Are The Clippers For Real?

“Coming up on Sportscenter, Clippers lose again”. That is what I am used to. Since the 1978-1979 season the Clippers have had only two, I REPEAT, two winning seasons. The Clippers have been lacking something in the last 25 years. That something is experience, talent, and most importantly ownership skills.

Clippers Owner Donald Sterling, in my is eyes a tyrant. Sterling drafts or signs young prodigies and phenoms, develops them, and then when they ask for more money he cuts them loose. This has happened on many occasions: In the mid-nineties it happened with Rodney Rodgers, and in recent years with the likes of Darius Miles, Michael Olowikandi, Lamar Odom, Andre Miller, and most recently Quinton Richardson.

Quinton Richardson; or “Q” as the “fans” referred to him, was a crowd favorite. You may have noticed that I put the word “fans” in quotations. That’s because it is hard to be a true Clippers fan. Year after year, loss after loss, released player after released player. This stuff gets tiring after awhile. You get all excited at the beginning of the season, you go out and buy a few new hats, go to a few games, and then shortly after the all-star break, and they have only won 11 games you loose interest. I have gone through this all my life. In the 1996-1997 season the Clipps managed to make the playoffs despite a 36-46 record. I got excited. However I wasn’t surprised when they got swept in the first round… figures.

The Clippers have never won a playoff series. That alone should convince the government to legalize euthanasia. The Clippers last year with a winning record was 1992-1993 season… I was three years old.

Over-enthusiastic commentator Ralph Lawler doesn’t help much either. No matter how the game is going he can always find time to shout “oh me, oh my” after a nice dunk or a well orchestrated fast break. And after 16 televised games the word “BINGO” will drive you nuts. Every single time someone (regardless of the team) makes a three or a long two he yells “BINGO.” That single word is like nails on a chalkboard. The one good thing to come out of Ralph Lawler is his theory called “Lawler’s Law” which states that the first team to 100 points wins. You may think that it is stupid (I kind of do too) but it has never failed, in every single Clippers game Ralph Lawler has called, the first team to 100 has won the game.  

Clippers fans finally saw a sign of hope in the off-season when Donald Sterling decided to re-sign Elton Brand. This was the point when some Clippers “fans” moved Sterling from #1 on their hit list to maybe… #3.

The Clippers have been scrutinized far too much recently. In the November 8th issue of ESPN the magazine Cedric the Entertainer added his opinion to all of the pre-season rankings in an article titled “funny you should ask”. Cedric says “They’re like a good farm team. You get to see who’s going to come up and possibly get traded somewhere else-then blow up.”  Thanks for telling us stuff we already know. In fact all of Cedric’s criticism was stuff we already knew, ESPN was just using him for publicity, they think “Shaq and Cedric the Entertainer on the cover, instant hit” but all Cedric had to say was stuff a novice sports fan would of came up with.

The same section went on to bash the Clippers even more, proclaiming this year as “the final days of the Jaric era.” That doesn’t make much sense considering Marco Jaric is 5th in the NBA in steals and averaging around 17 points per game. And it gets worse ESPN is quoted saying “Chris Kaman is still the second-best center in LA. You forgot about Vlade.” That is a dumb thing to say bearing in mind, Kaman is an eager second-year 24 year old, and Vlade is a washed up late-thirties flopper…. Some comparison.

The Clippers are looking considerably stronger. Chris Wilcox had his coming out party, tearing things up during Chris Kaman’s absence. Elton Brand is having a good year, and as usual doing well in rebounds and blocks. The biggest surprise of the season, so far is 24 year old, virtually unknown Bobby Simmons. Simmons is 5th in the NBA in FGA. He was a tag-along last year who made himself known through this ability to score and his hustle.

The Clippers are finally showing a desire to win, but a lack of togetherness in overtime. The Clippers have lost three of four overtime games all of which have been against major contenders. On November 8th against the Pistons, the game went into 2OT and the Clippers gave it up in the last minute 98-92. November 20th against the Rockets, the Clippers lost 99-96. December 4th against the Timberwolves, the Clippers rallied back and tied it through regulation and then blew it in OT 107-100. The one victory the Clippers did have in OT was December 6th against the Bobcats. I considered this a victory for the Bobcats taking the 10-7 clippers to 2OT and only loosing by 6, 99-93.

The Clippers are hoping for a potential playoff birth for the first time in 7 years, and maybe they could win a playoff series for the first time in franchise history. That would be nice. If the Clippers do in fact end this season in the playoffs, or perhaps a title, they would gain some serious respect and lose the alias of LA’s other team, and with a record of 11-7 after a month and a week THEY HAVE A CHANCE.