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Wizards’ season-best winning streak ends as Paul Pierce returns to D.C. with Clippers Wizards’ season-best winning streak ends as Paul Pierce returns to D.C. with Clippers
(about 1 hour later)
Paul Pierce’s tenure as a member of the Washington Wizards will go down as a footnote on his Hall of Fame résumé whenever his NBA career concludes, likely sometime in the next couple years. It was a one-season stop in a journey that is on its 18th campaign. He will be a Boston Celtic first and foremost. His three other employers will be afterthoughts.Paul Pierce’s tenure as a member of the Washington Wizards will go down as a footnote on his Hall of Fame résumé whenever his NBA career concludes, likely sometime in the next couple years. It was a one-season stop in a journey that is on its 18th campaign. He will be a Boston Celtic first and foremost. His three other employers will be afterthoughts.
But when Pierce returned to Verizon Center on Monday night with the Los Angeles Clippers for the first time since his final game in a Wizards uniform May 15, he emphasized his year in the District was one of his most delightful as a professional. But when Pierce returned to Verizon Center on Monday night with the Los Angeles Clippers for the first time since his final game in a Wizards uniform this past spring, he emphasized his campaign in the District was one of his most delightful as a professional.
“I had a lot of fun here, man, truthfully,” Pierce said. “Being around the young guys, teaching them every day, talking to them. This was one of my funnest years. Even though it was for one year, I had a lot of fun being around these guys. They welcomed me with open arms. I embraced the city, they embraced me back and I really enjoyed my time here.”“I had a lot of fun here, man, truthfully,” Pierce said. “Being around the young guys, teaching them every day, talking to them. This was one of my funnest years. Even though it was for one year, I had a lot of fun being around these guys. They welcomed me with open arms. I embraced the city, they embraced me back and I really enjoyed my time here.”
Pierce had plenty of more fun Monday as the Wizards were dominated by the Clippers from start to finish in a 108-91 blowout loss, snapping their season-best four-game winning streak before an announced sellout crowd of 20,356. Washington offered Pierce plenty of more enjoyment Monday as the Wizards were overwhelmed by the Clippers from start to finish in a 108-91 blowout loss, snapping their season-best four-game winning streak before an announced sellout crowd of 20,356.
Washington (14-15) never led as Los Angeles claimed a 27-16 edge with 1 minute 39 seconds remaining in the first quarter and held a double-digit advantage for the game’s final 36:21, increasing it to 26 points in the fourth period. Early shooting woes submerged the shorthanded Wizards (14-15), again without five players because of injuries, as they began the game 3 of 16 from the field. Los Angeles then claimed a 27-16 edge with 1 minute 39 seconds remaining in the first quarter and held a double-digit advantage the rest of the way, increasing it to 26 points in the fourth period.
The shorthanded Wizards, without five players because of injuries again, shot just 39.1 percent from the field, while the Clippers (19-13) shot a blistering 52.6 percent clip from the floor. John Wall led Washington with 23 points and 11 assists but also committed six of the Wizards’ 17 turnovers. “We let our ineffectiveness offensively affect our defense,” Wizards Coach Randy Wittman said. “We missed a lot of shots that have been going down, and we let it suck the air out of us.”
Marcin Gortat, named the Eastern Conference’s player of the week earlier in the day, tallied 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting and 16 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season, and Otto Porter Jr. contributed 21 points in his second game back from a three-game absence because of a bruised left thigh. The Clippers’ constant switching defensively hampered the fluid ball movement that helped fuel Washington’s win streak. The Wizards shot just 39.1 percent from the field for the game, while the Clippers (19-13), with point guard Chris Paul often toying with the Wizards’ defense, shot a blistering 52.6 percent clip.
Chris Paul paced Los Angeles with 23 points and seven assists, and Jamal Crawford added 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting off the bench. Pierce posted nine points — all in the first half — on 4-of-7 shooting in just 17 minutes in his fourth start of the season at power forward for the injured Blake Griffin, who is sidelined with a partially torn quadriceps muscle. John Wall led Washington with 23 points and 11 assists but also committed six of the Wizards’ 17 turnovers. Marcin Gortat, named the Eastern Conference’s player of the week earlier in the day, tallied 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting and 16 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season, and Otto Porter Jr. contributed 21 points and eight rebounds in his second game back from a three-game absence because of a bruised left thigh.
The Clippers and Wizards were the two finalists for Pierce’s services in free agency, but Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said he believed the Clippers always had the “inside track” to land Pierce because Los Angeles is home and he has close relationships with Rivers and assistant coach Sam Cassell. Paul paced Los Angeles with 23 points, seven assists, and two rare dunks for good measure in just 27 minutes, constantly torching Washington in pick and rolls. DeAndre Jordan adeptly anchored the Clippers’ defense while adding 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Jamal Crawford had 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting off the bench.
