Attitude - the Lost Element

Many long time Clipper fans may feel like what I am feeling now... a change in attitude. It is that same change that I've begun to feel that may make way for some change. REAL CHANGE. The attitude of "We are winners". It may be just getting older and being more settled... but I no longer celebrate a lot of impressive wins. I no longer care for fancy plays. I no longer go to the calendar and mark certain games...

... OK I may still do that. But the mind frame has been: "when do the playoffs start"

I must admit this has really taken a toll on getting high during the season and celebrating... people expect me to be happy over "big" wins like I used to... but all I think to myself is "it just counts as one W." Although it is true, I have been subdued for most of the Chris Paul era basketball (regular season basketball.) I know life is picking up for me and the NBA is becoming less of a priority - non-Clipper related - but that cannot be the only reason why I am stoic over the course of the season come February.

I expect to win. CP, Doc, Ballmer, and time are all variables that have set up that expectation. This seems to be a good season where we are going for every little W, and I am happy for that in a conference where Pop coaches, and the Dubs live. Seems like even as a unit we are calm and cool and collected. We have MANY issues, but there has never been a championship team without issues. I still think it is too early to get our expectations too high, there are still freak injuries, bad calls, and bad luck... But if we weather the storm we may pull it out.

And we better. A squad this great does not JUST happen. A talent like CP3 will not come again to the NBA in a long, long time... let alone to us. And the West is not settling down anytime soon. Don't look now, but a younger wave of players are getting ready to bloom. We are in the primetime, we just have to get results... and the attitude is the missing link that has settled on the squad.

*shout out to BG32 (who I am most critical of) for getting hit hard and WALKING away from confrontation cool and collected. Still complains too much, but I do not think that will ever change.

*shout out to DJ getting more respect from the refs. Still baffled why he is not knocking down FT. But for the most part, he is a dominant big man that is quietly more involved with our offense effectively

*shout out to my main man Jamal... playing D and as deadly as ever. More importantly... playing D! Active hands

*I find it hard to cheer for Mo... But he playing well.

*Big ups to Jason Powell the longest standing Clipper I know I know he's great at his job and all, but injuries have cost us big last few runs... I know that's not on him, but come on... here's to a year of health!

*shout out to Ralph Lawler. The best. Give this man what he deserves - a proper send off.

I do not know if it was a coincidence of losing and losing our cool... but last night - on ESPN - came our old habits. I HATE seeing our players constantly complaining, the refs hate it and IT DOES NOT help our case. I don't know if losing and the pressure made everyone revert back to being bothered by every call AND no call, but it was not pleasant to watch.

It was not pleasant to hear the ESPN commentators say NATIONALLY that this is "who they are" and "they complain about everything".

I cannot get on board with the old whining Clippers... we are bothered too easily. We lose our cool, and it hurts our play.

Winning or losing, we need to toughen and harden up.

Has anyone noticed that the Clippers are getting the "benefit of the doubt" calls this year? More so than seasons past. We are complaining a bit less (not by much, and it helps to be up big.) We are creating and maintaining large leads. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, 50/50 calls are coming our way.

Pleasant surprise. Not sure how much I trust it, nor the "angle". But to thankfully we are not winning these games because of these calls - most are games are over sooner, than later.

That is a champions attitude, and a great trait to have throughout the season.

82 games is a long and arduous road, helps to sit the starters 4th quarters OR give them plenty of rest. The less they are used now, the more they will be able to give in a best of 7 series - or at least that's the hope.

I disagree. From what I've seen, we're not getting anymore calls than we have in the past, and the refs have in-fact, started picking up on all of our dirty little tricks to get cheap calls like flopping or initiating contact. We rarely get calls in the paint and on drives to the bucket, even at home. We complain after every no-call so i'm sure the refs around the league have a memo out on us by now and have all decided to give us the cold shoulder. We need to earn some respect around the league by playing through no-calls and fighting hard no matter what. We give up so many plays on defense because one of our guys is slow getting back because he's so busy complaining to the ref as if they're going to change the call that happened 10 seconds ago.

