Toughest Week Gets Under Way

The Clippers, who’ve split their first 12 games, face their toughest week of the season, playing the defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls tonight at the Sports Arena, the Miami Heat Wednesday night at the Sports Arena, the Utah Jazz Friday night at Salt Lake City and the New Jersey Nets Saturday night at the Pond of Anaheim. “In all the years I’ve been in this league I’ve never seen a schedule like we’ve got this year,” said Clipper Coach Bill Fitch, who’s in his 24th season.

The Clippers have lost 12 of their last 13 games to the Bulls and they’ve dropped six of their last eight to Miami. They’ve lost their last 12 games at Utah since a 95-92 victory on April 18, 1989.

“Any time you play the defending world champs it’ll get your attention, but we’ve got very little time to prepare for them,” Fitch said. “What we’ve got in the lunch box now is what we’re going to have to eat when we play them. We don’t have time to go to the grocery store and buy anything special.”

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Although Clipper guard Brent Barry, who was placed on the injured list at the start of the season because of a sprained left thumb, has had the cast removed, Fitch doesn’t think Barry’s ready to return.

“You just don’t get off the injured list and come back,” Fitch said. “He’s not in as good a shape as he was in training camp. There’s little things in the offense that he doesn’t know now.

“It’s difficult to get your timing back, especially if you’re a guard and other people are depending on you.”