/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/5514087/20121223_lbm_as8_220.0.jpg)
Overall officiating played a major part in the game with Head Coach Alvin Gentry only coaching 21:27 of this game before handing the clipboard over to Elston Turner after being ejected.
"First of all I told the team I had to apologize," said Gentry after the game. "I have to do a better job of keeping my cool in that situation right there."
The ejection was unwarranted as Gentry simply stated his player was fouled and then walked past the box line giving official Rodney Mott the opportunity to blow the whistle a second time. Sure, that was an infraction, but worth an ejection?
After the ejection the Clippers rolled the Suns to a tune of 55-37 to close the game.
Before this game even started Gentry was singing the praises of his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers. He anointed them the best team in the NBA and then they went out there and proved him right.
"That being said, it is probably the best team, no it is the best team we played," Gentry on the Clippers. "They are deep. They have all the ingredients to be a championship team."
Those Clippers knocked off the Phoenix Suns (11-17) to move to 21-6 on the season cementing themselves near or at the top of the league.
From a Suns perspective this was a tougher loss than the one at Portland. They were never in this one against a championship caliber team and that shows the level of their development, or lack there of. This Clipper team was able to smoothly, effortlessly, walk past the Suns to a tune of 63-36 between the second and third quarters.
"Like I said I think we are playing the elite team in the league," said Gentry post game. "You know, so obviously their goals are a little bit different that ours. What I would like to see us do is be consistent in what we are doing."
This game is being dismissed because it was against an elite team, which has some traction, but is not acceptable.
The team was severely outplayed from all facets in shooting (-17.2%), defending (-26), rebounding (-3), forcing turnovers (even), and scoring off of the bench (-22) as a team. This game was the home equivalent to the Detroit loss on the road. Early on the game plan was evident in going inside and scoring with Luis Scola (11 points) and Marcin Gortat (8 points), then they went away from them for the remainder of the game.
Those technical fouls threw off the rhythm of the team and was the overwhelming reason they are mired in a two game losing streak with the New York Knicks on the horizon.
Loading comments...