That's what it may seem, but the reality is:

1. The Clippers are ranked #1 in FTA's per game @ 29.8

2. The Clippers are ranked #1 in FTA's per FGA's per game @ .363

3. The Clippers are ranked # 1 in FTA's per offensive play @ 27.5%

Blake, Paul, Redick, Speights are all getting to the FT line at career best or close to previous highs. And DJ is down from last years PER 48 high of 11.4 to 8.0 this season.

Unfortunately we are also ranked #1 in all those opponent fouls area too. That's been a Achilles heal for this team for a while now as Agent point out last season in a short blog/post.

With numbers like those in our favor, I can see why the refs roll their eyes every-time we complain after a no-call. My point stands that the team needs to remain focused and stop being so apprehensive with the refs so often. From what I've seen, it doesn't look like we have best relationship with refs with Blake hitting one with an angry stare down after every missed layup.

Remaining focused is one thing, which I agree with, but not getting more calls is another. And in that department we have the advantage as you can see.

Even with the stats looking to be in our favor, do you as a Clippers fan believe that we get as many calls as we should when you watch our games? Are the players really just whiny babies that cry whenever things don't go their way? I often find myself yelling at the TV screen wanting our guys to get back on D after a missed foul call, which I often agree should've been called but I know the refs aren't going to change the play. I also recall several missed calls in our loss to Memphis that could've completely shifted the way that game ended which the NBA admitted they messed up on.

I wonder if those ft #'s are in our favor because of A. Hack-A-DJ which teams have implemented here and there but are using less often than they did in the past. or B. Fouling at the end of games which we usually have the lead in more often than not.

Obviously I am biased and I can't say anything for the calls we get in our favor that probably should go against us. If ever that happens, i automatically assume it's the refs making up for a missed call they didn't call in our favor, that they should have called on a previous play.

Regardless of all of that, our penchant for complaining to the refs is well acknowledged and documented throughout the league and is a topic of conversation in our nationally broadcasted games, and even subject matter in video games which is incredible. I can't understand how a reputation like this could be so thoroughly developed without some level of legitimacy on either side, whether it be us actually not getting calls or us getting fair treatment and complaining anyway.

I''m sure every fan thinks their team should be getting more foul calls in their favor, it's just the nature of fans, lol. Same with players like Durant or Harden who both get tons of calls in their favor. They just want more.

And as I showed you we lead the league in getting to the FT line with DJ getting fouled less then last season.

We've been at the top or near the top in that department for the last few seasons now.

I agree with you that we should stop the over the top complaints though, but that might be hard for someone like Chris as that's been his MO since he's been in the league.

The 2 biggest culprits of complaining - doc and Austin -it is so frustrating to watch. Every call Austin stretches his arms out, palms up. If it annoys me, a long-time Clipper fan, I can imagine what the refs think. And Austin hasn't even earned "the right" in the league to be able to be a whiner.

So true, and there was just an article about the Clippers shooting so many FT's lol

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/clippers-736619-game-line.html

Doc lost it tonight... and I think our losing skid got to him. As the head coach I think you need to be grounded enough not to get tossed - even worse get handed a double tech in a close game.

Granted, at the moment, things worked out nicely with missed Free Throws.

But I have only seen Jackson or Pop get tossed in games that had a wide margin of difference in the score - and usually not at the end of regulation.

Yea but it is not just the Rivers's... Jordan, Griffin, Paul... everyone loves to talk.

Clippers can act anyway they want if they are champions...winning isn't good enough...and when losing, Clippers will be a target for criticism. LA is a championship town...like most of you I have been a fan and season ticket holder for over 15 years. Most of us fell in love with the Clipps cause it was the only ticket we could afford in the day. But nothing has changed in LA...this is a championship town. SO act or do whatever you want if you win and become champions, otherwise if you don't then drop the prices of the tickets and drinks and let it be what it is. You just can't be both expensive and lose!

