You may have noticed that I didn't post a preview about this game. That's because, as I was looking at the Hawks, I realized that there was simply no way the Clippers should lose to them. Losers of 8 in a row and 12 of 13, with no discernible home court advantage (the Hawks did not win in Atlanta in the month of December), this is simply not a good team. So of course, I figured if I wrote a preview saying all that, the Clippers would definitely lose the game. By not writing the preview, I could avoid jinxing the team. It didn't work though.
19 turnovers. 40% shooting. Livingston 2-11. Mobley 1-6. Kaman 6 turnovers. Brand 6 turnovers. The Clippers played this game as if they were completely distracted. As if they had other things on their mind. As if they had lost a close friend.
And perhaps they had. Not in uniform tonight, and not in the building that I could tell, was one Corey Maggette. Corey suffered a minor ankle injury in Orlando, but played against Miami and Washington, and is listed on the Clippers web site as healthy. The only mention of Corey during the game was when Ralph said simply that he was on the inactive list prior to the tip. No reason given. No explanation. No shots of Corey on the bench. If Corey had turned an ankle in the shootaround, or cut himself shaving, or whatever, Ralph and Mike would have told us about it. The fact that they said nothing spoke volumes.
Let me clear about this. I have no inside information. I don't know anything. But I think a deal is imminent.