Slowdown Style Puts the Clippers in Reverse, 100-84

RICHFIELD, Ohio —  The Clipper offense downshifted again Monday night, going from a fast break to a pace so controlled they could have had the emergency brake on. Reverse didn’t look far behind, either, not after scoring 38 points in the first half.

Weather conditions inside Richfield Coliseum didn’t help. There must have been snow because Coach Don Casey said the Clipper offense maneuvered as if it wore galoshes. David Rivers, starting his second game at point guard in place of injured Gary Grant, said it was as if they were in the fog.

None of that seemed to bother the Cleveland Cavaliers, who cruised to a 100-84 victory before 15,694 by taking advantage of second-shot opportunities and turnovers for what Clipper coaches estimated accounted for 60% of the Cavaliers’ points. Happy motoring.

The 30 turnovers, which Cleveland converted into 39 points, were a season-high for the Clippers.

That explains how a team can shoot 50.7%, hold the opposition to 42.5%, and still lose by 16.

“You can’t have that,” said Danny Manning, who, along with Ken Norman, had a team-high 19 points. “That defeats the purpose of slowing it down. At least that’s what I was taught.”

Indeed, it is back to the drawing board for the offense, not Manning. Any optimism gained when things ran smoothly in Saturday’s victory at Orlando disappeared two nights later.

Eighty-four points, and only 60 in the final three quarters. The second and third periods: 14 and 18, respectively.

“It’s kind of disappointing,” said Rivers, who had nine assists and six turnovers. “But we are going to have ups and downs. I think what you saw the other night is really what we’re capable of. . . . I couldn’t place what kind of rhythm we were in. It was real stagnant. We didn’t have a real sense of direction.”

Except for down. The Clippers lost for the seventh time in nine tries and fell to 20-26 overall. They had led by as many as eight points, 16-8, midway through the first quarter before falling behind, 25-24, at the end of the period. They never led again.

It was 63-55 after Charles Smith made one free throw with 4:05 left in the third. The next Clipper points came when Jeff Martin connected from the line with 0.5 seconds to play in that quarter, a string of nine consecutive possessions with nothing to show. Martin’s one point merely cut the Cavalier advantage to 75-56.

“Lackluster,” is how Cleveland guard Craig Ehlo described the Clipper offense. “Picks weren’t picks. They tried. But it was slow. You could get to them on defense.”

The Cavaliers (20-24) proved that all night. The plan to trap and force Rivers to pass to Norman--a forward moved to off guard because of injuries to Grant and Ron Harper--worked well.

“We’re not saying he can’t handle the ball,” said Ehlo, who had 16 points, one of seven Cavaliers in double figures. “He can handle it well. But any time you put a guy in that situation, with the clock running down, a lot of things can happen.”

In this case, mostly bad. Norman had seven turnovers, tops on the Clippers.

The Cavaliers won for the fourth time in their last five games. Mark Price led the team with 20 points and eight assists. Three Cavaliers had seven rebounds including, reserve Reggie Williams. The former Clipper, acquired along with the rights to Danny Ferry in the Harper trade last November, also had 10 points and two steals.

Williams made five of 10 shots, only the second time since coming to Cleveland that he has had back-to-back games of 50% or better. Then, for the first time since the deal, Williams criticized the Clippers.

“Around the NBA, the Clippers are considered a jinxed team, or whatever you want to call them,” Williams said. “Until they disprove it, they are going to be just that. When you’re with the problem, you really don’t see it. But it happens every time something good happens to them.”

The problem?

“When you treat people good, good things happen,” he continued. “But when you don’t treat people good, bad things happen. I think management is going to have to start treating players better than they do.”

Williams, who exhausted several opportunities to succeed with the Clippers, didn’t want to elaborate. He had said enough. Besides, his wife was waiting outside the locker room and they had to get home, he said.

There was snow on the ground outside, but he shouldn’t have had any troubles driving. On this night, the cold and fog followed only the Clippers.

Clipper Notes

Gary Grant underwent 90-minute surgery Monday morning at Saint John’s Hospital in Santa Monica to have a plate and five screws inserted in his left ankle to help the broken and dislocated joint heal. Team physician Tony Daly said there were no complications and that Grant, who suffered the injury last Friday at Miami, should return home today. The only Clipper to play and start in each of the first 44 games, Grant is expected to be in a cast for a couple weeks and sidelined three months.

Jay Edwards did not dress because of the flu. With no replacement in yet for Grant, that dropped the roster to 10 players. . . . The Cavaliers set a team record with 20 steals. They had 18 on two previous occasions, most recently Nov. 28, 1979, at Houston. Cleveland also committed only 14 turnovers and outrebounded the Clippers, 55-46, with 18 coming on the offensive end.