Rowan Kavner
LOS ANGELES – The Clippers are looking past the defending champion’s slow start.
Head coach Doc Rivers said when the season began the Spurs are the one team everyone’s chasing in the Western Conference. Despite their 2-3 start, guard Jamal Crawford and the Clippers know San Antonio’s record isn’t indicative of the talent on the team as they get set to play tonight.
“They’re still the blueprint for everything, I think; everything that’s good about the NBA and just the blueprint for success,” Crawford said. “They’ve proven that over and over again. They’re still at the top.”
Crawford said even when the Spurs have a handful of players missing a game for injuries or for rest, they still provide a challenge every night.
He’s particularly impressed at how long the Spurs have been able to be among the elite teams in the league despite the turnover that happens every year. Crawford said regardless of their opening record, they’ll still provide a good barometer for where the Clippers are at.
“For whatever reason, it’ll be March and they’ll be on a 15-game winning streak,” Crawford said. “That’s just how they do things. You have to respect it.”
The Clippers have the chance to get back-to-back wins for the first time since the opening two games of the season. Crawford said the key for the Clippers, who used a superb second half for a comeback win Saturday against the Trail Blazers, will be energy.
Guard Chris Paul said the Clippers can’t get too ecstatic after their last victory if they’re going to pull out the victory Monday night.
“This didn’t crown us or anything like that,” Paul said. “It’s a good team we beat at home. We always want to try to protect home, but it’s all about stringing wins together. You can’t just do it one day.”
Crawford Starting?
The Clippers went with a unique lineup Saturday with Crawford in the starting lineup. Whether that sticks remains to be seen.
Crawford has excelled in a reserve role and hasn’t been a full-time starter since the 2008-09 season. He said he hasn’t talked much to head coach Doc Rivers at all about whether or not he’ll stay in the starting lineup.
“I think it takes some getting used to, but however coach sees it and however he wants me out there, I’ll be there for him,” Crawford said.
The Clippers used J.J. Redick as the shooting guard and Crawford as the small forward against the Blazers. There are obvious benefits and downfalls to the smaller lineup, which can cause issues defensively for both teams.
Crawford started the game Saturday but still got time with the reserves. He said it’s pretty easy to make the transition, but there are some adjustments.
“If you start, you can pick your spots a little more,” Crawford said. “Doc’s like, ‘No, I still want you to be aggressive.’ In the second half, I did that. But the first half I was still trying to feel it out a little bit.”
As for whether he considers himself a small forward now?
“I’m whatever, man,” Crawford said. “I’m a baller, I’m a hooper. Just put me out there, I’ll start, come off the bench, play one, two, three. It doesn’t matter.”
Hawes’ Health
With Glen Davis now suiting up, the Clippers are one of the healthier teams in the NBA.
That doesn’t mean they’re completely healthy, though, as Spencer Hawes is toughing out what head coach Doc Rivers described as a “foot ailment.”
“It’s injured, it’s hopefully getting better and the plan is kind of deal with it now and kind of put it behind for the rest of the season,” Hawes said. “It kind of started coming on three weeks or so ago, then getting a little better, little worse.”
Hawes is still in a walking boot to help get around when he’s not in the gym, and he said he thinks he’s still on a minutes restriction.
It’s a pain that’s tough to deal with for Hawes, who’s getting a feel for his new teammates.
“It’s like anything, you want to make a great first impression,” Hawes said. “You want to come in and prove that you can fit in, prove that you belong. I think sometimes you kind of press. I know kind of my personality, that’s what I tend to do. It’s a fine line of trying to make an impact without overdoing it.”
Hawes said it’s a difficult setback when trying to figure out how to fit in and get a little rhythm going, but he hopes it’s an issue that won’t last long.
“I’m kind of counting on the next four days being able to make a pretty good jump there, get some rest,” Hawes said. “But it is what it is. It’s part of the game.”
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