2015 Preseason

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Rowan Kavner  Digital Content Coordinator

This weekly series from Clippers.com features a Q&amp;A with Clippers players, coaches, alumni or those tied somehow to the Clippers’ organization. The next edition features NBA broadcaster Mike Breen.

LOS ANGELES – With one of the most recognizable voices in the NBA, it’s common to hear play-by-play announcer Mike Breen in action if a game’s on ESPN or ABC.

Clippers.com caught up with Breen this weekend before the Clippers hosted the Knicks on Friday and the Cavaliers on Sunday at STAPLES Center to ask his thoughts on the Clippers.

What do you think of the job the Clippers have done while performing shorthanded much of the year?

MB: “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised. I think the way the bench helped out, I mean you expect it from Jamal Crawford, but Cole Aldrich and Pablo Prigioni, their contributions stand out. You forget, Blake (Griffin) is not only the leading scorer, he averages five assists per game too, and he’s a real playmaker on the court.

“For them not to miss a beat offensively is a credit, first and foremost, to the coaching staff. But Chris Paul gets the credit. It’s a group effort, but the way Chris Paul runs the show and is more aggressive, I think that’s the key as well.”

You’ve seen plenty of players get acquired at the deadline. That’s obviously the case for the Clippers and Jeff Green. Can it often take the rest of the regular season for a player to get comfortable?

MB: “No question, especially when you have strong personalities in star players. Green’s a veteran, so it’ll probably take him a little less than somebody who’s younger. The fact that he knows Doc (Rivers) so well, that’ll make the adjustment easier. But it’s still a feeling out time. Jeff Green is not the most aggressive player all the time, so when you come to a new team, sometimes you don’t want to step on toes and you want to just kind of acclimate yourself. But they need him to be aggressive every night like he was the other night offensively.”

J.J. Redick still leads the league in 3-point percentage. Is it possible with all the star performances going on around the league and in the Western Conference that his year has been under the radar?

MB: “I thought that was the case last year and this year. When you have three All-Star type players who are All-NBA players, you’re always going to get overshadowed. His consistency, especially the way he starts games, I think is crucial. There are a lot of coaches, Rick Carlisle was one of them, who always make fun of people who say the NBA’s a fourth-quarter league. Really, in many ways, it’s a first-quarter league. You get off to bad starts night after night, and because Redick’s as ready to play as anybody in the league from the opening tip, to me that makes a big difference. It’s a very big part of his success.”

24-seconds-with-mike-breen

24 Seconds With … Mike Breen

Robyn Dixon

LOS ANGELES – As the season gets started for Paul Pierce, the veteran knows he’s nearing the end of his career.

Pierce joked he’s “counting down his last days” as an NBA player. “The Truth” realizes the truth about his time in the league dwindling, which is a major reason he chose to go to the Clippers this offseason in pursuit of another ring.

Getting a championship with his hometown team would mean a lot to Pierce, who beings that quest Wednesday against the Kings. Pierce said he “got a lot of the jitterbugs out” during the preseason, which he’s glad ended on a good note, and he said guys are anxious to get out there for the real thing.

Pierce talked to the media Tuesday about playing back home in Los Angeles, his role, facing one of his former teammates in Sacramento and his prediction this year for DeAndre Jordan.

Do you think you’ll start Wednesday or come off the bench?

PP: “I’m going in with the mindset that I’ll be ready, regardless. Most likely, I’ll probably be coming off the bench. I’ll probably anticipate that.”

What’s it like going against your former teammate Rajon Rondo?

PP: “Rajon, you’ve got to feel like he has something to prove this year. You’ve got to expect his best, especially with the way things ended in Dallas last year. I expect good things from Rondo this year.”

What do you think about the Kings this year?

PP: “In the West, you’ve just got to be prepared to not take anybody lightly. Some teams aren’t really mentioned up there as a team that’s a contender, but when you look at (Sacramento’s) roster, full of talent. DeMarcus Cousins, an obvious MVP candidate. Rudy Gay, who could be an All-Star any given day now. Rondo, a former All-Star. You can’t take a team like that lightly.

What’s it been like on the court with DeAndre Jordan?

PP: “DeAndre’s a special talent. He’s one of the few guys I’ve been surprised hasn’t made the All-Star Game, but I suspect that’s going to probably change this year. He comes in, very professional, works, he’s improved every year since he’s been in the league. Just to have a center like that who clogs up the middle, blocks shots, he can defend well in pick-and-roll, dunks everything underneath, it’s rare you get to play with a guy like that.”

Are you focused more on yourselves or the other team early in the season?

PP: “It’s a combination. You’ve still got to scout for that team, prepare for what they’re trying to do, what they’ve done throughout the preseason, trying to see their tendencies. At the same time, we’ve got to get our stuff together.”

2015 Preseason

24 Seconds With … Mike Breen

24 Seconds With…Paul Pierce

Practice: Doc Rivers - 10/26/15

Practice: Blake Griffin - 10/26/15

Practice: Jamal Crawford - 10/26/15

Practice: Chris Paul | 10/25/15

Practice: Doc Rivers | 10/25/15

Practice: Luc Mbah A Moute | 10/25/15