Game 70: Los Angeles Clippers (39-30) vs. Chicago Bulls (19-50) - 7:30 PM PT

[Galloisdaman]

6 games with an ejection is a very small sample size. I would not think correlation always equals causation in that regard. In fact I would be curious in how many of those games was the team already losing when the ejection happened.
Now I know you mentioned previous seasons but this team has had so much turnover in the last 16 months that I do not think past teams are totally relevant in this case.

[Wammy Giveaway]

6 games with an ejection is a very small sample size. I would not think correlation always equals causation in that regard. In fact I would be curious in how many of those games was the team already losing when the ejection happened.
Now I know you mentioned previous seasons but this team has had so much turnover in the last 16 months that I do not think past teams are totally relevant in this case.

It actually does.

In media circles, whenever they talk about the Clippers, the number one question on their minds is, when is the other shoe going to drop. I see this constantly: "It's the Clippers, they always screw it up." They got rid of the bad owner and things are looking up under Jerry West, but they're still not convinced. The ejection record is one example of a mistrust in the Clippers.

Now look at the other teams. Again, singling out the Lakers because of proximity, "it's the Lakers, they always get the stars, they always win." The media puts trust in the 16 championships before anybody else, even the Celtics who have 17 are underappreciated. Right now, the media is putting the eggs in the Warriors basket because they've won recently: "They're fighting each other now, but when the playoffs come along..." How about the Spurs: "it's the Spurs, they never die, they always find a way to do the impossible."

We're talking about the little details that end up correlating to their overall reputation. It's just like the old saying, "You are what you eat." If that team is known for winning championships, the media will treat you righteously. If you are known only for abject failure, then the media will use ever excuse in the book to maintain that thinking, especially when there's a select contingent working to protect the integrity of its rival (see the Lakers-MSG emails). Why do I care so much about ejections? Because they're a part of the reputation angle, and when a player is tossed, the obvious answer has to be "What'd this guy to do to ruin the Clippers now."

For a team's stigma to change, it starts with little things like not getting thrown out of games. The more the media sees the Clippers taking competition seriously, the better they'll be respected. The Revenge Of The Role Players is basically trying to right all the wrongs that Lob City did: the playoff blunders, heartbreaks and collapses, the brash entitlement, the pettiness, everything. It's a big mess to clean up when you have to trust on a weakened roster, making it feel like a burden, but with Jerry West on board and a functional front office to oversee the makeup, the Beverleys, Williams, Gallinaris, Gilgeouses, Shamets, Harrells, et all of the world won't have to do it alone.

Do you at least get what I'm saying?