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Philippines, 09 Jun 2025 |
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NBA Playoffs - Clippers cannot escape their history By Keith Butler PhilBoxing.com Tue, 19 May 2015  LOS ANGELES -- Someone once said that the first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you find yourself. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles Clippers and their fans could not take that first step toward success and had to put on hold any plans to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. Instead, the Clippers remained a captive to their beleaguered history as they blew a 3-1 series lead after losing in Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinals to the Houston Rockets, 113-100, on Sunday afternoon at the Toyota Center. The seeds of this demise were planted on Thursday night when the Clippers, playing on their own building, surrendered a 19-point third-quarter lead to a Rockets team that then appeared to be ripe for the picking. The Clippers appeared to be in control of the game mid-way through the third quarter. The fans at Staples Center were loud and sensed that they were witnessing something historic. In the blink of an eye, the Clippers got outscored 40-15 in the fourth quarter and lost the game. The energy inside Staples Center dissipated and the dreams of Clipper fans put on hold. Thursday night in L.A. was supposed to be about taking that next step, making history, and going where the Clipper franchise has never gone before. Sports talk radio in L.A. was abuzz with anticipation all day, and to appreciate the excitement, one needs context and an understanding of the history of the Clippers and their fans. The franchise started as an expansion team in Buffalo, New York in 1970 and were known as the Buffalo Braves. It moved to San Diego, California in 1978 and, as many before them have done when moving to Southern California, they changed their name. They became the Clippers. In 1984, they were on the move again. This time to Los Angeles. In those 45 years, not only has the franchise failed to win a championship, they have never even advanced to the Conference Finals. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers - who share the Staples Center with the Clippers - have won 16 championships and 31 conference titles. Talk about sibling rivalry. Moreover, the Clippers history is filled with top-flight talent that always seemed to get injured once they were signed, Norm Nixon, Derek Smith and Danny Manning, to name a few. The Clips endured a 1987 season that saw only 12 wins. And they had to put up with a former owner --- real estate mogul Donald Sterling --- who was eventually forced by the NBA to sell the team. So Thursday night (Friday AM in Manila) was about the Clippers and their fans collectively taking that first step toward success. But it was not to be. The scene was all too familiar for Clipper fans. After a nip and tuck first half that saw Blake Griffen score 22 points in 24 minutes and after watching Chris Paul drop 31 for the game, the Clippers stopped playing defense and basically gave up. As head coach Doc Rivers noted, "I don't understand why everyone is talking about offense. We scored over 100 points. It was our defense. We gave up 119 points." In other words, it's simple - you don't play defense, you will lose. The Clippers were supposed to find redemption in yesterday's Game 7. Instead, they orchestrated the completion of an epic collapse. Photo: A beaten Chris Paul walks away from the Toyota Center after the L.A. Clippers were eliminated from the 2015 NBA playoffs following a Game 7 loss to the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Keith Butler.  |
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