Agreed on all points. Towards the end of the 3rd quarter Stotts sat all of the starters. 11 pt lead was down to 4 when Dame checked in with about 9 min left in the game. By the time LA checked back in at around 7:00 min mark it was a 1 pt game. What did he think a lineup of Blake, Wright, Freeland, CJ, Kaman was going to do? He assumed since offense came so easy earlier in the game & with Clips on 2nd end of B to B that the starters would be able to restore order if (or when) the bench blew the lead. But too much momentum had been built. He finally panicked & called a t/o just to get LA back in the game when the lead was cut to one. The damage was done and Clips smelled blood in the water. Of course we need to make sure our top guys get enough rest, but when and how you do it are critical. I don't like his sub patterns. Not to mention his defensive philosophy. We are completely fine with giving up uncontested mid range jumpers, & lately we've been giving open 3s also. We never pressure or force t/o's, which is a big reason we don't score many fast break points. He doesn't even acknowledge the defensive failures. Last night he said "I suppose our defense could have been a little better, but you have to credit the Clippers for making shots". He always says that. Yeah Terry, WIDE OPEN shots. Only time I heard him voice displeasure with defense was after loss in ORL a few weeks ago. Other than that it's scary how he sees the game and that his strategy is hopefully our opponents miss all of the open midrange shots we willingly offer up.
