Disrespecting the game

LOS ANGELES – Portland coach Terry Stotts resorted to the increasingly unpopular tactic of fouling the opposing team’s worst free throw shooter away from the ball in a possession gamble thrice but the Trail Blazers still couldn’t swing momentum in losing a 102-81 decision to the hometown Clippers at the Staples Center here Wednesday night (yesterday morning, Manila time). The win staked L. A. to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 Western Conference first round playoff series where Games 3 and 4 are scheduled in Portland.

Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who shot 43 percent from the line in the regular season, was deliberately fouled with the Clippers on top, 47-41, time down to 25.7 seconds in the first half. The risk paid off for the Blazers as Jordan missed twice then C. J. McCollum hit two free throws to cut the margin to 47-43 at the half.

Stotts signaled for another intentional foul on Jordan with the Clippers ahead, 66-59, 1:01 left in the third period. Jordan converted 1 of 2. With 45.2 seconds to go, the Blazers fouled Jordan away from the ball a third time. Jordan missed twice then Damian Lillard shot two free throws to make it, 67-61, ending the quarter.

The Clippers broke the game open with a 14-4 run to start the fourth period and Portland never recovered. The lead ballooned to 21 as Los Angeles coach Glenn (Doc) Rivers brought down the Blazers under an avalanche of bench points. The Clippers reserves shot 43 points to the Blazers’ 10.

Defense made the difference as the Clippers held Lillard and McCollum from a combined average of 45.9 in the regular season to 33 in Game 2. Lillard shot only 6-of-22 field goals and went 0-of-6 from beyond the arc while McCollum hit 6-of-17 from the floor and knocked down 2-of-7 treys. Rivers dictated the tempo from the onset, initially pounding the boards with Jordan at center and Blake Griffin at power forward then going small with Griffin at five, Jeff Green at four, Jamal Crawford at three, Austin Rivers at two and Chris Paul at one. He finished off the Blazers with Jordan, Griffin, Crawford, J. J. Redick and Paul.

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Portland couldn’t get untracked because L. A.’s defense wouldn’t allow it. The Blazers shot 34.1 percent from the floor and the Clippers, 46 percent. Paul took leisurely jumpers all night long and wound up with 25 points. Redick was on fire early, hitting 11 of the Clippers’ first 18 points, and finished with 17, including 3-of-8 triples. Jordan had only 3 points, including 1-of-6 from the line, but compiled 18 boards and five assists in 33:57 minutes, the most of any Clipper.

Stotts had no answer to the Clippers’ defense. Lillard was trapped in pick-and-rolls and when he attacked, there was often no clear line of sight to the goal. McCollum was similarly stymied. “I’m getting trapped way out at halfcourt,” sighed Lillard. “Everywhere I go, there are two people there. It’s tough to play against (their defense).”

In a sense, you couldn’t blame Stotts for resorting to extraordinary means because he was clueless in breaking down the Clippers’ defense. But fouling away from the ball to play the percentages isn’t exactly what James Naismith had in mind when he invented hoops. “It bores fans and infuriates those watching on television,” wrote Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. In Game 1, Jordan was repeatedly fouled away from the ball and created seven Portland possessions. Bolch said Stotts was unapologetic, explaining that intentionally fouling Jordan was a way to get back into the game without violating the rules.

Clippers guard Austin Rivers, the coach’s son, said the ploy has made the team more determined to play tougher defense. “If we get stops, they’ll have to stop doing it,” he said. “It’s going to happen this series, the next series, the series after that and the series after that. It’s just one way people feel like they can slow us down temporarily but if we’re getting stops, it actually helps us.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league will study this rule loophole during the offseason and hinted a change may be forthcoming. Bolch said “the days of clanked free throws and tediously long games might be soon ending.” While fouling away the ball is allowed, it is disrespectful of the game. Of course, if the foul is committed in the last two minutes of the game, the penalty is a free throw and ball possession so it doesn’t make sense to employ the tactic at that stage.

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Game 2 between the Clippers and Blazers was a treat. The attendance was 19,127 and everyone got a free sausage biscuit coupon redeemable at Carl’s Jr. because that’s the giveaway whenever the Clippers score at least 100 points. Chick Fil-A was also ready to give every spectator a free chicken sandwich if the Blazers missed two free throws in a row – which didn’t happen.

There was never a dull moment throughout the two-hour game. The Clippers Spirit dance team performed with high energy. The Sandou Trio Russian Bar, an America’s Got Talent semifinalist, was a hit at halftime with Cassie Sandou doing somersaults in midair and landing squarely on an elevated pole held up by two consorts. The Hoop Troop dunked from a trampoline during timeouts. A fan won a trip to Tokyo from American Airlines for making at least five free throws within a time limit. Another fan took a halfcourt shot in a bid to win a brand-new 2016 Jeep Renegade. A bank sponsored a “parachute drop” where giftcards of $5, $10 and $15 rained down from the rafters into the waiting hands of fans. The Hoopers Dance Cam was also a big hit with the crowd. T-shirts were fired out of a cannon into the stands and fans were randomly shown on the jumbotron in the stadium kissing, dancing and just enjoying themselves.

The game itself was more than entertaining. At the opening tip, Jordan was called for a loose ball foul, shoving off Mason Plumlee – an unusual call. Redick was fouled sinking a triple but missed the four-point play as the Clippers raced to an 8-2 edge. Griffin brought the fans to their feet with a ferocious slam from a pass by Crawford, awarded the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year trophy before the contest, in the fourth period. You couldn’t count the highlights in the game.

Watching an NBA game live is quite an experience. If ever you get the chance, don’t miss out. It isn’t just basketball, it’s a total entertainment package. After Game 2, fans went home with a free T-shirt, a free color-coded wrist band and a free sausage biscuit and if you cheered for the Clippers, you couldn’t be happier.