Column: Clippers manage to lose a close one and alienate another rival
Coach Doc Rivers, right, reacts after a call went against the Clippers during a 112-108 loss to the Warriors on Wednesday night in Oakland.
If the Clippers did enough things right against the Golden State Warriors to give them confidence, as Coach Doc Rivers said after their 112-108 loss at Oakland, their sometimes brilliant, sometimes sloppy performance still wasn’t good enough for them to protect a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and close out the defending NBA champions.
But for some reason the person in charge of the Clippers’ official Twitter account thought the dramatic defeat was worth boasting about — and worth being snarky to a longtime rival.
Along with tweeting the final score Wednesday, the team’s social media manager added the hashtag “didntloseby50,” a reference to the Memphis Grizzlies’ loss to the Warriors by that margin Monday. Understandably the Grizzlies didn’t appreciate the jab, which guard Courtney Lee labeled “childish” in comments he made Thursday to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
“We took our ‘L’ and we kept it moving, right? We lost by 50. We didn’t cry over it and went on to the next one,” Lee said. “Apparently, they’re holding on to it. That’s what they got to do to overshadow their loss. Last time I heard, a loss is a loss. But that’s what they do over there.”
Teammate Tony Allen also took offense at the tweet by the Clippers, who continue to provoke a remarkable amount of hatred for a team that has never gotten past the second round of the playoffs and can’t claim to be a victim of title envy. A club spokesman said the employee responsible for the tweet had been disciplined but wasn’t dismissed.
“You ever seen the movie ‘White Men Can’t Jump’? It’s like those brothers would rather look good in a loss than look bad in a win,” Allen said. “Whoever is in charge of their Twitter should be fired. I’ve never seen anybody broadcast losing. Who’s proud of losing — whether it’s by one, two, three or 50? Enough said.”
And who do the Clippers face Monday at Staples Center? The Grizzlies, a bitter rival since the Clippers beat them in a seven-game series in the first round of the 2012 playoffs. In an opening-round rematch the following season, the Grizzlies lost the first two games then came back to beat the Clippers in six.
That Grizzlies game Monday figures to be emotional too, and former Clipper Matt Barnes has had it circled on his calendar for a while. He told NBA.com last month Rivers “couldn’t wait to get rid of me” and shipped him out to Charlotte — which traded him to Memphis — in the Clippers’ first trade last summer. “I can’t wait to play against Doc Rivers,” Barnes said.
Two days before the Clippers take on the Grizzlies, they will face the Houston Rockets, who knocked them out of the playoffs last spring after the Clippers had taken a 3-1 series lead and had a 19-point lead in Game 6.
It should be noted the Grizzlies, after being run out by the Warriors, beat Sacramento by 14 in their next game. The Clippers need a similarly successful recovery against Houston, and not only because it would allow them to brag about satisfying victories instead of trying to squeeze consolation from narrow losses.
Going back to Rivers’ contention that he was encouraged by what he saw Wednesday, there clearly were some good elements to build on. The bench, after a horrendous start, was outstanding in the second half. Jamal Crawford fought through a shooting slump. Austin Rivers played tenacious defense. And the Clippers tested a team that had won its first four games by an average of 25 points, only to find the Warriors were completely comfortable and capable of playing and winning a tight game too.
Less encouraging was that the Clippers didn’t know the play called in the waning seconds after Chris Paul had to leave because of a groin strain, a mistake that led to a delayed three-point attempt by Crawford being blocked by Klay Thompson, and they often gave Stephen Curry too much room to shoot. Those are fixable mistakes, maybe, but the Clippers have yet to prove they can keep their wits and their game together and take control during crunch time.
Being able to do that would be worth boasting about. A close loss shouldn’t be anything close to bragging material for them anymore.
Twitter: @helenenothelen
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