This thread reaffirms my belief that Clippers care more about wanting to be loved, respected and worshiped like the Lakers than actually competing. They are carrying the sins of Donald Sterling. That's why I've always pointed to this song:
"That's why everything / Every last little thing / Every single tiny microscopic little thing must go / According to plan"
If one thing goes wrong, then everything goes wrong.
This is a bad look for Jerry West. They brought him in to help fix the Clipper franchise from head to toe, to teach them how to run a franchise properly, yet there is still dysfunction. He helped make dynasties out of Lakers and Warriors, and made the Grizzlies relevant. The Clippers may end up being the one team even Mr. Logo couldn't fix, and is closely starting to become the one scar in his otherwise Midas resume.
This is more than just a bad break with injuries. The Clippers have a lot of demons that must be dealt with internally, such as habits of self-mutilation (they feel like they have to punish themselves in order to fix a mistake that is easily preventable by being better), keeping to themselves (afraid of giving opponents an unfair advantage or letting their fanbase down), and disregarding the spirit of competition (only showing up when it's against an elite team because that's where they can get the most attention). They also have to face their fear of ejections - Westbrook and Hyland had flagrant fouls in their final game, but they didn't go through with getting tossed for it would have sullied the Good Samaritan image of their franchise - something akin to NFL's "Protect The Shield" campaign.
Finally, most importantly, they need to face their fear of Chris Paul. This is the second time Clippers have lost to their former savior, but he didn't do much. The presence of Paul alone - a gift courtesy of David Stern's veto on Lakers and their failure to make things work - coupled with everything else in Clippers Content's thread, was what doomed his old team from the beginning. Sort of like psychological torture.
Clippers have now lost to Suns three times (2006, 2021 and 2023), Durant three times (2014, 2019, 2023) and Paul twice (2021, 2023). The last time they lost to a team three times (Jazz in 1992, 1997 and 2017), Clippers were forced into a rebuild. I don't foresee Clippers blowing it up just yet based on losing to Suns alone. They will probably make the rebuild if they lose to Paul specifically on account of personal vendetta, which is what affects Clippers the most.
However, if Leonard, George, or both get ejected from a game, bring out the popcorn.
