Phillips on defensive gem: 'I did look good'
PITTSBURGH — The Los Angeles Clippers may be out of the playoffs, but Brandon Phillips is still dishing out assists like Chris Paul.
Phillips added to his long highlight reel in the sixth inning of Saturday’s 5-1 loss to the Pirates, when he fielded a slow roller from Pirates first baseman John Jaso that got by pitcher JC Ramirez. Sprinting forward, Phillips bare-handed the ball and flipped it behind his back to Joey Votto, who made a nice play of his own to dig out the throw for the first out of the inning.
“I was Chris Paul-ing out there in the sloppy weather,” Phillips said. “I played basketball back in the day, I still play in the offseason. I still play basketball. It’s just some of my basketball skills come out, my football skills come out, I’m very athletic. They come up every once in a while.”
Phillips does practice those kinds of plays, and there’s a practical reason to the behind-the-back flip, he said.
“I feel like going behind my back is better than myself trying to catch the ball forward and I have to turn my body all the way around and throw to first,” Phillips said. “I feel like if I practice something like that, it just happened in a game like it did today. I just thought that was the best to play. As long as you make the play, that’s all that really matters — even though I did look good making that play.”
He also dabbed after the play — an exuberant expression he certainly earned with yet another defensive gem.