Clippers Nation Rests
A surprising number of people checked in on me today to see how I was holding up following last night’s Clippers loss to the Phoenix Suns, which brought an end to their season. Really, I’m quite OK with it. The Clippers Game 5 loss, that double overtime thriller, was much harder to stomach than this one.
See, I didn’t really expect the Clippers to win Game 7. Sure, I had some hope, but I knew the veteran leadership and experience the Suns had was a huge advantage over the Clippers youth and inexperience. Yes, the Clippers easily could have won this series and gone onto the Western Conference Finals, but it was a long shot. They battled hard, though, and learned a lot.
How can I be disappointed when, for the first time in 16 years, the Clippers had the kind of game that forced me to go to a sports bar to watch the game? I wanted to be with other Clippers fans to watch this game and there were plenty at this crappy little sports bar by my house. For an organization that doesn’t have much in the way of history to be proud of, the fans certainly showed their support during these two series.
The Clippers have a lot to be proud of. They posted their best regular season record this year since moving to Los Angeles. They returned to the playoffs for the first time in nine years. They made it to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 30 years. Their season was 17 days longer than their cross-hallway rivals the Lakers. The Clippers turned a lot of heads this season, created a whole new group of fans (I’m happy to have the band wagoners aboard), have elevated Elton Brand and Chris Kaman to celebrity status and much more. Never in the 16 years of being a Clippers fan have I seen a team with this much potential. Provided everything goes well in the offseason, and everyone stays healthy, the Clippers should be back better than ever next season and will be a series contender for the Western Conference Finals.
Am I sad today? No, not at all. Maybe a little disappointed, but not sad. No, today I’m real proud to call myself a Clippers fan … and I look forward to Dallas crushing those bastard Phoenix Suns! CANADIANS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO PLAY IN THE NBA!
Sorry, anger crept in for a second. I’m under control now.