I don't think attitude is the only thing missing, I believe its versatility as well as a few other things. Adjusting during game play is something I'd like to see Doc get better at.

Versatility at our wing positions is something I've wanted for a long time, but real versatility not the forced crap with small guards playing the 3. I'm not sure Doc would use it correctly any ways, he would play them at the 4 because they can play multiple positions.

When he came over I thought he would use long athletic guards like ray Allen and tony Allen, boy was I wrong.

I've seen very few poorly officiated games. We aren't getting screwed. The complaining starts with Doc. He could tell them to shut up then shut up himself. Is there anything more on Speights' comments?

Speights comments is all over Bleacher Report they ain't going to let this go. I personally feel that Mo was in the heat of the moment due to all the recent loses. Its going to be interesting how much he plays going forward. If Doc black balls him. I'm puzzled over Felton though, cause who would miss a big game against GS unless there was a death in family and they just said personal reasons? I'm wondering if there's some friction in the locker room?

I don't feel Speights' comments were out of line... it is THE truth. It is what has been said in this thread, on air by numerous commentators/broadcasters (including OUR OWN), its been said by the players...

... it is no secret. It is not something that can be objectively disagreed upon.

Boys need to shut the hell up and play. I don't care who does it and who doesn't. WE need to focus on US. No reason in going player by player or point fingers at the coach, at the end of the day: Shut the hell up and PLAY.

I was sorry to hear Doc say the problem is not how our team deals with the Refs. My message to Doc: DOC, IF YOU DON'T SEE IT, THEN YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM....

How many of the Spurs do you see crying like their balls are in a vice. It starts at the top. Mo is right. F*ck the them if they don't like it. Mo has something called a ring. All we've done is screw the pooch. He's allowed.

While it is a good idea for the players to tread lightly around the refs, that is not the job of a coach.

The coach's job is to try to work the refs, to bring things to their attention that they aren't seeing and to influence their calls in his team's favor. The refs are human and they respond like other humans. They can be embarrassed, hurt, cajoled and pressured into subconsciously making a call that benefits one team over another. Sometimes the best thing a coach can do it take a T to demonstrate dissatisfaction. It can make a big difference the next few times down the floor.

Few do it better than Popovich. I think working the refs is something Doc is fairly good at. But the idea some have that he should just sit down and shut up; that this would somehow be leading by example, is a mistaken one.

I didn't mean Doc should shut up. I meant that Doc should stop the complaining at the refs by the players and let him do it. The players do it because Doc doesn't control it and yes Doc getting a T every now and then is a good idea. Pop wouldn't allow the players to complain. Mo has the right to complain not at the refs to to his lazy team mates.

Exactly, complaining to the refs isn't going to change anything. In fact, complaining to the refs may cause them to resent our players and possibly rule against us. Also, if we are thinking that calls are the reason we lose games then we have already lost. In boxing they have a saying "Never leave it up to the refs!" That means if you are relying on them to give you a favorable call and tip the scales in your favor then you have already lost. Our team should be looking to beat the team and not let it get close.

Also, Speights is right by calling this team out...we are soft and read our own headlines. Doc talked about the year we beat the Spurs in the playoffs and he said that guys were starting to read the headlines and that led them to come in overly confident into the Rockets series. We started to do stupid things like killing the clock rather than adding to the lead. Doc also said something similar after this 14-2 start this year. They tend to get carried away with the slightest bit of success.

Completely agree, It's "don't leave it in the hands of the judges". I've heard it a lot and I think our teams entitled feeling is a constant culprit behind the let downs year in and year out.

Our team doesn't seem to have that killer instinct and competitive fire to try their hardest to win every game, rebound, possession, etc.., I thought that's what we were seeing during the first few games, but seems to have been a mirage.

I've been a season ticket holder for six years now, so I have been around the fans and the players for....

