Baseball Toaster Dodger Thoughts
Help
Jon Weisman's outlet
for dealing psychologically
with the Los Angeles Dodgers
and baseball.
Frozen Toast
Search
Google Search
Web
Toaster
Dodger Thoughts
Archives

2009
02  01 

2008
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2007
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2006
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2005
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2004
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2003
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2002
09  08  07 
About Jon
Thank You For Not ...

1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with

Don't the Clippers Always Win?
2006-05-02 09:44
by Jon Weisman

There's been a request for a Clippers celebration on this site - which I endorse wholeheartedly. Who can't appreciate the heights this year's team has achieved - with perhaps more to come.

The Clippers, by the way, are undefeated in games in which I covered them: 1-0. As usual, Bob Timmermann was kind enough to track down my Daily News game story from January 15, 1991. Call it a Not-So-Random Clipper Game Callback:

Clippers, Norman Work Overtime to Beat Rockets

by Jon Weisman

Ken Norman, living if melancholy proof that not every goat is a loser, sat quietly as a pack of reporters rushed up to him and asked him ...

Nothing.

"Everybody's scared to talk," Norman commented.

Not scared, really. Just kind of unsure of things.

Here sat a man that had blown it in the clutch, missing two free throws with 0.2 seconds left in regulation, but who still ended up being the main contributor to an even more dramatic, rousing, 130-126 victory by the Clippers over the Akeem-Olajuwonless Houston Rockets in overtime at the Sports Arena.

OK, Ken. Capture that feeling in a sentence.

"It was a wild and crazy win," Norman said, but with all the enthusiasm of a clown the day Bozo was canceled.

Norman, who scored a team-high 31 points, sure seemed to have trouble enjoying the Clippers victory, but he shouldn't remain sad for long.

After all, no one else on the Clippers seemed to mind.

"Whether you win in regulation or in overtime, it's still a win," said the Clippers' Mr. Bottom Line, center Benoit Benjamin (14 points, 19 rebounds).

Besides, Norman managed to give general manager Elgin Baylor a thrill. People who are in the NBA Hall of Fame aren't usually prone to say, "Wow."

"The teams had so many opportunities to win," Baylor said. "(In that respect), it was the wildest game I've ever witnessed."

Now that's something.

Neither team led by more than six points in the second half, and Norman seemed far, far away from goat's horns when he hit a 19-footer with 6.5 seconds remaining to give the Clippers (13-24) a 112-109 lead.

Then Houston's David Wood, a second-year pro from Nevada-Reno, somehow made a three-pointer with 1.4 seconds remaining (despite falling on his rear end in the process) to tie the game.

After a timeout, Danny Manning lobbed to Norman near the basket. Norman was fouled by Buck Johnson with :00.2 showing on the clock and 112-112 on the scoreboard.

"I was real confident," said Norman, a 67.1-percent foul-shooter this season. "Maybe I was overconfident going to the line, but I've been shooting fouls real well the last couple of weeks.

"But the first one hit the front of the rim and the second one hit the back."

You can imagine that the groan that followed from the 11,636 in attendance. Some of them seemed to have been conscious that there is some kind of history of Clippers misfortune.

For their part, the Clippers regrouped.

"Everybody patted (Norman) on the head and said we're still going to win the game," Clippers coach Mike Schuler said.

Hey, a little precognition never hurt anybody. Charles Smith (22 points) gave the Clippers the lead for good, 116-114, with a basket in the first minute of overtime.

Winston Garland was 6 of 6 on free throws in the final minute to preserve the victory. Norman himself was 3 of 3 from the line and scored five points in overtime.

Houston (19-17) lost its fourth game out of six playing without NBA-leading rebounder Olajuwon, who had surgery Monday to repair a blowout fracture near his right eye.

The surgery - a two-by-one inch Teflon plate was put into place and the retina was checked - was successful, but Olajuwon still won't return to practice for another eight weeks.

That and a heartbreaking loss wasn't making life very pleasant for Rockets coach Don Chaney.

"In my heart, we won the game," Chaney said. "A break here or there, a shot here or there. ...

Not this night. Even when Ken Norman wasn't getting the breaks, the Clippers were.

