Los Angeles – Elton Brand has been doing a bit of light reading this week. The other day, he picked up a Clippers’ media guide and checked out the section on the franchise’s playoff history.
Needless to say, it was short.
“Like half a page,” he said.
But any notion that the Clippers’ youth and inexperience would negate their home-court advantage in this best-of-seven first-round series with the Nuggets has gone quickly out the window.
In fact, they’re making this playoff thing look pretty easy, holding Denver to less than 40 percent shooting from the field in both games. With more than six minutes left in Monday night’s romp, fans began doing the wave.
“It was supposed to be a young team, an inexperienced team. But we just went out there like it was the regular season and played our hearts out,” Brand said.
The victory gave the Clippers the first 2-0 playoff series lead in franchise history.
“It’s somewhat surreal,” Brand said. “You wait so long and you come in and have some success. Being up 2-0, it’s far from over, but it’s a great feeling and I’m trying to enjoy it while I can.”
Clippers swingman Corey Maggette said his team got all its playoff jitters out in Game 1, when it nearly blew a 16-point lead.
“I think the first game is jitters, but then from there it’s about winning,” said Maggette, who has been with the team for six years. “We beat this team three games during the year, so we know we can beat this team.
“This gives us some momentum. But you’re supposed to win the games at home. The biggest test is winning on the road….I think they’re going to really pick it up. They have to.”
About the Nuggets, Brand said, “I know those guys over there. They have pride, so they’re not demoralized yet. They’re going to play hard, they’re going to come out fighting. We’ve planted a seed in their mind that, hey, this team is for real, they protected their home court.”
Needle work
It reads a bit like a riddle, but there’s nothing confusing about the results.
Clippers forward Vladimir Radmanovic needed several needle sticks to help him recover from the sprained left wrist he suffered at the end of Game 1 on Saturday night, but he did not receive any injections.
To get this one, you have to be open-minded about pain treatment. Radmanovic is, and that’s the main reason he was able to make such a quick recovery over the past two days.
Sunday afternoon, he underwent about an hour of acupuncture. By Monday morning, Radmanovic, one of the team’s best 3-point shooters, was back shooting well.
“I’m really open-minded. Whatever helps you to get better,” he said before Monday night’s game. “It’s like a deep-tissue massage, but nobody is giving you a massage. I’ve had it done three times before. I like it a lot.
“You can feel it right away. It’s a big pain release. That was the big concern (Sunday). I couldn’t move my wrist. I’m not healed, but I’m ready to go.”
Radmanovic said team trainer Jasen Powell first turned him on to the alternative medical treatment, and that several other team members have used acupuncture this season.
Forward Walter McCarty is not one of them.
“I’d never let anybody stick me with those things,” McCarty joked. “I’m a natural healer.”
