Jared Dudley might have had his best shooting game of the season with his 21-point effort, but he is also winning praise for the way he fits in defensively with the Clippers.
Coach Doc Rivers noticed that about Dudley when he played for Phoenix and was surprisingly effective matching up against Paul Pierce of the Celtics.
“He’s crafty,” Rivers said. “I used to look at him at Phoenix and there were certain games he gave Paul problems and I didn’t understand how that was possible. But he’s just a crafty defender. He’s just kind of in the right place.”
Dudley, who has battled tendinitis this season, has simply been doing his homework.
“What I try to do is position defense,” he said. “I know what guys like to do. I’m not so much going to block your shot or get a lot of steals. Usually, every team has a defensive concept where they know where their help is. I know where my help is, I try to send them to the help or use angles or the sideline when it comes to quicker guards on the baseline.”
Another veteran not used to hearing praise for his defense is Jamal Crawford. But he won that praise from Rivers Sunday.
“Jamal had three crack-backs tonight defensively and two of them created turnovers,” Rivers said. “That’s unbelievable. From a coaching standpoint, it’s nice when guys are hugging him on the bench because of a defensive play. That warms my heart.”