Speights says his Clippers have a lot to learn from the Warriors
The former Golden State center says L.A. needs to maintain its composure a lot better
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2 min read
Los Angeles Clippers big man Marreese Speights had harsh words for his new team after losing to his former team on Wednesday. Speights, who spent the previous three seasons with the Golden State Warriors before signing with the Clippers this past summer, wants to see his team sacrifice, keep their spirit up and stop complaining to officials.
From the Orange County Register's Bill Oram:
Marreese Speights said he spent his first two months with the Clippers trying to convey to his new teammates how to keep pushing once they had a team on the ropes, which he'd learned with the Warriors. How to share the ball, like Golden State is famous for.
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"Tonight," Speights said, "they see it, they see everything I say. Everything I say in practice since I've been here, they see it. That's how they (the Warriors) play."
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"First we need to start really just leaving the refs alone," Speights said. "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."
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"That's the scouting report when you play against the Clippers," he said. "It's always been, especially with the Warriors, you play against the Clippers, you hit them a couple of times and their spirit is going to be down. That's what happened, so we've just got to find a way to get over that hump."
If the Clippers tend to lose their confidence against the Warriors, it might have something to do with their recent record against them. Since Steve Kerr arrived in the Bay Area, the Clippers are now 1-8 in the regular season in this matchup. Many of those games have been close, but the results make it difficult to argue with Speights, who has now seen this dynamic from both sides. Golden State does not fear Los Angeles, and the Clippers probably do need to try something new, as Speights put it.
The good news is that they'll have many more opportunities to take down the mighty Warriors. These two teams will meet on Jan. 28, Feb. 2 and Feb. 23, so the Clippers will have a chance to prove to themselves that they're on the Warriors' level before a potential playoff matchup.
At its best this season, Los Angeles has looked like it could at least cause problems for Golden State. Throughout its 14-2 start, the chemistry between Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan had never looked better, and it was equally apparent on both ends of the court. Theoretically, the Clippers' combination of size and athleticism could still be a challenge for the Warriors. If they're going to actually push this super-team, though, they will need to avoid getting rattled in these situations.
