Before he scored 11 points in 18 minutes against the Knicks last night at MSG, we sat down with Clippers rookie forward Al Thornton (also know as “Mr. Excitement” around the Dime office). The ‘07 Lottery pick recently posted 33 points against the Hawks and 23 against the Cavs, which he talks about here as well as his transition from Florida State to the pros…

Dime: What’s been the key for you on the court recently? You’ve had some big scoring nights.
Thornton: I’m feeling good out there, feeling a lot more confident, you know what I’m saying? I’m getting a lot more playing time, kinda feeling at ease out there, getting a feel for my teammates’ game. The more minutes you play, the more confident you feel.

Dime: Sam Cassell has your back, saying that you got snubbed from the Rookie Challenge. Do you think you deserved a spot on the rookie team?
Thornton: You know it’s kind of funny, the day it came out the reporters told me about it. It was last Wednesday I think, it was Wednesday morning when it came out - I had assumed that I had made it, so it was shocking to me. But it is what it is. It would have been an honor to play in the game. I think it would have been fun just to be out there in New Orleans. But I guess I didn’t play good enough. I hope I can look forward to next year to making the sophomore team.

Dime: When you first came into the League, you were labeled by a lot of experts as the most NBA-ready newcomer. Did you feel NBA-ready when you got here?
Thornton: Haha, no. Coming into practice I learned a lot about different strategy, how to prepare for teams night in and night out. I didn’t feel ready, though. It’s a different monster. Slowly but surely I’m getting used to the game, though.

Dime: What’s been the easiest part of the transition?
Thornton: Probably just getting up and down the floor - that’s not too overwhelming. That’s the easiest part, just the physical play.

Dime: How much tougher is it to score on this level than in college?
Thornton: Actually, I think college was a lot tougher. Maybe that’s because I was getting double- and triple-teamed. Right now, being a rookie, people don’t really know my game. So it’s still kind of fresh to a lot of people. I’m pretty sure it’s going to get harder later on, but right now it’s easier for me.