And the winning continues for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2010. After pointing out their undefeated (albeit a short sample size) new year record in my last blog, they kept up their winning ways with a convincing 94-84 victory over Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.
The win is their sixth straight at home, no small feat when considering the opponents were the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trailblazers, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Bullets Wizards. Aside from the Wiz and Sixers, all of those wins came against playoff teams.
As Kevin Arnovitz of ClipperBlog.com has made clear for a while, these wins are coming as the Clippers defense makes more strides. Looking at their most recent wins in a new article on ESPN, Arnovitz notes that despite having to face some of the most talented scorers in the NBA in Kobe Bryant, Brandon Roy, Ray Allen and Wade, the Clips have found ways to bother their individual games and win.
Clippers Center Marcus Camby plays strong defense against the Miami Heat in a 94-84 win.
(Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
I’ll even begrudgingly admit that Mike Dunleavy has started to look competent out there, although history has taught me to be very wary of judging him on small streaks. There have been whispers online that Dunleavy and Baron Davis are finding common ground together and that their relationship – distant/adversarial in the past – may finally be blossoming.
The evidence supporting a rejuvenated Davis is clearly there, as he’s been more consistent in attacking the basket and finding open teammates with great assists. He’s averaging 17 points and 8 assists in the last five games. His season-long number of 8.1 assists per game is rivaling his career high of 8.9 set in 2005-06.
His resurgent play combined with the great season Chris Kaman has had so far (he was just named Western Conference player of the week) and the rest of the team’s pieces fitting into their roles is the closest thing to excitement the Clips and their fans have had since the Sam Cassell/Elton Brand playoff run.
Baron Davis throws a pass behind Miami’s Jermaine O’Neal and finished with 14 assists in a Clipper win.
(Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
All this winning leads up to a showdown tomorrow night with a streaking Memphis Grizzlies team that is sure to have revenge on its mind after blowing a 20-point 4th quarter advantage earlier this year at the Staples Center.
This is our best chance yet to hit the .500 mark, since the next two opponents after the Griz are Chris Paul and the Hornets (riding a six game winning streak) and a rematch with Kobe and the guys paid to watch him chuck up 30 shots a night Lakers.
In a season that has seen traditional cellar-dwellers like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Grizzlies pushing for the 8th seed, the Clippers and their fans should not be content with just breaking even. We want the playoffs, especially considering the wealth of talent on our roster.
So Clipper Nation will take only temporary satisfaction in knowing we’re only three wins away from surpassing last year’s 19 wins and instead aim higher. Whether or not we’re up to the challenge is still debatable, but some more wins this week will make a great case that we deserve to be in the discussion.
-Will.
“Diary of a Clippers Fan” will be published Mondays and Thursdays during the regular season.
