The Golden State Warriors fundamentally picked apart the Los Angeles Clippers, torching them in a 115-98 win at Staples Center on Wednesday. They racked up 32 assists — right at their season average — and saw five players score in double figures while handing Los Angeles its fifth loss in seven games.
Marreese Speights implores the Clippers to stop playing like the Clippers
“They’ve been doing it here for four or five years and it hasn’t been working,” he said. “So it’s time to try something new.”
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Clippers forward Marreese Speights enjoyed three seasons in Golden State, helping the team win a championship in 2015. He signed with Los Angeles over the summer, and after his team’s loss to the Warriors, Speights blasted the Clippers’ culture that has kept them out of deep playoff runs despite a talented roster on paper.
“First we need to start really just (leaving) the refs alone,” Speights told reporters, via Bill Oram of the Orange County Register. “Guys just got to sacrifice, do some other things than scoring, do some other things than your personal goals. Just try something new. They’ve been doing it here for four or five years and it hasn’t been working so it’s time to try something new.”
This year, the Clippers are a middle-of-the-road team in assists, averaging 22 dimes per game. But they’ve averaged between 22 and 25 assists in each of the past four seasons and ranked among the league’s top five in three of them.
In fact, the Clippers are only 2.7 dimes short of the Celtics, whose 24.7 assists per game ranks second to Golden State. The Warriors are just so selfless, they average seven more assists than the next team. They’ve led the NBA in assists since Steve Kerr took over as head coach in 2014.
Speights could be right. Maybe the Clippers do need to change some things. The complaining to the referees in particular is a longstanding Clippers concern.
But one thing is for sure: his tantrum might not go over well in the locker room.
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