This weekly series from Clippers.com features a Q&A with Clippers players, coaches, alumni or those tied somehow to the Clippers’ organization. The next edition features assistant coach Mike Woodson.
LOS ANGELES – Assistant coach Mike Woodson became head coach for a night on Tuesday.
Woodson took over Doc Rivers’ duties against the 76ers, after an illness forced Rivers to miss the game. The Clippers jumped ahead early, but the lead crumbled in the second half. Here’s some of what Woodson had to say after the game.
Where did you see the defense start to collapse in the second half?
MW: “It didn’t start just the second half. It started the first half. I didn’t think we were a defensive presence at all. That carried on to the third quarter. I thought we got off to a great start in the third quarter, and then all hell broke loose. We couldn’t get stops and then the ball stopped moving and they got hot and started feeling good about themselves and were able to come out with the win.”
Was the ball movement the biggest culprit for the turnovers?
MW: “Yeah, we got to where we weren’t moving the ball from side to side. We kind of played in one area. Early on, I mean we scored 68 points in the first half. The ball was kind of floating, everybody was touching it, kind of feeling good about themselves….Defensively, we’ve got to put it all together, because we had no defense tonight.”
What did you think of Blake Griffin in his return?
MW: “Blake got the minutes we expected to play him. I thought he played OK. He got a little winded you could see a little bit, but for being out there long, I thought he held his own and played OK. I’m sure he would’ve wanted to play better and probably more minutes, but that wasn’t the case tonight.”
What was it like for you to get to coach this game?
MW: “I’ve been in this a long time, and my thing is, you get a 19-point lead, nothing’s guaranteed but you’ve got to secure it. I’ll go and watch the tape, but as a coach, we always take responsibility and I put it on myself. Even though I’m not playing, I’m the coach and I’ve got to get them over the hump. That’s how I feel as a coach. I’ve always felt that way.”