Not only are the Clippers in the NBA playoffs, they’ve made it to round two! This is astonishing because for me the Clippers have always been that other team in LA, the one in the smaller, slightly worn around the edges, Sports Arena. The team that was always near the bottom of the standings year to year, despite spurts of brilliance that invariably sputtered in the second half of the season.
It seemed wrong somehow that they would eclipse and surpass their better heeled and more cosmopolitan brothers, the Lakers, but as I think on it now, perhaps it’s meant to be. Perhaps it really is their time. A reward for years of toil near the bottom of the barrel. At first I was a bit agast, like an English lord confronted with the uppity help, but I’m okay with it now. I can even entertain the thought, if briefly, of the Clippers going all the way. Deep down, I really don’t think that will happen, but it would be cool if it did.
As for the Lakers, well, I’ve been a lifelong fan since the Chamberlain / West days and I will remain so. Nevertheless, I can make a place in my heart for the other LA team taking their shot at glory. Despite the current state of my team, the Lakers have been great in the past and I know they will be great again in the future, but for now, it’s okay by me that they’ve stepped aside and let the Clippers stand in the light for a while.