[外電] Clippers Produce a Comeback Story
Clippers Produce a Comeback Story
The defense, led by Ross, is pivotal in overcoming a 22-point deficit
to beat the Nuggets, 111-109.
By Jason Reid, Times Staff Writer
April 5, 2006
They've played two halves in NBA games for a while now, and that's good
news for the Clippers.
Maybe the Denver Nuggets had forgotten, or at least it seemed that way
Tuesday night as the Clippers overcame a 22-point first-half deficit in
a 111-109 victory at Staples Center.
The Clippers relied on their defense, missing often in the first 24
minutes, in the second half of their largest comeback of the season,
following the lead of swingman Quinton Ross.
Seeking a spark with the Clippers trailing, 77-57, at halftime, Coach
Mike Dunleavy put Ross into the starting lineup, and Ross' aggressive
play against Denver forward Carmelo Anthony set a positive tone for the
Clippers.
How bad were the Clippers in the first half?
They gave up their highest point total and the Nuggets also set
opponent marks for field goals (31), assists (26) and field-goal
percentage (81.6%).
Denver had the NBA's highest shooting percentage in a first half in a
decade, which is as long as the Elias Sports Bureau has recorded the
statistic, according to a Clipper spokesman.
After halftime, the Nuggets shot 27%. Anthony, who scored 24 points,
missed seven of eight shots, and was ejected with 1:11 remaining for
punching the ball about 25 rows into the stands in frustration.
"We wanted to come out in the second half and play hard," Ross said.
"We had a bad first half, so we wanted to come out and turn it up on
defense."
The Clippers overcame a 19-point deficit Jan. 23 in a 96-93 victory
over the Golden State Warriors at the Arena in Oakland.
The largest comeback in team history was when the Clippers overcame
a 24-point deficit in Chicago on Nov. 13, 2004. The team has come
back from deficits of 21 or more six times.
"All I ask of my guys is to play hard, and we didn't play hard in the
first half," said Sam Cassell, who had 19 points and 10 assists. "They
did what they wanted, so I told Mike to set the example with me."
Backup point guard Shaun Livingston, who replaced Cassell in the
opening lineup after halftime, did for the Clipper offense what Ross
did for the defense.
Livingston, who had seven assists, initiated fastbreaks at every
opportunity, and the Clippers outscored the Nuggets, 31-16, in the
third quarter.
"In the first half, we didn't come out with the intensity that we
needed, and it was very disappointing to me," Dunleavy said. "In the
second half, I thought our guys were incredible with the intensity.
"Our guys came out defensively and really got into them. We pushed the
tempo and created an atmosphere where we had them rushing some shots,
and missing shots, and we took advantage of that."
Again, Cassell took the lead in the fourth, scoring 10 points with
four assists.
His fastbreak layup gave the Clippers their first lead, 101-100, with
5:11 remaining. With 4:28 to go, Cassell's layup put them ahead,
103-102.
Corey Maggette, who contributed 17 points off the bench, gave the
Clippers the lead for good, 109-107, on a dunk at the 1:28 mark.
Cassell's two free throws closed the scoring, and Denver forward Ruben
Patterson missed a potential tying shot as time expired.
Elton Brand had 18 points and 11 rebounds — his team-leading 41st
double-double — and Vladimir Radmanovic scored 18 off the bench as the
Clippers (43-30) cut their magic number to clinch a playoff berth to
two.
They also won the season series against the Nuggets, 3-1, winning the
last three games. Denver, which leads the Northwest Division, and the
Clippers could meet in the first round of the Western Conference
playoffs.
"This is big for us," Cassell said. "We could face these guys, and
we've won the last three against them, and that's what you want."
--
你們認為海南高高在上,位於雲端嗎?他們真的就這麼高不可攀嗎?
他們的成績的確是有目共睹的。以他們過去的戰績來看,我們和海南的確有天壤之別。
但是----
我在睡前,都會想像著有一天......
我每晚都在腦裡描繪我們和海南大學附屬高中參加IH的戰況。
從那一年前起,每晚都如此!
--
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