For several games in a row, the Los Angeles Clippers have looked like a club in need of a reality check. After the Clippers’ humbling loss to the shorthanded Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night, head coach Ty Lue did not mince words.
“When you don’t execute what you’re supposed to execute, then anybody can be beat in this league,” he remarked. And so the Hawks have tremendous players, a fantastic coach in Quinn, and they’re going to play hard and compete. So, if you don’t take care of the things you’re expected to accomplish on a nightly basis, anyone in this league can beat you. I do not care who you play. We discussed them all; defeats are important anyway. So it’s not a negative loss regardless of who you’re playing for or whose side you’re on; they’re all professionals that play. So, if you don’t play hard and compete, and you don’t take care of what you need to,
For years, it seemed like the Clippers had the same Achilles heel every season. After years of discontent, Ty Lue made it clear to supporters that he is fully aware of the situation. Lue stressed four areas where the Clippers need to improve: ball control, transition defense, rebounding, and spacing. They accomplished none of that against the Atlanta Hawks, or any other team since the All-Star break.
The Los Angeles Clippers haven’t looked the same since the All-Star break. The team has scarcely beaten bad teams, going 3-8 in its last 11 games against winning teams. Whether it’s a lack of care or exhaustion, the team isn’t performing as well as everyone expected.
