Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan recently challenged his teammates after a two-game losing skid. Photo Credit: Burt Harris/News4usonline.com
We are only two weeks into the NBA season and the Clippers have already detected a small problem that needed immediate attention: a losing streak. After beating two tough Western Conference teams in the Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Lakers, the Clippers shifted their speed gear from 100 mph to cruise control, losing back to back games at home against mediocre teams like Cleveland and Golden State.
Apparently this behavior was unacceptable and a team meeting was held, according to center DeAndre Jordan. That was a very smart basketball decision. You always want fix the problem early and not let it linger on and cause a migraine headache in the long run.
“We had a really good talk after we lost the second game the other day , ” Jordan said. We all need to pick it up.
From Chris, Blake, me, Jamal, Lamar, Ronny. Whoever. We all know that we need to play better and play with a
little bit more aggression.”
The one trouble that stood out the most was the rebounding. The Clippers have been out-rebounded by their
opponents in all four games. It’s all about executing and playing at a high intensity level, something they were not
doing. On paper, the Clippers are one of the best teams in the league. But you have do more than scoring to win
games, which the Clippers are very capable of doing.
It’ll take a couple of more games before players start to figure out their roles. When you have over seven established scorers on your team, it’s easy to get lost in paradise on defense and the little things it takes to win basketball games. I think that’s what we’ve witnessed in the last four games. You have to be animated on both ends of the floor. Once they get their defense under control and figure out who they really are, this team will be hazardous.
Who are the Los Angeles Clippers? The leader of the team-point guard Chris Paul said the team is still searching for its identity.
“That’s a good question,” Paul said. “We’re still trying to figure that out. We can’t be a team that plays to the level of
our competition, because it’s a long season.”
One thing for sure is the Clippers’ showed up on Wednesday night, beating the San Antonio Spurs 106-84. The
Spurs were 4-0 before leaving the Staples Center. This was one of the best team wins I’ve ever seen, by far.
Four of the Clippers starters filled up the stat sheet. Blake Griffin (22 points, 10 rebounds, Jordan (22 points, 11 rebounds) and Paul (10 points, 12 assists).
” This was a big game for us. They knocked us out of the playoffs a couple of months ago,” said Jordan.
But it was Jordan who noticeably made the most noise. He was all over the hardwood floor last night. It was like
seeing a player blossom in two nights. He blocked shots, ran the floor, protected the painted, and even made steals.
This was the Jordan that we have been searching for since last season.
I’ve always preached about how this kid could be one of the best big mans in the league, if he had more confidence. I expect to see a performance from Jordan like this throughout the season. When the Clipper players know their purpose on the team, that’s when games will start to be free from pain. Last night was one of those night where everyone knew their position and they played it well.
Tamara is a graduate of Cal State Los Angeles where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. Tamara is passionate about covering sports. She has covered the NBA and Major League Baseball routinely for the past several years. A Southern California native, Tamara developed her skills as a sports journalist while working for various Los Angeles-based news publications.
