Clippers Coach

Three days later, Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro still was upset about the flagrant 2 foul Suns reserve center Robin Lopez committed against Blake Griffin on Thursday night in Phoenix. Del Negro is not happy that Lopez wasn't suspended by the NBA. Lopez, who was ejected from the game against the Clippers, played in the Suns' next game on Saturday night. "I do have an issue with how Blake got hit that hard and he's in pain and he's still in pain and the player that did that played yesterday," Del Negro said.

PHOENIX - The Clippers entered Thursday night's game against the Phoenix Suns with a five-game winning streak and having won 13 of 15 games, but when names have been mentioned for NBA coach-of-the-year candidates, Coach Vinny Del Negro's name is never among them. Del Negro was asked about his thoughts on that, on whether he even weighs something like that. He downplayed it, agreeing that San Antonio's Gregg Popovich , Boston's Doc Rivers , Indiana's Frank Vogel and Chicago's Tom Thibodeau should be the leading candidates.

The Clippers' victory Monday night over the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the NBA's top teams and a serious challenger to win the NBA championship, was a stirring moment. The Clippers also clinched a playoff berth Monday, going to the postseason for the first time since the 2005-06 season. But Tuesday the Clippers went back to work preparing for another tough opponent in the Denver Nuggets. "It's a sense of accomplishment, especially with everything we went through this short season," said forward Caron Butler , referring to the team's three-game losing streak last month that created a tense environment in Clippersland.

The versatility of Nick Young has allowed Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro to use him at shooting guard and small forward. Young is a natural shooting guard, but with Mo Williams and Eric Bledsoe getting a lot of the time as the reserve guards, Del Negro increasingly has used Young to back up small forward Caron Butler . "I noticed once Mo came back, Vinny's been wanting a little bit more scoring off the bench," Young said....

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Clippers are 8-2 in their last 10 games, but both losses have similar characteristics. The Clippers fell behind by big margins and made late, furious rallies, only to fall short. So during Tuesday's film session in preparation for their game Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro warned his team about bringing intensity from the start. The Clippers trailed the Lakers by 15 points, then took a lead, but lost last Wednesday.

Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins made it known Thursday after the Kings and Clippers played that he believes the NBA protects - or, as he said, babies - Clippers star forward Blake Griffin . Does Cousins' coach, Keith Smart , agree? "You didn't ask me that question, did you?" Smart half-jokingly asked a reporter before the teams played Saturday night at Staples Center. "Did you see what happened to my big man?" The NBA fined Cousins $25,000 for his comments.

SACRAMENTO — When told about the surreal news conference Orlando Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy had Thursday in which he said All-Star center Dwight Howard had asked management to fire him, Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro had sympathy for his coaching brother. Del Negro understood where Van Gundy was coming from, because he had come under intense pressure when the Clippers had a three-game losing streak last month. Del Negro said it's important for the organization, players and coaches to stand together through the tough times.

For most people, Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro was told, it has been easy to forget that DeAndre Jordan is basically a first-year starter in the NBA. "Sure, you guys forget all the time," Del Negro joked. "I don't forget. " Indeed, Jordan had started just 91 games in his first three years in the NBA, 66 last season, so Del Negro sees this as a learning process for his 23-year-old center. Jordan has started all 51 games for the Clippers this season. "He's never been in that situation," Del Negro said.

DeAndre Jordan stood before the assembled media after the Clippers' victory Wednesday night, with an edginess in his tone. The Clippers had just won their third consecutive game, following a three-game losing streak, and Jordan felt compelled to admonish the media because of their doomsday articles about his team. "Last year when we lost a couple of games, you all didn't care, you know what I mean?" Jordan said after the 103-86 victory over Phoenix. "So now that there's a bandwagon, there's higher expectations, which we understand and that's fine.

From what Phoenix Suns Coach Alvin Gentry has observed from afar, the Clippers remain a team that can cause problems for opponents, despite a recent stretch in which L.A. lost three consecutive games and things seemed so dour in Clipperland. In Gentry's eyes, the high expectations some hold for the Clippers need to be tempered because the team is going to take time to "jell and come together. " "I think they are a real talented team," he said before the game Wednesday.