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The NBA's endless regular season -- just three short months to go, we're told -- has become a leaguewide annoyance. Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio and LeBron James are pleading, "Can we just get on with it?" Washington lost Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and all hope. Detroit is starting to lose some of that Chris Webber-inspired chemistry, and Isiah Thomas' contract extension looks more inappropriate by the day.

The Los Angeles Clippers, unfortunately, are not among the weary.

Just when the Warriors needed the onset of a familiar trend -- Los Angeles Clippers descend into mediocrity -- their Southern California rivals are playing out of their minds. They've won seven of their last eight, heading into tonight's game against Denver, and seem to be on the type of mission that can't be explained on paper. The way it looks right now, they will be a very tough team to catch.

After losing the talented Shaun Livingston to one of the worst knee injuries in recent memory (he might miss all of next year), the Los Angeles Clippers watched Sam Cassell battle a half-dozen ailments until he decided to sit out the rest of the regular season (that could change, but he feels that way at the moment).

So what happens? Cuttino Mobley and Corey Maggette, who had spent most of the season denigrating coach Mike Dunleavy, are the pass-first leaders of the backcourt. Jason Hart, cast aside by Sacramento, has become an invaluable addition. Center Chris Kaman, quite rightly criticized all season and perhaps the most overpaid player in basketball, came up with 17 points and 14 rebounds in a recent victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

That game pretty much summarized the Warriors' frustration. Where was the 50-point night from Kobe Bryant when they needed it? Kobe Bryant shot 13-for-34 while coach Phil Jackson became further exasperated with center Andrew Bynum (he's just not cutting it), feuded with Smush Parker and wondered if the Lakers have enough steam to make an impact in the playoffs.

At the moment, the Los Angeles Clippers are L.A.'s team -- and the Warriors' problem. Further Golden State defeats are not recommended.

They hired a lefty

Big-league managers tend to be former catchers or middle infielders, thoughtful types who were most valuable for their spirit and intuition. You don't really see the likes of Sparky Lyle, Al Hrabosky or Bill Lee in this position. With San Diego's Bud Black in town this week, we wondered: How often does a former left-handed pitcher get hired? Answer: Just about never. The last one before Black was Tommy Lasorda, by the Dodgers 31 years ago. Thanks to Bill Arnold, the stats guru of Sports Features Group, we learned that in the history of the game, only four left-handed pitchers became big-league managers (Eddie Lopat and Johnny Cooney were the others, and neither lasted very long). So until Black proves himself, it's Lasorda or bust ... It took a public outcry and the threat of a federal investigation, spurred by Sen. John Kerry, to shake some sense into Major League Baseball, which finally relented and allowed the continuation of cable access to its Extra Innings package. That didn't stop the madness, though. On a KNBR advertisement the other day, we heard Joe Buck (Fox's lead voice) telling fans that "it's never been easier" to switch from cable to DirecTV. Weak ... Assuming Greg Oden is available, there's no longer any doubt about the NBA's No. 1 draft choice. Doesn't matter which team wins the lottery; you can't turn down a guaranteed defensive stopper who has quickness and either-hand shooting ability around the basket ... Guaranteed to have scored heavily in the WNBA draft: Chicago, with Mississippi's all-world Armintie Price, and New York, with classy Shay Doron out of Maryland. Two priceless combinations of talent and character ... Not that we're big fans of CBS analyst Billy Packer, but he did two great things this week. He joined Dick Vitale in ripping the NCAA's five-foul elimination rule and defended his use of the word "fag" after his controversial televised conversation with Charlie Rose on PBS. Packer's usage perfectly fit one of the Webster's collegiate dictionary's definitions -- "to tire of strenuous activity" -- and Packer reminded everyone to live with it, because he intends to use it again. It's nice to crack down on the cruel and the clueless, but the Bad Word Police are a bit out of control these days.

The thing to remember most about Daisuke Matsuzaka's impressive debut with the Red Sox: For all the talk about his dizzying array of breaking pitches, the fastball is the heart of his arsenal. He can make it sink or tail, and in the great Jim Palmer tradition, he can get the timely strikeout by firing one head-high ... Wacky theory from the Bronx: Roger Clemens signs with the Yankees just in time to face Barry Bonds in San Francisco during the mid-June interleague series ... Depressing element to the homestand: Levi's, a dignified organization that should know better, still isn't content with its dominant advertising in right field. It has to torch the view with those idiot banners ... Most mind-blowing sight of the game's first week: The powerful and compact swing of Elijah Dukes, the Devil Rays' 6-2, 250-pound prospect who became the first rookie in history to homer in his first two games (at Yankee Stadium, no less) ... With statistical innovations all the rage in baseball, we can imagine this press-lounge conversation between a stats-freak nerd and an old-school scout:

Scout: "So what do you like about that guy?"

 

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