FITCH HAS 1,000 REASONS TO LAUGH IT OFF : DALLAS 105, CLIPPERS 94.

Byline: Gary Washburn Daily News Staff Writer

What other way to give Clippers coach Bill Fitch his 1,000th loss than in grand style.

The Clippers gift-wrapped a stinker and handed to Fitch on Thursday night against the Dallas Mavericks.

Shoot, if Fitch knew his club would practically give the game to the Mavericks in the first half, he could have packed up and had the 1,000th coaching-career-loss party as his home in Conroe, Texas, just 240 miles from Dallas.

Instead, he spent the historic moment in Reunion Arena and watched Chris Gatling score 27 points in the Mavericks' 105-94 win in front of 13,510.

The Clippers never got closer than nine in the fourth quarter, giving Fitch time to prepare his response to reaching four figures in losses.

``At least they didn't take to overtime and make it suspenseful,'' Fitch said. ``That's a lot of losses. Well, it's onto the next 1,000.''

The loss makes Fitch's coaching record 897-1,000. But he also ranks fourth in wins in NBA history.

The 64-year-old has downplayed the significance of the dubious milestone but the Clippers' effort made it impossible for him to overlook the ending result.

The Mavericks (3-7) simply took the game to the Clippers and Los Angeles couldn't offer any resistance. The dominance was without forward Jamal Mashburn, who broke his cheekbone three minutes into the game with he was hit by Malik Sealy going to the basket. The oft-injured Mashburn is expected to be out several weeks. An MRI will be performed today.

That allowed Gatling to work the inside. For some reason, the 6-foot-10 forward has always played well against the Clippers. He scored 22 points in 16 first-half minutes helping Dallas to a second-quarter advantage it would never relinquish.

``I was thinking of getting a picture of Gatling and showing the guys what he looks like at halftime, because they didn't know,'' Fitch said. ``I thought that was the key right there.''

Fitch's 1,000th loss was a done deal when Jimmy Jackson's 12 points spurred a 17-4 Dallas run for a 76-59 lead midway through the third quarter. Fitch sat in frustration as none of the previously effective rotations worked. Stanley Roberts got in foul trouble, Terry Dehere left his jump shot in San Antonio and Kevin Duckworth appeared exhausted after 27 productive minutes.

``We didn't want to be the ones who gave Fitch his 1,000th loss,'' Clippers point guard Pooh Richardson said. ``I mean he's been around for a long time, so you're going to get losses. But if he's not going to make a big thing out of it, then I'm not either.''

The good sign is that Fitch did pick up a majority of his losses rebuilding other NBA teams to prominence in Cleveland, Houston and New Jersey, where he turned those teams into playoff contenders.

There remains obvious work to be done with the Clippers. The team that hadn't disappointed Fitch that many times this season presented him with a clunker.

The back-to-back-games excuse could apply, but Fitch was well aware that this could be No. 1,000 before tipoff. The Mavericks inside depth concerned him, along with the athleticism of 310-pound Oliver Miller, whom the Clippers were interested in signing in the offseason. Miller matched Duckworth pound-for-pound.

``They have the size to match up with us,'' Fitch said. ``Not too many teams can say that.''

While Fitch tries for win No. 900 in the next few weeks, he nearly closed the book on free-agent center Brian Williams being a part of that run.

``I'd say he's probably played his last game as a Clipper,'' Fitch said. ``We've moved on to other things. He's a free agent.''

Meanwhile, the loss didn't help the Clippers' effort to stay above water in the next few weeks. After Saturday's game with Minnesota, contests against Chicago, Miami and Utah follow. As potentially strong as Dallas may be, it had won just two games before Thursday, yet easily defeated the Clippers. Williams' inside presence would help, as evidenced by Gatling's effort against three different defenders.

And the organization which has said it will no longer negotiate with Williams, must decide if this club is enough to persevere through the long year. Or should Fitch plan maybe on 1,050 before the season's out?

``We can't think about this too long,'' Richardson said. ``We lost this game in the first half but we did fight back. We just have to think about the positives and look to (Minnesota). Hopefully it will work out.''

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Photo

Photo: (color) Clippers' Malik Sealy dribbles past Dallas' Jimmy Jackson in the first quarter.

Associated Press