Jeff McInnis seethed on the bench for most of the second half. But that was nothing compared to what spilled from his mouth Monday night after the Clippers' 119-115 overtime loss to the struggling Memphis Grizzlies, according to the Orange County Register.

"If you don't play at a high level in the NBA, it doesn't matter who you play," Clippers coach Alvin Gentry said. "You can't play well for a half. You can't play three quarters. You have to play 48 minutes and in this instance, 53 minutes."

McInnis made all five of his field-goal attempts in the first quarter, and his 14 points and five assists by halftime helped stake the Clippers to a 12-point lead. But McInnis only played 13 of the 29 minutes in the second half.

"I'm tired of being the scapegoat," said McInnis, visibly upset as he left the locker room. "It's like everything is Jeff McInnis' fault when we lose. I play with emotion. It's not the first time, and it's not going to be the last time.

Gentry spoke about McInnis in terse tones after the game. He pulled McInnis with about five minutes left in the third quarter, shortly after McInnis was slow getting back on defense because he was arguing with an official.

Michael Olowokandi screamed at McInnis to forget the play and get back on defense. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies motored up court with a numbers advantage, and Tony Massenburg hit a jumper that tied the score, 65-65. Memphis had trailed by 14 points 41/2 minutes into the second quarter.

"We can't be like that, with the bickering," Elton Brand said. "All that bickering comes out, and all of a sudden, you're down four."