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Jordan Sets Record; Paul, Redick, Crawford Reach Milestones

Rowan Kavner

PHOENIX – DeAndre Jordan is the new franchise record holder for most rebounds in a single season.

The Defensive Player of the Year candidate was among a handful of Clippers players to reach milestones in the regular season finale Tuesday, recording his fifth rebound of the game and 1,217th of the season with 3:50 remaining in the first quarter to pass Swen Nater and set the team record.

“It’s cool,” Jordan said. “I knew about it this morning. Somebody told me that, I think Ekpe (Udoh) told me. I was like, ‘Oh, dang, five? I’ve got to get it.’ It’s cool. It’s definitely humbling.”

Jordan would go on to record 14 rebounds in the game and set the new mark at 1,226 rebounds in a single season, moving Nater’s mark from the 1979-80 season to second on the list. Head coach Doc Rivers figured Jordan already had the team lead the way he was rebounding this year, finishing the season with 15 rebounds per game.

The closest player to Jordan this season is Andre Drummond, averaging 13.5 rebounds per game. No other player is even averaging 13 rebounds per game. Jordan’s one of only 24 players to average at least 11.5 points and 15 rebounds during an entire season.

“It’s cool, just to see how far I’ve come from that part of my game, rebounding the basketball,” Jordan said. “I always talk about us losing to Memphis, just getting crushed on the boards every night, that was a big part of me focusing in on that part of my game to get better at.”

It’s possible Jordan will get to see that Grizzlies team in the first round, depending on what happens Wednesday night.

All 82

Moving along with the milestones, the first second Chris Paul played Tuesday against the Suns marked a personal achievement for the star point guard.

Paul played in all 82 games this season, a feat he’d never achieved in his previous nine seasons in the league. He’d played in 80 games two other times before. It’s rare for Paul to celebrate personal achievements, but this one means something to him.

“This is my 10th year and I’ve never played a full season because of injuries and stuff like that,” Paul said, “I think a lot of credit goes to our training staff. It’s tough. It’s tough to play a full season with all the minutes. I do feel like it’s a big accomplishment.”

It’s also an achievement his head coach thought was cool, even if it’s more important to Paul than Doc Rivers.

“I think it meant a lot to Chris,” Rivers said. “I think he wanted to prove to himself that he could do that. He’s put the work in with his body and he’s gotten the proper amount of rest.

“It also says what we do as far as rest is important, too. We do a good job of allowing players to be able to play. We do have less practices and less shootarounds and aren’t on the floor forever. So, he’ll tell you that that’s helped him tremendously. So, I think it’s all good.”

Paul said his body feels healthy, and every year he learns from other veterans different ways to take care of himself.

“Part of it is luck goes into it, too,” Paul said.

J.J.’s 200th

It looked like any other 3-pointer for J.J. Redick, but as he buried on the long-range shot with 1:01 remaining in the second quarter, he achieved something no other Clippers player had ever done before.

Redick became the first player in franchise history and just the 27th in NBA history to make at least 200 3-pointers in a season. Redick averaged career-highs in 3-pointers per game (2.6), field goal percentage (47.8) and 3-point percentage (43.8) this season.

He especially ramped his game up late in the year, averaging more than 20 points per game in March and April. Redick said part of the increase in production could be attributed to the absences of Jamal Crawford and Blake Griffin, but it’s also what he envisioned doing when he went to Los Angeles.

“Last year, prior to my back injury, I felt like that’s what I was doing as well,” Redick said. “Last five games of the regular season last year I came back from my back injury, wasn’t 100 percent, I didn’t play particularly well, I think all my shooting and scoring percentages were way down those five games.

“I didn’t have a lot of games to play with, so the season totals didn’t look great, or not as good as I thought, and I wasn’t healthy in the playoffs.”

This year, Redick only missed four games.

“To be healthy for a whole season has been great,” he said. “This has been the best stretch of my career, there’s no question.

Passing Pete

Jamal Crawford needed three points to pass Pete Maravich and move to No. 104 on the all-time scoring list.

He finished with 10.

“I think it’s a heck of an accomplishment for anybody,” Crawford said. “He’s an all-time great. I think the way he played was so far ahead of his time. Going back and watching tape on it, the stuff he was doing then is just now being brought to the game now and that was 30, 40 years ago.”

Crawford’s always been a fan of the history of the game, so this moment was special for him. He passed Maravich at the 2:25 mark in the third quarter on a 3-pointer and now has 15,956 points for his career.

“That’s pretty cool,” Rivers said. “I just know when I was rookie and we talked about who was the best player, all the older guys would immediately yell ‘Pistol Pete’…It is fitting. They’re both ultra scorers.”