Bill Cartwright is mostly a mild-mannered coach who rarely criticizes his players in public.
But emotion got the best of Cartwright late Wednesday in a Staples Center hallway after the Bulls kicked off a five-game West Coast trip with a demoralizing 77-75 loss to the Clippers.
The Bulls blew a five-point, fourth-quarter lead and lost for the 21st time in 23 road games, prompting Cartwright to break his clipboard late in the game and then break from protocol in a profanity-laced rebuke of his team’s performance.
“The Clippers didn’t have anything to do with how we’re playing,” Cartwright said. “It’s our inability to be ready to play, to be ready to guard, to be ready to rebound, to be ready to make a shot. We had guys not show up. And until we have guys who play on the road as well as home, we may not win a game. Who knows?
“Rick Brunson wasn’t very good. But who was good? Nobody. It’s terrible. Marcus Fizer was terrible, a [expletive] embarrassment.”
Fizer went 1-for-8 in 21 minutes and consistently looked for calls after drives resulted in contact but no whistle, a trait Cartwright despises.
“We’re not looking for any fouls, period,” Cartwright said. “You just play. It’s as simple as that. That’s part of the problem too. Nobody’s going to bail you out here on the road. You have to earn your way.”
Fizer, near tears in the postgame locker room, punched his locker several times after talking to reporters.
“We were out there trying to win the game,” Fizer said. “I don’t agree with [Cartwright] at all. I went at it with a purpose.
“Each and every time I took the ball to the basket, I ended up on my head. I would think that would be an example of someone trying to win a ballgame.”
Jalen Rose, who led the Bulls with 24 points, complained to referee Bob Delaney after the buzzer sounded because he thought he got fouled with the Bulls down two and him driving on Sean Rooks, who blocked his shot.
The Bulls had a final chance after that play with 3.6 seconds remaining but Fizer committed a turnover on the inbounds play.
The Clippers took the lead for good when Corey Maggette, who led them with 25 points, hit two free throws with 67 seconds remaining.
Elton Brand, who added 10 points and 10 rebounds, had a huge block on Rose late.
But Jamal Crawford gave the Bulls hope after getting fouled on a three-pointer and hitting all three free throws with 15.4 seconds left, making it 76-75.
When Maggette split two free throws with 14.7 seconds remaining, the Bulls had their final, futile chance.
The Bulls couldn’t take advantage of the Clippers’ 31 percent shooting and Andre Miller’s fourth-quarter ejection.
“We should be past this,” Cartwright said. “And that’s what’s disappointing.”