Pierce acknowledged the friendships mattered — he played under Rivers for nine campaigns with the Celtics, and Cassell was his teammate in Boston for part of a season then helped recruit him to Washington as a Wizards assistant before leaving for the Clippers last summer — but he emphasized his family took precedence. “We just didn’t play defense at all,” Wall said. “That was the key of the game.”
Before free agency launched on July 1, Pierce evaluated with his family whether he should play another season at all. When he decided he wanted to play another year, he chose Los Angeles over Washington because he wanted his children around family, and he determined the Clippers, coming off three straight seasons with at least 56 victories, were closer to winning a championship. Pierce elicited a smattering of boos when he made his first shot and posted nine points — all in the first half — on 4-of-7 shooting in just 17 minutes in his fourth start of the season at power forward for the injured Blake Griffin, who is sidelined with a partially torn quadriceps muscle.
“It was a combination of things,” said Pierce, who signed a three-year deal worth approximately $10.5 million. “If it wasn’t for that, I definitely would’ve been back here.” Before free agency launched July 1, Pierce, 38, evaluated with his family whether he should play another season at all. The Wizards wanted him back and offered him a one-year deal with a team option for a second season for reasons that extended beyond on-court performance.
Pierce’s final act in the District was memorable: A string of clutch shot-making during the Wizards’ playoff run, which concluded in cruel fashion when referees ruled that Pierce’s game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks left his fingertips a fraction of a second too late. He provided clutch shot-making in the postseason, but he also served as a mentor for the team’s young core, an example for how to approach games and conduct themselves. He was candid in his assessments, even questioning their commitment to the sacrifices required to compete among the elite, and instilled a layer of swagger, often through his top-flight trash-talking. It is a mark the team insists has bled into this season.
But the Wizards insist Pierce’s impact extends beyond his on-court performance. He served as a mentor for the team’s young core, an example for how to approach games and conduct themselves. He was candid in his assessments, even questioning their commitment to the sacrifices required to compete among the elite, and instilled a layer of swagger, often through his top-flight trash-talking. It is a mark the team insists has bled into this season. “It’s just another part of the development as individual players — what they have learned from him in just a year’s time,” Wittman said. “I can see it in some of our guys.”
“It’s just another part of the development as individual players — what they have learned from him in just a year’s time,” Wizards Coach Randy Wittman said. “I can see it in some of our guys. I think John learned a lot from having a guy like Paul, character-wise and leadership-wise and playing-wise. It was nothing but positive, obviously, with Paul and one [year] I’ll cherish.” Pierce chose to return to his home town of Los Angeles over Washington because he had close relationships with Clippers Coach Doc Rivers and assistant Sam Cassell, he wanted his children around family and he determined the Clippers were closer to winning a championship.
Pierce has come off the bench for the first time this season as Rivers attempts to control the 38-year-old’s minutes while allowing him to finish games, and Pierce admitted the transition has been a challenge. But his role will increase in Griffin’s absence. There are nights when he will start at power forward depending on the matchup, like Monday when the Wizards started the 6-foot-7 Jared Dudley at the four. When Pierce does start, the goal is to spread the floor and allow Paul and DeAndre Jordan to wreak havoc in the pick and roll. The game plan worked to perfection Monday as Washington couldn’t figure out how to slow the two-man combination. “It was a combination of things,” said Pierce, who signed a three-year deal worth approximately $10.5 million with the Clippers. “If it wasn’t for that, I definitely would’ve been back here.”
Paul maneuvered around the floor as he wished, the ball on a string as he repeatedly sliced through the Wizards’ passive defense. He often drew enough attention to free Jordan, who was the beneficiary of several Washington blown pick-and-roll coverages and made all six of his shots from the field. A 39.4 percent free throw shooter this season, Jordan wasn’t even deplorable from the free throw stripe, going 3 of 6 as the Wizards couldn’t find an answer for the Clippers’ firepower. Pierce has come off the bench extensively this season for the first time in his career because Rivers wants to limit the veteran’s minutes while allowing him to finish games, and Pierce admitted the transition has been a challenge. But his role will increase in Griffin’s absence. There are nights when he will start at power forward depending on the matchup, like Monday when the Wizards started the 6-foot-7 Jared Dudley at the four.
When Pierce plays power forward, the goal is to spread the floor and allow Paul and Jordan to prey on defenses in the pick and roll. The game plan worked to perfection Monday.
Paul maneuvered around the floor as he wished, the ball on a string as he repeatedly sliced through the Wizards’ passive defense. He often drew enough attention to free Jordan, who was the beneficiary of several Washington blown pick-and-roll coverages and made all six of his shots from the field. The Wizards briefly tried the Hack-a-Jordan strategy on the 39.4 percent free throw shooter at the end of the first half, but even that backfired when he made both free throws.
“We never gave ourselves an opportunity to be in this game,” Wall said. “Point blank. Period.”