http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/clippers/la-sp-cassell14feb14,1,6443553.story?coll=la-headlines-sports SAM'S CLUB By Jason Reid, Times Staff Writer Sam Cassell is still doing his thing after all these years, making big shots and helping another team reach new heights. The Clippers, off to their best start in 30 years, are the latest to benefit from the point guard's take-charge attitude, and Cassell might be only getting started. A bad breakup with the Minnesota Timberwolves behind him, Cassell, 36, says he's having a blast in his 13th NBA season, bringing his swagger and fourth-quarter heroics to a talented group that needed a closer. The Clippers, second in the Western Conference's Pacific Division, are among the NBA's elite for the first time; Cassell loves L.A. and says he hopes to join the coaching staff when he's finished playing. That will depend, in part, on whether Cassell, who can become a free agent after the season, can get the contract extension he wants. For now, the Clippers are enjoying a wild ride in uncharted waters, and they're eager to see where Cassell leads them next. "We've never been in this position before; we're changing a lot of people's minds about what the Clippers are about, and no doubt, Sam is a big, big part of that," power forward Elton Brand said. "A lot of guys are contributing and helping this team … but that veteran leadership that Sam brings … he's helped us win some of those close games that we might not have won in the past. Well, that and all those big shots." With Cassell averaging 17.8 points and a team-leading 6.6 assists, the Clippers have the fifth-best record in the NBA at 30-19, their best mark through 49 games since the 1975-76 season, when they were the Buffalo Braves. And they are 5-1 in games decided by three points or fewer; they were 4-13 in those games last season. "When the game's on the line, Sam just has a knack for taking over whenever we need him to," center Chris Kaman said. "It's just unlike anything I've ever seen." Cassell has delivered plenty of late-game highlight-tape performances already, and his best work has occurred away from Staples Center: • He had 35 points, 15 in the final quarter, and 11 assists on opening night as the Clippers overcame a 13-point deficit in a 101-93 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics. • He made a 17-foot jump shot with 30.8 seconds left to secure a 100-94 victory over Portland at the Rose Garden. • He made three consecutive three-point shots in a 15-2 fourth-quarter spurt, helping the Clippers pull away and win, 98-81, at Boston. • He scored 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, including the game's final two points on free throws with less than a second to play, as the Clippers overcame a 19-point deficit and defeated the Golden State Warriors, 96-93. • At Toronto, he made a three-pointer with 5.5 seconds left in regulation to extend play, and scored 14 of his 27 points in the final 4:32 of the fourth quarter and in overtime in a 115-113 win. • He silenced a raucous crowd at Madison Square Garden with consecutive three-point baskets in the last two minutes to lead the Clippers from a one-point deficit to a five-point lead in an 85-82 win over the New York Knicks. The last three on the list came on a recent 4-2 trip — the second-best trip in franchise history — prompting teammates to nickname Cassell "Big Game." He has always been accustomed to having the ball in his hands at the end of games, from the time he was at Dunbar High in Baltimore to his first two years in the NBA when he won championships with the Houston Rockets. "Man, this is what I do," Cassell said. "I told the team in training camp that Elton is our horse, we're going to ride the horse as far as he's going to take us, but that I could help Elton if they just let me do what I do. You can't lead guys if they don't want to be led, but they let me go out there and do it."
I am very happy for Sam, I still can't believe we had the chance to get him for JHo and declined (at least that's what I heard).
