I really hope the players got the self-pity out of their system in Game 4. While I understand how distracting and disheartening it is to deal with the whole Sterling fiasco, they're letting it rob them of a viable opportunity at a championship with so many competitive matchups going on in the playoffs at the moment. Griffin and Crawford carried us again while Paul was out (mentally) for most of the last game. We used to talk about not being afraid and welcoming the opportunity to rise to the challenge but now it's somehow acceptable to fold because of the comments of some knucklehead?
Chris Paul previously talked about how he regretted taking for granted that he'd be competing for championships every year after realizing later on how tough and rare it is to be put in that situation, yet for all the praise he garners as one of the game's most driven competitors, he sure hasn't looked like it during the postseason. Would MJ have let this situation take his eyes off the prize? Would Kobe if he were in Paul's position? Of course not, yet CP3 hasn't lived up to his reputation thus far.
I've talked before of how legends like Bill Russell and Jackie Robinson persevered through truly disturbing times and situations. With all due respect, the Clippers don't have it nearly as hard as those two with support from the league, other teams, and fans pulling for something to happen to rid themselves of Sterling. Instead of focusing on the task at hand, they're coming up with ways to further their protest for Game 5 and to address the home crowd. Paul, as president of the NBPA, likely has responsibilities in that capacity pulling him further away as he addresses the Sterling issue.
The one thing Paul and his Clipper teammates seem to have worse than Russell and Robinson is with purported talk of their family not supporting them to play in the games. The point is that the Sterling situation will eventually be handled one way or another, so it is disappointing to see most of them--Blake Griffin excluded--more apt to being distracted by the circus surrounding Sterling's words instead of being focused on the precious opportunity to compete for greatness.
This may seem harsh, but unfortunately, I think tough love is the only way to keep the focus on what needs to be done and I'm afraid Doc and Paul, in particular, do not look to be up to the challenge. I suspect this will be one of the moments Paul will reflect back on in regret that he could have and should have done more towards keeping his mind on the game instead of paying attention to the distractions. Sterling may be to blame for this whole mess, but the players are not absolved from culpability for letting it deflate their will.
In any case, I'll conclude with the words from a true champion set in the proper perspective:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, TIME (4/28/14)I hope the Clippers continue to be unconditionally supported by their fans. I hope the Clippers realize that the ramblings of an 80-year-old man jealous of his young girlfriend don’t define who they are as individual players or as a team. They aren’t playing for Sterling—they’re playing for themselves, for the fans, for showing the world that neither basketball, nor our American ideals, are defined by a few pathetic men or women.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Welcome to the Finger-Wagging Olympics
