The Warriors played 3 solid quarters tonight featuring some surprisingly good defense (Jason Richardson especially) and hustle. Then the 4th quarter rolled around and well- you know the rest.

This is a tough loss because the Warriors this late in the season even with a new cast of characters still cannot win on the road. It's also tough because the Clips are one of the teams the Warriors need to beat out to reach the playoffs this year. But most of all, this loss is tough because I lost a bet with ClipperSteve over at Clips Nation. Now I have to pay up...

Final Box Score

Nellie sports all black to Warriors' road games because it's pretty much a funeral out there.
(AP Photo/Branimir Kvartuc)

5 Reasons Why I Love the Clippers
(The Warriors just HAD to lose this game, didn't they?)

1) Elton Brand = BEAST
There's no other way to put it. Elton is a beast in the paint.

Elton wants the rock... badly.
(AP Photo/Branimir Kvartuc)

Time after time it looked like the Warriors were about to get an easy layup, whether it was Monta Ellis or JR, but then BAMMM!!- Brand came up with a block. His 8 Mutombo's tonight were the icing on his stellar night. The Warrior Killer went for 31 points and 12 rebounds too.

2) They invested heavily in real estate at the charity stripe.
The Clips know how to get to the line (35 FT attempts). The Warriors don't (15 FT attempts). It's that simple. Clippers swingman Corey Maggette almost single-handedly had more trips to the line than the Dubs. Maybe a Clippers fan out there can enlighten me- why does Coach Dunleavy want to get rid of him so badly?

3) The Clips use plenty of Windex.
The Clips' were missing their starting center Chris "Caveman" Kaman tonight, but still thoroughly dominated the Warriors on the glass. Tonight the Clips out rebounded the Warriors by 13. Winning the battle of the boards makes the rest of the game easy, especially during key possessions late in the game.

4) They are savvy.
The Clips are a smart veteran team. They know how to close out quarters and how to work the refs. The Warriors- well, hopefully they're learning because as of right now they're clueless on the road.

5) They aren't the LA Fakers.
I unfortunately lived in SoCal for nearly 6 years. The weather was great, but Laker fans drove me absolutely crazy during my stay there with their supposed hoops knowledge. A few of my favorite lines:

• "Devean George is the next Shawn Marion."
• During the 2004 Western Conference Finals: "KG isn't a good player at all. He's overrated. I wouldn't want him on my team."
• "Ooooh, Slava Medvedenko is going to be good!"

Anytime I met a Clipper fan however it was a pleasure. They were usually a little strange, but it was pretty much guaranteed that they were going to be cool cat who knew hoops. Much respect Clips Nation.

I'm with Adonal- Clippers' fans are cool!
(Photo by Jeffrey Bottari/NBAE via Getty Images)

Warrior Wonder (your logo could be here!)
Monta Ellis really showed me something tonight. I've been incredibly skeptical of him being a full time point guard with his propensity to create more turnovers than Pillsbury, but tonight he was dishing out some pretty passes at an eye-popping rate. I never thought I'd see the day when Monta would have a 13 : 2 assist to turnover ratio. You have to hand it to Ellis to the Rim. He keeps getting better.

Ellis to the Rim was Ellis Droppin' Dimes today.
(Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

If there's one thing Monta has proven this season it's that he's a fast learner. I've been projecting Monta to be Tony Parker with better defense, ups, and shooting in a few years, but he's actually way ahead of schedule.

Eva hands Monta the prestigious Warrior Wonder trophy for today's game.
(Chad Buchanan/Getty Images)

Bold Prediction: By the end of the season Monta Ellis will be better than Tony Parker. There I said it.

Let's rinse the nasty Dr. Pepper-like taste of this loss out right now. The Warriors have a chance for some major redemption tomorrow in Oakland at 3pm against our bitter rivals the LA Fakers. Let's do this!