With Norman Lost, so Are the Clippers

ORLANDO, Fla. —  Before the Clippers start using the tale of the tape instead of box scores to analyze games, be advised that this wasn’t much of a fight. No Danny Manning-Chris Gatling, no Ken Norman-Hakeem Olajuwon, not even Larry Brown-Ken Mauer.

But the effect of the ejections of Norman and Orlando’s Jeff Turner with 4:24 to play in the second quarter in the Orlando Magic’s 112-95 victory over the Clippers on Sunday afternoon may prove long-lasting.

So Norman says.

“I feel I owe the team three or four games,” he said. “So from here on in, I’m going to be one of the three or four best small forwards in the game.”

The debt has built over time. Norman was kicked out after two technical fouls in the second quarter on Jan. 30, when the Clippers stayed close to the Utah Jazz on the road into the fourth quarter before losing by eight points. He then avoided a possible suspension late last week when the NBA dropped an investigation into his postgame fight with Olajuwon at the Sports Arena because of lack of evidence.

Sunday, with the Clippers already down to 10 players because of injuries to Gary Grant and Kiki Vandeweghe, they lost a starter in the second quarter. Norman didn’t feel the incident warranted ejection (Turner left the Magic locker room before talking to reporters), but that became a moot point. He was gone after 15 minutes.

The Clippers could have used Norman, not only for scoring--they failed to reach 100 points for the second time in four games--but for his defense and toughness inside. That the Magic won largely because it consistently penetrated the Clipper defense for easy shots only drove that home. Nick Anderson had 36 points for Orlando.

Whether the ejections were deserved or not, it is easy to second-guess Norman for even being in position to be ejected. The only buildup was his talking trash in Turner’s face after hitting a jump shot over the Orlando reserve forward, then Turner delivering a hard bump as they went toward the other end.

After a couple more possessions, the two squared off, pushing each other. Both argued the ejections before leaving the court.

“Maybe I should have just walked away,” Norman conceded. “But it’s hard to just walk away. I guess sometimes you have to.

“Once the ejection occurred, it was obvious they (the Magic) got the better end of the deal. I feel I let the team down.”

Said Coach Larry Brown: “As short-handed as we are, with Stanley (Roberts) not 100% and Danny not 100%, it never helps to be in that position. Especially when you’re on the road, coming here with 10 guys and two of those are hurt.”

Manning and Roberts played, Manning getting 18 points--though he made only six of 20 shots--and nine rebounds in 39 minutes. The outing was hardly as average for Roberts, who was nervous in his first game in Orlando since being traded by the Magic during the summer.

“It built up real bad,” said Roberts, who owns a home in nearby Winter Park, Fla., and plans to split his off-season time between there and Los Angeles. “I let them get to me. I didn’t play my game, and I changed my shots. I was doing things I don’t normally do, and it cost me the first couple quarters.”

A popular player, even during last season’s struggles with conditioning, he got a nice welcome from the crowd of 15,151 at Orlando Arena. But Roberts, having his second consecutive poor game after a dramatic improvement over the last couple of months, couldn’t build off that, making only two of five shots and gathering two rebounds in 16 minutes of the first half as Orlando took a 52-48 lead.

Foul trouble came in the second half, limiting Roberts to 30 minutes for the game. He fouled out with 33 seconds left. But he went four for six from the field in final quarter and finished with 12 points.