Notes: Clippers guard Jay Edwards, who has been on the NBA's suspended list since failing a rookie drug test March 3, has started practicing again with the Clippers. He will be evaluated by the staff for the next two weeks; a decision is due by Jan. 27 on whether he will remain with the team. "It felt good (to practice)," Edwards said. "A big weight has been lifted off my shoulders, I was in better shape than I thought I was. I can't even think about that (his chances of making the team). I have just got to go out and play hard. If things don't work out, I'll try to pick it up somewhere else ... Vernon Maxwell led the Rockets with 34 points. ... Benoit Benjamin had 19 rebounds after averaging 15.6 on the Clippers' recent seven-game road-trip.

Comments
2006-05-02 09:52:51
1.   Bob Timmermann
Jay Edwards?
2006-05-02 10:01:01
2.   Jon Weisman
[shrug]

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/edwarja02.html

2006-05-02 10:05:58
3.   GoBears
Wow, that made me feel really old.
2006-05-02 10:07:43
4.   Bob Timmermann
Note the use of the hyphen in

"Akeem-Olajuwonless"

2006-05-02 10:12:38
5.   LAT
Sam, from the previous thread re: Nats ownership, Barry and Orange are jerks. The idea that they should not only decide the level of minority ownership in a privately held business but decide the quality of that minority ownership is pretty offensive. Hard to imagine they haven't been promised something if they can influence the outcome. Everyone has an agenda--welcome to DC, I guess. I hope their motion before the City Council fails by a wide margin.
2006-05-02 10:12:46
6.   Jon Weisman
4 - Approve or disapprove?
2006-05-02 10:12:51
7.   Vishal
that was awesome. when exactly did the dream make his transition from "akeem" to "hakeem"? must have been right around that time.
2006-05-02 10:16:45
8.   Bob Timmermann
6

I guess it's right. I'm just trying to picture somebody on the Daily News copy desk trying to decide which is right.

I think I may know who to ask also. Such matters as that hyphen would be the subject of heated family discussions.

2006-05-02 10:19:56
9.   Daniel Zappala
Makes you wonder how the Times missed picking up on a great sports writer to replace some of the rather poor ones they have on board.
2006-05-02 11:41:57
10.   Uncle Miltie
Thank you Jon.

I didn't know that there were actually 3 Clippers fans (Vishal too)!

I've been a Clippers fan since 2000. Before that, I'd occasionally watch Clippers and Lakers games, but wasn't really a fan of either team. It just doesn't feel right without the great Keith Closs.

My favorite Clippers
-Elton Brand- does he have any chance of being a hall of famer? My favorite athlete in LA. One of those character guys that teams usually overpay for...but he's actually a great player too. Rare combination. Just won the sportsmanship award.
-Darius Miles- made mediocre Clippers teams exciting
-Corey Maggette- love how he plays, hate how he's always injured

My least favorite Clippers
-Andre Miller- this clown gave up on the team at midseason
-Michael Olowokandi- biggest bust ever?
-Lamar Odom- my favorite player when I started following the Clippers- turned has back on the organization
-Maurice "Mo Max" Taylor- yes Taylor thought he was a max player, he has been an average bench player since living the Clippers as a free agent

The future
-Chris Kaman- I cannot repeat the words that came out of my mouth when the Clippers drafted Kaman over Kirk Hinrich. Quickly developing into one of the best centers in the league.
-Shaun Livingston- unbelievable talent, but is rail thin. Flashed some of his potential last night. Has outplayed Sam Cassell so far in the playoffs.

2006-05-02 12:09:24
11.   Alex Belth
Elton Brand! From Peekskill, New York. Love that dude's game. Steady, fine player.

Congrats go to the Clips. So far, so good.

2006-05-02 14:04:21
12.   ryu
If the Clippers keep up this success, do they cease being the Clippers by definition? I am more used to fifteen-win seasons and names like

Randy Woods
Terry Dehere
Elmore Spencer
Harold Ellis
Bo Outlaw
Tom Tolbert

2006-05-02 15:24:54
13.   Jon Weisman
Did the Cubs stop being the Cubs because they won a playoff series?

Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.