NEW YORK – Self preservation can have a powerful pull. And so when the decision came to tell Chris Paul that due to a sore groin he would be sitting out the season finale, one in which home-court advantage for the Clippers' first-round series with Memphis hung in the balance, it was not a particularly hard one for Vinny Del Negro.
Home-court advantage is something more than an extravagance for the greenhorn Clippers. But Paul, who has been the NBA's best closer this season, is something more than a necessity.
That much was made clear Wednesday night, when the Paul-less Clippers were beaten 99-93 by the Knicks, who led by 18 points in the fourth quarter and then played – and coached – like they preferred to lose so they could open the playoffs in Chicago instead of Miami.
There will be no such charity from Memphis, when the Clippers' first-round series begins this weekend.
Then the equation is simple. No Paul. No chance.
"The most important thing is to be smart about it and look at the big picture," Del Negro said. "Chris needs to be healthy whether we're home or away and play at a high level. If he had played tonight and irritated it, and there was some swelling or it was growing worse and we're going to play Saturday or Sunday. It's a quick turnaround so I didn't think it was worth the risk because without him being healthy, no matter where you're playing, your star players have to play at a high level in the playoffs."
Yet the defeat was not without consequence. If the Clippers had won they would have returned home expecting to play Sunday evening at Staples Center. Instead, the Clippers flew back to Los Angeles after the game (they were scheduled to arrive about 3 a.m.) and if Memphis beats shorthanded Orlando at home Thursday, the Clippers will turn around and fly back to Memphis on Friday, whether their series with the Grizzlies begins Saturday or Sunday. A loss by Memphis would give the Clippers home-court advantage.
The Clippers had considered staying in New York, but Del Negro said the Clippers would have had to spend two nights here and he was not eager to turn his players loose in the city that never sleeps.
"We can get back late tonight instead of staying out in New York," Del Negro said, raising his eyebrows. "We have a whole day to rest, get therapy, get back to our facilities, be in your own bed, get the time change figured out. Whether we play Saturday or Sunday, we'll have practice Friday, jump on a plane and go play where we're playing."
It will be interesting to see if the NBA grants the Clippers – along with the Spurs, who finish the season with a back-to-back on the West Coast – and extra day of rest.
"It's terrible," said center DeAndre Jordan of having to end the season with back-to-back games on the East Coast. "Everybody's got a tough schedule, but I don't think anybody has to fly six hours back home."
Others were more fatalistic. Perhaps this was penance for commissioner David Stern nixing Paul's trade to the Lakers, or for losing three of their past four games.
"It is what it is," Randy Foye said. "We made our bed, so we're going to lay in it now."
The calls to sit Paul and head for home were made by Del Negro, which might seem a matter of course except that Del Negro's exit in Chicago was paved when he did not adhere to the limits on Joakim Noah's playing time that were set by general manager Gar Forman and vice president John Paxson after Noah returned from an injury. Confrontations with Forman and Paxson followed, and by the end of the 2010 season, Del Negro was fired.
Del Negro has spoken since of the need for the organization to be on the same page on significant issues and said that general manager Neil Olshey was in on the travel plans and informed of the decision to sit Paul.
"I make the basketball decisions," Del Negro said. "But Neil knows what's going on."
Paul, despite limping as he walked around the locker room after Tuesday's loss in Atlanta, confidently proclaimed that he would play in New York. But after warm-ups and work with the training staff, Del Negro made what sounded like a mutual decision.
"We talked about it and realized that the playoffs are too close to even go out there and try to risk it," said Paul, who watched the game in his Clippers warm-ups. "So I'll go back to L.A. tonight, get treatment all day tomorrow and keep getting treatment until the first game."
In Paul's absence, Eric Bledsoe started, Foye picked up the scoring slack with 28 points (after going scoreless against Atlanta) and Blake Griffin concluded the quick trip on an offensive tear. He had 29 points and in the two games has made 28 of 37 shots. (It also did not hurt that Griffin's performance came with United States Olympic coach Mike Krzyzewski in attendance. The Duke coach met with Griffin and Paul, who along with New York's Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler are on the 20-player roster that will be trimmed to 12.)
The Clippers whittled an 18-point deficit to three, with Knicks coach Mike Woodson continuing to play his reserves until the lead had nearly vanished. But Foye missed an open 3-pointer that would have tied the score and had a pass stolen with less than half a minute left.
Afterward, Foye wished he had taken the shot instead of trying to pass underneath to Kenyon Martin. Soon enough, the Clippers will learn if it's their greatest regret of the night.
