Todd Gets First Win as Clipper Head Coach

Based on the way the Clippers celebrated after their game against the Atlanta Hawks Saturday night, it was easy to tell the outcome.

Hugs, handshakes and smiles were the order of the day as the Clippers ended a 13-game losing streak with a dramatic 78-77 victory over the Hawks before 14,375 at Staples Center.

For interim Coach Jim Todd, the win marked his first since taking over for Chris Ford on Feb. 3, covering a span of 12 games.

“I told [the players] that the novelty really had worn off,” Todd said. “We just needed a win. . . . For a while I didn’t know if it would ever come. It seemed like we were snake-bitten.”

The Clippers (12-45) led by 14 points early in the second half and then had to hold off a fourth-quarter rally by the Hawks (22-31). They were helped greatly by a last-second turnover by Atlanta’s Bimbo Coles.

Shooting guard Derek Anderson led the Clippers with 21 points. Rookie Lamar Odom finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.

“[This] has to be the biggest win of the whole season,” Odom said. “We needed this to sleep a little better at night.”

Despite the victory, the Clippers realize nothing can change the disappointment of their season. Just ask point guard Troy Hudson, who was replaced in the starting lineup by Odom.

“At the beginning of the season, there was a lot of optimism,” said Hudson, who played 10 minutes off the bench against the Hawks and finished with five points.

“Everyone thought we would do well and we expected ourselves to do well. Coming in we knew we had a lot of young players with talent. We had a lot of confidence.”

Hudson, who joined the Clippers after beginning last season in the Continental Basketball Assn., is the quietest player on the team and silently he has watched the team’s confidence erode with every defeat.

“It started going down when we began to lose and it wasn’t like that at the beginning of the season,” Hudson said. “We used to go into every game thinking we had a chance to win. But now, our whole feel is different.

“We start off saying, ‘Oh, no, we have another game’. We go in feeling like we don’t really have a chance.

“We try and play hard and compete but that’s not how we were at the beginning of the season.”

Because so many things have happened with the Clippers this season, Hudson has a difficult time trying to pinpoint when things changed. It could have been when the team was hit hard by injuries in November, or when the Clippers started losing under Ford after Todd filled in and led the team to two victories.

In any case, Hudson feels as though most of the responsibility should fall on the shoulders of the players.

“Although I’ve started at point guard for quite a few games this season, it was tough for me to come in and tell people what to do, coming from the CBA like I have,” Hudson said.

“I realize that I’m not a major piece of this puzzle. I haven’t voiced my opinion the way I’ve wanted to because I’m not in that position . . . but the coaches don’t play the game. No matter what they write up or tell us, it is us out there playing. I can’t say we’ve given a 100% effort every game.”

Although Todd did not say whether Odom will remain the team’s starting point guard, Hudson would understand if he does.

“It’s been an up-and-down season for me,” said Hudson, who entered Saturday’s game shooting 37% from the field and averaging 9.5 points and 4.3 assists.

“During the course of the year, my role has changed a couple of times. It’s been hard to stay consistent. I started for a quarter of the season and then hardly played for a few games. Then I was back starting.”

Since the Clippers have the option of deciding whether Hudson returns next season, he’s hoping to finish this season strong. And a few more wins wouldn’t hurt either.

“Tonight we came together as a team and it was nice to see,” Todd said. “Hopefully, they can carry it over the rest of the season. It would be a pleasant way to finish the final 25 games.”