Rowan Kavner
LOS ANGELES – The wait between games would feel much longer had the Clippers not pulled out a win Saturday afternoon.
Following that victory against the Pistons, the Clippers now have four days off before their next game. It’s the only time all season, apart from the All-Star break, they have a stretch that long without games.
“We needed this win,” said Austin Rivers. “We have four days off before going in to the big game [against Golden State], which we all look forward to. We needed this win. We had a little skid these past couple days and we’re trying to run it off and get back on a streak.”
The downside of the break is the potential of getting out of rhythm from the normal NBA schedule.
On the positive side, Chris Paul (groin) and J.J. Redick (back) are both dealing with injuries, and this gives them more time to heal.
If it’s a choice between having to play on a back-to-back or go through this lull in the schedule, head coach Doc Rivers would take the latter every time.
“The schedule’s been pretty good,” Doc Rivers said. “I think they’ve done a much better job overall. Everyone has some quirky things during the year, but overall, our schedule is better. Everyone’s schedule is better, and that’s really nice.”
It may actually feel like more than four days off, since Saturday’s game was in the afternoon and film session began immediately after.
Doc Rivers said he plans on giving the Clippers two days off after the game and then practicing for two days. Typically during the season, Rivers favors rest over practice. But with new players still trying to figure out their roles, more practices might be necessary.
“We have all these new guys playing on the fly,” he said. “Our execution game by game just kept dropping. It’s nice to squeeze this game out and we can get back together.”
Specifically, one of the aspects Rivers said the Clippers need to clean up is their work on the glass, particularly when it comes to allowing offensive rebounds. The Clippers are allowing the sixth most rebounds and offensive rebounds in the league, and Rivers and the Clippers players both said that’s not something that falls specifically on the bigs.
In addition, the Clippers have allowed at least 109 points in each of their four losses this season, and they know they need time to better their defensive communication.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Doc Rivers said. “I told our coaches three games ago that I’ve never seen a team that needs a practice more than this team.”
Following the long hiatus, the Clippers have a back-to-back against Golden State and Portland. Then, they won’t have more than a day off between games until December.
Still, the schedule has eased up this season compared to years past. This year, they don’t have a road trip longer than five games. Last year, the Clippers had both an eight-game road trip and a seven-game trip.
“We don’t have any of that stuff,” Doc Rivers said. “Next year, it’s going to get even better because of what they’re able to do with the schedule. It’s good.”
