach Doc Rivers was quick to shoulder the blame. “If they’re not playing harder,” he said, “that’s on me too because I have to figure out a way of getting them to do that.”
This is not where the Clippers thought they’d be after adding eight players in the off-season, one with championship experience in Paul Pierce. Despite the changes, nothing seems to be working.
“There’s no chemistry problems, we’re just not playing well,” Rivers said. “I think guys thought we would play well out of the gates, and we’re not, and they’re frustrated.”
The Clippers will have a chance to turn things around quickly: Eight of their next nine games are against teams that are at .500 or worse. But first the Clippers must recover from their last three losses.
On Thursday, they led by 10 points against the undefeated Golden State Warriors with five minutes to play but were outscored, 22-5, the rest of the way. On Friday, they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers, who ended a seven-game losing streak with a 102-91 victory.
Then came Sunday’s embarrassing performance, when the Clippers had as many turnovers (13) as field goals in the first half.
Griffin said it’s not surprising that the Clippers had a meltdown in the locker room — and he hopes it will spark a conversation that could lead to real change.
“I think we need to do a good job of sitting down, being real and understanding what the real problems are moving forward,” he said.