LOS ANGELES — This Lob City thing is catching on.
It's a thing of beauty, really — a soft pass into the air
from Chris Paul, a soaring Blake Griffin with his arms extended above the
basket, a rim-rattling slam. The crowd rises to its feet. Players leap off the
bench.
That's what it's like watching the Los Angeles Clippers. Just five games into
the new season, they are the NBA's version of the Flying Wallendas.
"It's beautiful," guard Chauncey Billups said. "Not a lot of
teams can do that, to be honest with you. I enjoy it."
What's not to enjoy? The Clippers are fun to watch when they're functioning as
they were Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets. They were running and
passing and stealing and making shots. And their alley-oops were spectacular.
They're not quite where they need to be, but their 117-89 victory over the
weary Rockets, who were beaten by the Lakers one night earlier at Staples
Center, was a sure sign the Clippers are finding the cohesiveness they've been
seeking.
For one thing, Billups was back after missing two games with a sore right
groin. He gave the starting five an energy that had been missing. The two
players who filled in during his absence, Mo Williams (seven points, seven
assists) and Randy Foye (16 points), were big contributors off the bench
Wednesday night.
"Other guys have stepped up in that role, but Chauncey just gives
everybody that comfort level, that confidence," Paul said. "He knows
how to play the game and he takes that pressure off me."
Paul came out firing. He had 11 points and six assists after the first quarter
and finished with 20 points, 10 assists and three steals.
The Clippers, in fact, had an all-around good game, shooting 57.3 percent from
the floor with 30 assists and 12 steals, while turning the ball over just seven
times.
They essentially closed the door on the Rockets in the third quarter, going on
a 7-0 run to open the half and then converting two dazzling Paul alley-oop
passes by DeAndre Jordan and Griffin to take an 85-62 lead.
"That's one aspect of our athleticism and the way we get out and
run," said Griffin, who finished with 22 points and nine rebounds.
"It starts on the defensive end and creates those kinds of opportunities.
That's the way we can get out in the open court and finish."
While Billups had just 13 points, there was no question he gave the Clippers a
sense of togetherness that hadn't been there the two previous games.
"It gives us another solid, solid guard, a great guard," Griffin
said. "He always takes care of the ball, he gets good shots, he's always getting
everybody else involved. Having a guy like that, it's hard to put a price on
it."
Billups had an ice pack taped to his right thigh after the game, but said he had
no discomfort.
"I felt good," he said. "If I had started feeling any other way,
I would've let them know. But I felt great."
In the final few minutes, with reserves like Travis Leslie and newly signed
Solomon Jones on the court, the starters and key reserves enjoyed a few laughs on
the bench.
It was that kind of night. Even though the defense remains a work in progress,
the Clippers sat together and enjoyed the final minutes.
"For us, it's fun to get over there and laugh and cheer them on,"
Billups said. "You don't have a lot of opportunities for that, so you want
to show them a lot of love."
In Lob City, love is all around.
