By Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times –
LOS ANGELES — They have put themselves in this predicament, in a situation in which the 2011-12 version of the Los Angeles Clippers have never been in before as a group, in a tenuous spot that so few NBA playoff teams with much more post-season experience than the Clippers have have never been able to accomplish.
(PHOTO: The Los Angeles Clippers’ Eric Bledsoe, left, and Nick Young surround the Memphis Grizzlies’ Tony Allen as he attempts a layup in the second half in Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoff series atStaples Center in Los Angeles, California, on Friday, May 11, 2012. Memphis’ 90-88 win forces a decisive Game 7.)
The Clippers have put themselves in a position to be a part of history no matter how things turn out.
They dropped a 90-88 game to the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night at Staples Center in Game 6 of the first-round of the playoffs, leaving the best-of-seven series tied at 3-3.
The Clippers have lost two straight games now and they must play a seventh game with Blake Griffin (sprained left knee) and Chris Paul (strained right hip flexor) still not close to 100 percent healthy.
“Gotta win,” Paul said after scoring just 11 points and handing out seven assists. “This is it. We could lose Game 5 and lose Game 6 and be Ok. Game 7, it’s going to be exciting.
“It’s in Memphis. We showed an ability to win there. I get a couple of more days and try and get as healthy as possible.”
Here is where the Clippers hope to avoid some sort of history.
They had a 3-1 lead in the series and had two chances to close out the Grizzlies, failing both times.
Only eight teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a series, the last being the Lakers giving up a 3-1 edge to the Phoenix Suns in a 2006 first-round series.
The Grizzlies are looking to become the ninth team.
Since 1948, 80 percent of the home teams have won Game 7s.
Game 7 is Sunday at FedExForum.
“It’s uncharted territory for us, for us as a team,” Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro said. “We’ve just got to stay together, battle through it and give our best effort of the season on Sunday.”
With Paul and Griffin hobbling in Friday night’s game, it doesn’t look good for the Clippers.
Griffin had 17 points and five rebounds, but he wasn’t the same player.
“He’s a warrior,” Paul, who fouled out with 13.1 seconds left, said about Griffin. “He played through it and I did the same. We’re going to go out there Sunday and we can’t hold nothing back.
“I think me, I started off favoring it (his injury), unsure about it. But I can’t do that Sunday. Sunday you’ve got to go out there ready to scrap, crawl, whatever it is. You try to hold it back..You lose it (the game), you’ve got the whole summer to get healthy. I’m not ready to start my summer.”
The turning point in the game came in the fourth.
Right after the Clippers went on a 10-0 run open an eight-point lead in fourth, Memphis back at them with a 10-0 run, opening a two-point lead later in the quarter.
During that run, Del Negro had his reserves in the game.
When asked if he left his reserve in too long, Del Negro said, “No, I don’t.”
“We had an opportunity to really put them away,” Paul said. “I think that’s something that will play back in my head a lot.”
It didn’t help that the Clippers had three of their seven turnovers in fourth quarter, when the game hung in the balance.
“I think one of the keys was my two turnovers,” Paul said.
One turnover lead to a Mike Conley three-pointer and a Zach Randolph (18 points, 16 rebounds) tip-in for an 85-80 lead for Memphis, which lead by Marc Gasol’s 23 points.
“We didn’t want to go back to Memphis — not until next season sometime,” Paul said. “But we’ve got to leave tomorrow, go to Memphis, get some rest and be ready to play.”