My take on the team: Clippers are built around Blake, based on him being a Superstar. They have a PG who can get BG the ball, a SG who spaces the floor for BG, a SF who provides defense, and a C who is to protect the rim and get rebounds. The problem is I don't know if BG is the Superstar they believe he is. I know he doesn't want the ball in crunch time. Also, I see when a small guy gets switched on Blake, Blake doesn't "punish" the small guy underneath (like Barkely or Karl Malone would). Blake prefers to shoot from outside. If BG can produce like a Superstar, Clips will be formidable, if not, Clips will lose in 2nd round of playoffs. Am I correct?

I agree 100%. The team will only go as far as Blake's clutch game does. Ironically, Jamal Crawford is our best clutch time player besides CP3, which is why he ends up getting so much burn in the final minutes despite all his shortcomings. He's literally the only guy other than Paul willing to take those big shots. Until Blake develops that killer instinct, we should be destined for 2nd round playoff exits unless we get lucky and face an injured team in the 2nd round while remaining healthy ourselves.

Sometimes I wonder if the Clippers are trying too hard to be contenders and not trying hard enough to be actual champions. It's like they want the respect of Champions because they have the ability to contend for one, though they don't display anything close to a championship mentality when they play. Someone should make a highlight reel of all the temper tantrums Clippers have thrown over the years and plays they've missed or given up points on because they were busy complaining to the refs.

The only thing I think that is wrong with Blake is that he doesn't trust his jumper at crunch time. His throat tightens and he chooses to force a drive to the rim where he throws up a crazy shot that doesn't go in and doesn't get him to the foul line. When Karl Malone was open at 17 feet, he didn't hesitate. That shot was a layup to him and that's what made the pick and roll with Stockton so devastating. He could roll or pop.

Blake hasn't yet become the shooter Malone was, but sometimes that wide open 17 footer that he continually passes up in the clutch is the best shot the team is going to get. He has to be confident enough in it to let it go.

BG shouldn't be the focus of this offense to be honest. He's a good second option. The elite teams like Golden State and Cleveland have at least two players who score above 20 PPG. Golden State has the one-two punch of Stephen Curry 25 PPG and Klay Thompson 21 PPG while Cleveland has the one-two punch of Lebron 25 PPG and Kyrie 23 PPG. If you compare that to our best two players Blake Griffin and Chris Paul they are putting up 21 PPG and 17 PPG. Blake has consistenly put up around 21 PPG throughout his career, so I would think Blake's production qualifies him as being the #2 scorer. Paul's career average is 18.7 PPG which is far less than any of the two two scorers for GSW or Cleveland. This goes back to the fact that we do need Paul to be more aggressive.

????? You seem to have forgot KD, that's why the Warriors are so scary. One two three punch!!!

Great point... although a painful reminder One would think there would be a team "sports" psychologist. Or some entity to get our players to MATURE.

Forget about his shot, it is as good as it will get this season. That is something he has to work on in the offseason, and he may not be here after this season.

So... let's focus on this year. He has the body, the size and athleticism to get to the rim versus anybody. And I mean ANYBODY. Bigger opponents will certainly be slower. Smaller opponents will not be able to contain his strength. Even great defenders his size - cough, cough Draymond - can be punished with some good, old fashioned, fundamental post moves.

The problem is Blake does not like to work down low. He constantly is complaining about contact (most times warranted) and no longer works on the block. His shot, for better or worse, is there. But his bread and butter should be at the block.

ESPECIALLY against mis-matches. Come on! He passes out when he's guarded by Klay, or Lillard, or GUARDS. That is baffling to me.

I believe the player's top priorities are: cp3 wants to win, Jamaal likes to play basketball (on offense), BG likes to show how athletic he is, DJ likes to be around the guys, JJ is happy to be still in the league, Austin wants to prove to his father he can make it in the nba, etc. I wish we had a team full of players whose top priority was winning.

