OKLAHOMA CITY – Wake up #Clippers! . . . Damn, nobody is rebounding in a red jersey. . . . I think I need to put all of the #clippers n a time out for not working well together . . . Can we ALL play both ends of the floor? . . . Y'all just let him shoot n the corner by himself? . . . Stop looking for the foul and play ball.
It wasn't really necessary to watch the Clippers get steamrolled Wednesday night by Oklahoma City, 114-91. All you had to do was follow the Twitter feed of Kimberly Jordan, the mother of Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, to find a catalogue of the familiar maladies that once again ailed the Clippers.
Mother knows best?
There was little doubt about that.
When it was suggested to Jordan that his mom should head from her home in Houston to deliver a pep talk to the team Thursday night in New Orleans, he shook his head.
"I don't know if they want that pep talk," Jordan said.
Being undressed by the no-nonsense Ms. Jordan couldn't be any worse than being undressed by Messrs. Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka and the rest of the Thunder, who welcomed Derek Fisher into the fold by displaying just how far the gap is between the Clippers and the best team in the Western Conference.
It was the 11th loss in 19 games for the Clippers, who dropped to fifth in the Western Conference, and are two games ahead of ninth-place Utah, which has won four in a row.
Suddenly, a franchise that seemed so rejuvenated after acquiring Chris Paul in December and had its sights on contending for an NBA title with a strong start, is not even a lock to reach the playoffs.
"It ain't no secret," said guard Chris Paul. "A couple of losses here and there and we're out of the playoffs. We've got to play with a sense of urgency, but most of all we've got to be better. We've got 20 games left, and we've got to be good in those 20 games or we're going to be home in early May watching the playoffs."
As the Clippers, who met for an hour after a loss last week to Phoenix, stewed on this defeat, coach Vinny Del Negro's voice permeated the walls of the locker room. They could not muffle his frustration.
"I'm big into how you approach games and how you compete," said Del Negro, who picked up his first technical of the season in the first half and tinkered with a zone to shake his team up. "We have to get the mentality [that] we have to play a certain way to win right now and it has to be through our defense because we lack certain things. Our overall approach to the game has to be better. That's what is disappointing to me."
The Clippers, who trailed Indiana by 19 on Tuesday before making a futile late run, followed the same formula Wednesday. Oklahoma City shot 62.5 percent and had an 11-rebound advantage at halftime, when they led by 16 points.
The Clippers closed the gap to nine early in the fourth quarter, but after back-to-back 3-pointers by Nick Young and Mo Williams missed, the Thunder finished them off.
It was a disappointing homecoming all the way around for Blake Griffin, who was held to a career-low seven points and also struggled to box out Serge Ibaka in the first half. Griffin acknowledged that the grinding schedule – this was the Clippers' eighth game in 11 days – is taking its toll.
"A little bit," Griffin said. "I don't know what game we're on right now, but it's a whirlwind. Every team has gone through it or is going through it. We've got to find a way to be better."
As a concession to the schedule, Del Negro did not suit up Caron Butler, who said he appreciated the rest. He'll also be pleased if a night off does for him what it did for Randy Foye, who went from starting Sunday against Detroit to being a DNP-Coach's Decision against Indiana to back in the starting lineup against the Thunder.
Foye, the lone bright spot, led the Clippers with 23 points, including four 3-pointers in the first half that kept them from being blown out. Foye was in full agreement with Del Negro that the problem is on the defensive end, and it stems from a lack of trust on the court.
He pointed to the Thunder as an example. They trapped and extended their defense on the perimeter, knowing that they had Ibaka and other long, athletic players to help. The Thunder had nine blocks, three by Ibaka.
"If you pressure the perimeter and you deny, and you've got this dude back there, like they do with Serge," Foye said, motioning to Jordan, "it's going to be hard for them to score against you. And then when they take a shot, all you've got to do is block out."
Of course, the Clippers haven't done that, or played with the proper level of commitment at both ends of the court with any consistency over the last month.
"I don't know the answers," Paul said. "We've got to figure it out because it's getting to be a little embarrassing."
Not unlike getting called out by somebody's mom.
