Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro wasn’t happy with his team, going off on players after a lackluster effort against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.

“They outworked us. They outrebounded us,” Del Negro said. “They got loose balls. We didn’t really give ourselves a chance.… I didn’t think our starters were very good. I didn’t think our bench was very good and that’s what you get.”

With so much at stake, Del Negro was asked why the effort was lacking.

The Clippers knew they needed just one more victory to get the home-court advantage over Memphis in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. Now the Clippers have to beat New York on Wednesday night to start the best-of-seven series at Staples Center this weekend.

“Inexperience, young. You can make a bunch of excuses about it,” Del Negro said. “The bottom line is you’ve got to go out and perform and I thought we got outworked tonight. Their (Hawks) backs were against the wall too and ours were. I thought they outworked us.

“Maybe we’ve got to take some more vitamins, some more energy drinks, whatever we’ve got to do. But I didn’t like the start of the game.”

via Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times