GAME #49: LAC (33-15) @ the ATL (22-27) MON 2/5—4:30PM

[esqtvd]

icymi--
The Sphinx speaks!

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[Wammy Giveaway]

I'd like to think that 6 game losing stretch right after the trade was a great adversity test for the team, and we passed with flying colors.

https://www.si.com/nba/clippers/news/james-harden-gets-honest-about-clippers-five-game-losing-streak

Speaking with reporters after Sunday afternoon's loss to the 1-8 Memphis Grizzlies, Harden said, "We're trying to do everything to win games, like we're not trying to lose the game. We're trying to win. That's why it's more frustrating because we're all competitive, and we all want to win. Figuring it out is going to be a process for the entire season, you know we're trying to win games. We'll get there."
...
Harden also spoke about the Clippers sticking together despite this losing streak, which is something other players have shared as well. While the team is of course frustrated with their results right now, nobody is pointing fingers, as they all understand this will come together at some point.

That's only one type of adversity. The long losing streak was part accumulation, part lesson learning. The pieces were there, but was there sacrifice? Nobody wanted to give up anything, and they were, in a way, too high over their Fantastic 4/"we're-invincible-now-nobody-can-defeat-us" thing. Lue knew what he was doing: he let this roster in until one of the superstars was willing to speak up and admit something has to change. You knew Lue wasn't going to do that for them; the decisions had to be made by the players. Westbrook was the one to say, I'll give up my superstar status and become a role player; that self-sacrifice turned into a lucky charm that brought Clippers to a near no. 1 seed status. Good for them.

But that's not the one I'm looking for. I'm looking for an ejection game that is against the Clippers. Remember vs. Thunder last year, Mann got tossed because of an inexperienced official? That killed them, and it led to a loss. Clippers still have a losing record whenever a player or coach of theirs gets tossed, and they didn't break that losing streak until the 2020 NBA Bubble Playoffs when Marcus Morris was thrown out on a Flagrant Foul 2 vs. Mavericks in Round 1, Game 6 (yes, I still remember that). Stats follow:

1. Of the 34 games to have an ejection, teams are 11-21 when a player or coach gets tossed. That's a losing record. If a Clipper player or coach gets ejected this season, consider it an automatic loss.

2. Four of the 23 affected teams are elite, and they're winning. Celtics (1st) and Bucks (3rd) currently have a perfect record when an ejection occurs beyond a single game, 3-0 and 2-0 respectively. Cavs (2nd) are 2-1, Wolves (2nd) only have one game in their belt. The other elites are Thunder and Clippers - and they don't have a single ejection... yet, meaning we don't know if they'll be as good as elites, or end up like the lesser teams.

3. Of the five playoff teams (seeded 4th to 6th), they too do well... if you're in the west. Defending champion Nuggets are 3-1, and Kings also have a solo game win. The losing teams all happen in the east: Knicks, 76ers and Pacers all got dinged, and in the Pacers case, their first ejection comes courtesy of their coach Rick Carlisle. Could be worse...

4. How worse? If you're in the qualifier (7th to 10th) or in lottery (11th and below), forget about it. Teams in those two categories are winless in 20 games. The once almighty Warriors have lost all four games with an ejection, and they're in the lottery, three of them caused by Draymond Green.

Suppose an ejection happens to Clippers, one that hurts their core. Will they panic, cower, regress to their loser past? Or will they face their fears and be triumphant over their inner demons? Getting Mann tossed vs. Thunder was a sting, and even if they waived it off, it's not as if the ejection never happened; he'll forever have it in his resume, we have video evidence. All that matters is for the Clippers to be ready for it when it happens. That's the adversity I want to see, when the world purposely wants one of their best players gone by any means necessary to steal a win. It would also mean the end of the Clippers and rumors of a major rebuild happening against their will.

Or who knows? Maybe it galvanizes the team and forces them to achieve a Herculean feat that we have waited a very long time for. Maybe they pull off the first ever quintuple double, somebody scores 100 points with video evidence, or become the first team to come back from down 3-0 in a playoff series. And win, to go with it.

The jury's still out. Everybody wants to steal from Clippers and keep them velcrowed at the bottom of the standings. Time for the Clippers to say no more and rise up against the haters, naysayers and gatekeepers. And if they want to prove they belong, they gotta trample this hurdle down.

[nickhx2]

wammy can you incorporate something about evil AI uprisings in your stories because i think that would add an extra layer of complexity to them.

[Wammy Giveaway]

wammy can you incorporate something about evil AI uprisings in your stories because i think that would add an extra layer of complexity to them.

AI is out of my league.

Besides, this is gonna be my last year talking sports.

[nickhx2]

oh because you'll be talking about AI instead? cool!

[Wammy Giveaway]

oh because you'll be talking about AI instead? cool!

Well, not really. I'm just gonna be leaving the sports scene for something bigger. (You're probably dancing right now over my leave, I get it)

I'll talk about it after the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.

[nickhx2]

i have no particular interest in your demise