[外電] Clippers Tired of Waiting Game
Clippers Tired of Waiting Game
L.A. will have a week between series, but the time off has allowed some
injuries to heal.
By Jason Reid, Times Staff Writer
May 6, 2006
The Hallway Series is on hold — temporarily or indefinitely — but the
Clippers have another postseason appointment.
They're scheduled to start a best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal
series Monday. Their opponent and the Game 1 site will be known tonight.
The Lakers and Phoenix Suns play Game 7 of their first-round series at
US Airways Center in Phoenix, and the winner advances to face the
Clippers, who have had a longer break than they would prefer.
Whether it's a battle for L.A. or a showdown in the desert, the Clippers
said they're eager to get back to work.
"We've been waiting around for a while," center Chris Kaman said after
practice Friday.
The Clippers on Monday completed a first-round series victory in five
games over the Denver Nuggets, so they'll have seven days between games.
If the Suns win tonight, the Clippers would travel to Phoenix on Sunday.
The Clippers would have home-court advantage over the Lakers, but the
Clippers are accustomed to pro-Laker crowds at Staples Center.
"We're all tired of waiting, especially for me, because I'm a young
dude. I'm ready to hoop," backup point guard Shaun Livingston said.
"I don't want to get out of flow and rhythm…. I'm just ready. I'm ready
to move on and keep trying to win."
Of course, the Clippers haven't been on vacation this week.
Coach Mike Dunleavy canceled practice Tuesday, but the Clippers returned
to the court Wednesday and have "been practicing pretty hard,"
Livingston said.
When the Lakers held a 3-1 advantage over the Suns, Dunleavy prepared
more for the Lakers, focusing on guard Kobe Bryant, who averaged 40.8
points against the Clippers this season.
How have things changed since the Suns tied the series?
"I've been playing catch-up," Dunleavy said.
The Clippers, who have watched the series closely, said they wouldn't
miss a second of Game 7.
"Everybody has been watching the series," Livingston said. "It's
exciting either way for us, whoever wins.
"Obviously, if the Lakers win, it's going to be a lot more exciting
because of all the circumstances and everything. We just want to get
going."
As it turned out, some players have benefited from the long break.
Backup center Zeljko Rebraca, sidelined most of the season because of
heart and conditioning problems, experienced chest pains and
lightheadedness recently. He returned to practice Friday, participated
in non-contact drills and said he expected to play in the conference
semifinals.
Forward Vladimir Radmanovic suffered a minor knee injury earlier in the
week and sat out practice Friday.
"If you gave me my choice, I would have rather played [tonight]. That
would have been ideal," Dunleavy said. "Now, with some of the guys we've
had banged up, I think [the extra time] has been needed for us."
What about the "rust" factor?
The Clippers were sharp in defeating the Nuggets, and practice isn't
the same as a playoff game in a sold-out arena.
"You get a little rusty," Kaman said. "The first game is probably going
to be a little rough for us the first few minutes."
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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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