Hey, friends! I had a moment — a long moment, maybe years — to consider the much-derided owner, the team and what it all means. Here’s an excerpt from TrueHoop’s TrueCities project (It’s a great series, by the way. If you haven’t checked out other ClipperBlog contributions to it, do so here and here):
Doc Rivers pumped his fists in the air. The Clippers were on the brink of eliminating the Golden State Warriors in a hard-fought Game 7, and he wanted to share a moment with the crowd.
You’ll have to excuse the long-time Clippers fans who experienced a moment of hesitation instead. There was still time on the clock, after all, and if any team could allow an unprecedented five-point play at the buzzer, well, you know how the old saying goes: It’s the Clippers.
Please understand that’s a conditioned response more than anything else. Seasoned fans of the team tend to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting for the other shoe to drop, having already been robbed of the innocence necessary for unbridled optimism.
Just in the past decade: Raja Bell’s corner 3 over Daniel Ewing, Shaun Livingston’s knee exploding in a million pieces, Elton Brand’s departure, Baron Davis’ failure to arrive, Neil Olshey leaving and Vinny Del Negro staying. How many times can you get your heart broken before you start to protect against it?
Time helps, of course, and the significance of each of those moments faded with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, but one constant remained present during it all — one Donald T. Sterling.