Blake does not have a great post up game. He is best when he faces the basket from 17 feet and either shoots or drives. Bigger defenders drop off of him, allowing him to take the jump shot. He is good with it through most of the game, but doesn't trust it at crunch time. The result, he tries to drive late in games when there is a taller defender waiting at the rim for him. He ends up taking some very, very, difficult shots.

He's a good enough shooter. He has to trust it in the last five minutes. You can't make up your mind you are going to the basket come hell or high water. Only a handful of players in NBA history have been good enough and big enough to do that. Wilt was one. Bill Walton for a brief period and Kareem.

Not really replying to the specific narratives, but.. Very great point!

The whole point of who wants to win and who just wants to play is an interesting one. Our high school coaching staff dealt with it all the time. Some guys just loved to play. Some guys wanted individual recognition and some guys where there to compete for a win. In the NBA you can also add those who are just there for the check.

I think you underestimate a lot of our guys.

There is an easy way to see who puts winning above personal objectives. Do they sacrifice their bodies when others won't, either by diving on the floor or taking charges? Who is willing to risk injury to gain a win. Once you put that out there it is pretty clear where all of our guys fit. And of course, there are degrees of overlap

Blake, CP3, JJ, Speights, Mbah a Moute, Austin, Felton, Pierce and DJ are all there to win. They will dive, draw the charge and wind up bloody for the team. They may not have all figured out how to win, but they all want to win first and foremost.

Crawford just loves to play basketball. I've never seen him take a charge and he very, very seldom hits the floor unless someone knocks him down.

Wesley seems to be there for the check as there is no evidence he does anything to improve himself in the off season. When you have his body and athleticism and get nothing out of it, you have to wonder how much he likes the game. In my view, probably not much.

I haven't seen enough of the other players to pass judgment on them, though that doesn't often stop me.

very good observation LAC_12. Your mid range shot shouldn't mean abandoning in-the -paint-points.

Very true Silasie.

I think you have most of these spot on...However, one thing I would re-state is that Paul wants to be efficient above all else. Efficiency isn't always the same as winning, and sadly his priority is to control things and be measured. Also, the downside with Paul's philosophy is that efficiency=hesitancy and that can hinder winning. Jared Dudley taught me this lesson well. When you decide to be efficient you tend to be cautious, which means you kill time, you waste opportunities to add to the lead, you only take shots that result in a high-likelihood of being made-which usually come in moments that are not crucial. As much as I like Paul...I think as a player he wants to be efficient. He is a man who is in control and plays it safe.

that was Peyton Manning's problem

Even the most casual fans of other teams know that Chris Paul just wants to win. CP has all-time great advanced stats and efficiency numbers because he's an all-time great player. If he had actually been playing it overly safe OR was always gunning out there, he wouldn't be at or near the top of all the career advanced stat leader boards- It simply doesn't work like that.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/

PageC4, I completely agree with your assessment of CP3. Spot on.

second that....

I'm always glad to be the one to stand up for objectivity and advanced metrics. If Chris Paul wasn't incredibly effective in how he plays the game, he (quite obviously) wouldn't be top three all-time in both regular season and playoff BPM.

I agree with you, so you're not standing alone. Thinking someone like Paul wants to be more efficient/playing it safe then winning is funny.

Hey, thanks Tense!

I'm not around here much anymore, but I'm glad you're still bringing the FACTS when others only have their opinions.

You need to stop by more offen and help out, lol.

Opinions are a dime a dozen on these internet sites which is fine, but it's a much nicer discussion when some can actually back it up with some good evidence or facts. Agent, is very good like that and so are a few others.

Oh well, I don't take it all too seriously unless someone gets personal.

But who said being measured is a bad thing? I think I agree with all of you... Or at least an average of your statements.

For CP3 to be measured and "hesitate" at times (I don't agree with) it might save the possession from being turned over.

Our bigs aren't running anymore, we want to defy Lob City so bad we are doing what made us great. Or something that worked a couple years ago.

If you compare pgs that aren't measured and don't hesitate (anyone remember boom dizzle?) turnovers go up, winning goes down.