When I first moved to Southern California in 2007 the Los Angeles Lakers were just starting one of their many dominant spells, resulting in back to back championships shortly thereafter.
Having never followed the sport closely, I had a lot to thank the Lakers for. When I met my wife in Madrid in 2004 she was watching a Lakers play off game in the Irish Pub where my life would change forever. It was actually my good mate Phil, the only true NBA fan i ever knew in the UK, who got talking to her first as he checked on the score of the game.
I watched with interest in those first few years in the US as it was hard to take your eyes off the extraordinary talent of Kobe Bryant. My father-in-law was also a die hard Lakers fan and watched every second of every game from the comfort of his recliner. However, it didn’t seem right for me to jump on that bandwagon, I’ve always liked an underdog. I’ve tried with the Lakers a few times down the years but we just don’t click, I don’t know what it is.
A friend introduced me to the Clippers, the underachieving little brother of the Lakers around 2009/2010. Blake Griffin was just getting going, dunking over everyone and jumping over cars at the All Star game. I went to a few games and even though they didn’t really have any other stars at that time, the games were fun and I adopted them as my own. I won‘t talk too much trash on the Lakers because a lot of my close friends and family are Lakers fans but I have never been keen on the arrogance and the mocking of the Clippers. There was no turning back for me.
The Clippers began in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves. They moved to San Diego in 1978 and controversially, were moved to Los Angeles without league approval in 1984 by owner Donald Sterling. In the next 27 years before Blake Griffin was drafted, the Clips reached the post season a total of four times, winning only one series. They were the butt of most NBA and even US sports jokes. A lot happened in the next few years. Superstar point guard Chris Paul was acquired in a trade from New Orleans, controversially, after the league vetoed an original trade to the Lakers.
“Lob City” was then born which was basically Paul chucking the ball up to Griffin or DeAndre Jordan to dunk. The Clippers were entertaining, a Sports Center reel dream but despite reaching the play offs every season since then bar one, they still couldn’t get past the second round and the “Clippers curse” was a popular talking point from the nations fans and sports media.
Me sitting court side during the lob city days.
I’m 2014, owner Donald Sterling was caught on tape generally being a racist and a bigot and the league and its owners took the opportunity to do something they had wanted to for decades, forced him to sell - a $2b deal followed with Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft. Ballmer is an infectious character, seen consistently sitting court side living every play, screaming, fist pumping, enjoying every moment like a kid in a candy store. Despite the fresh new image and direction, the Clippers still couldn’t progress past the second round of the play offs. Not only that, they seemed to make a habit of failing in the most spectacular ways.
The star trio of Paul, Griffin and Jordan moved on and in the summer of 2019 the Clippers acquired two time NBA champion Kawhi Leonard and six time All Star Paul George, both Southern California natives, Kawhi from Riverside just down the road from me and George from Palmdale.
If they thought they would be immune from the Clipper curse, they were wrong. A 2020 pandemic post season bubble collapse happened, this time at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.
Last night the tide turned. Finally. The Clippers are still making things as hard for themselves as they possibly can, coming from 2-0 down to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round, they again trailed 2-0 in their favorite second round to the Utah Jazz. At 2-2, Kawhi Leonard injured his knee and the rest of his series was in real doubt. The Clippers were done they said. The curse lives on.
Or does it? To the surprise of everyone, Paul George led the team to a win in game 5 in one of the NBA’s most raucous arenas in Utah. 3-2 up and a chance to close it out at home, still fans and media wrote the Clips off. “They can’t do it without Kawhi“ “they’ll choke again”, “if they lose game 6 they have no chance in Utah in game 7“.
A Kawhi Leonard mural close to Staples Center, in a parking lot on 12th and Flower.
I found the tickets to be pretty reasonably priced for such a crucial game, one of the perks of liking the Clippers over the Lakers. I grabbed the chance of possible witnessing history and with the added incentive of the first indoor capacity crowd in Los Angeles since the pandemic began, I knew the noise would be electric and it was an occasion I didn’t want to miss.
Some things have changed at Staples Center in this new post COVID world, or less COVID world, whatever it is we live in now. The food outlets have been upgraded. More common seated areas in the concourses and a number of airport like kiosks with canned beers and margaritas in fridges with pop up shelves of chips and snacks. The stage was set, could the Clippers finally do it or would the curse strike again?
For most of the first half it was pretty even, back and forth but towards the end of the second quarter the Jazz started to pull away. Donovan Mitchell was finding his range which he lost in game 5. Mike Conley was back and Jordan Clarkson was impressive off the bench. The Jazz led by 22 points. The crowd was deflated. I almost went home to be honest. It seemed like it was over. The poor guy next to me, admitted he had been a Clippers fan all his life and as he slumped in his chair he complained “I’ve seen this movie so many times man”.
At the start of the third quarter the lead increased to 25, no NBA team has ever come back from more in a series clinching game.
Then something magical happened. Paul George took control, Terrance Mann couldn’t miss, Reggie Jackson was on fire in support. The Jazz‘s lead slowly eroded, the crowd got louder, the threes reigned in, the Clips took the lead midway through the fourth quarter. I will say something for NBA crowds, it can sometimes be quiet, especially Lakers games I have been to, I know they dim the lights to make it feel like a theater and it kind of works. Clippers games are more rowdy but sometimes the DJ and the cheesy time out moments can seem a bit cringeworthy. However, i realized something last night that is pretty unique in sports. If the crowd is mid frenzy and hyped up and the home team gets a defensive stop or rebound and then transitions quickly down the court, the silence as a three pointer is attempted, as the ball loops high into the air, the eruption as it drops in is simply magical. That happened about half a dozen times last night. I managed to capture one on video, three of Terrance Mann’s unbelievable, career high and career changing, 39 points.
The Jazz crumbled, the Clips lead extended and the noise inside Staples was deafening.
The Curse was over. The Clippers progressed to their first ever Conference final where they will face their old friend Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns.
It was a magical and historic night and i‘m so glad I made the decision to go. I’ll be priced out of anything from here on out but I’ll be watching at home, it will be tough without Kawhi but who knows, maybe this is finally the Clippers‘ year.
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