Whoa, talk about an exciting night to be a Los Angeles Clippers fan! As I write this, the team just escaped with a 97-95 win against the Washington Wizards that definitely had Clipper Nation fastening their seatbelts (word to Ralph Lawler) and praying for that darn game clock to run out on the Wizards.
Coming off a disappointing pair of losses against the Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs that culminated with a 25-point Sunday drubbing, I was a little less confident about our chances against a Wizards team that had just pushed the NBA-leading Boston Celtics toward the brink of defeat. Sure I had predicted both losses in my previous Clipper Diaries, but my stubborn optimism didn’t expect the Spurs to win by such a wide margin.
Since I can’t watch the games right now (no Fox Sports Net, thank you recession!) I had to settle for regularly checking the box score online every chance I had. Let’s just say I wasn’t brimming with confidence after I noticed they had fallen behind by as many as 17 points.
My natural reaction was to write the game off, tend to the wounds and get ready for the next one, like we’ve all done so many times before. So after I took to my nephew’s NBA2k10 for some comfort (hey, Blake Griffin isn’t hurt there), I casually checked back online about an hour later and was shocked to see the Clips had made a game of it again.
Clippers guard Eric Gordon Attacks the rim during the Clippers 97-95 win.
(Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
Of course I was impressed and happy to see them back in it, but I think most Clipper fans would agree that close games are a perfect example of a gift and a curse. History has taught us that we won’t usually win the close ones and heartbreak is as much a fabric of Clipper Nation as Bill Russell is to Boston.
True to form LA let plenty of chances to shut the door on the Wizards pass them by, from errant jump shots to Eric Gordon missing one of two free throws in the final seconds giving Washington one last chance. Thankfully, former Clipper Earl Boykins won it for LA with a big turnover on the Wizards’ final possession. I know a win is a win, but waiting for the final minute to play itself out (via text) in the boxscore was a roller coaster full of happiness turned to bitterness and disgust and then back to joy.
When it was all said and done, Gordon capped off another notable night with 29 points on 10-15 shooting, Baron Davis collected a double-double despite some terrible shooting, Marcus Camby gobbled up 15 more rebounds and Chris Kaman put up 23, 11 and three blocks.
Clippers Center Chris Kaman finished the night with three blocked shots.
(AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)
Not bad, not bad at all. Most importantly, we got our 10th win just 23 games into this still promising season, compared to the 43 games it took to equal that last year. Next up are the Timberwolves, Knicks and Sixers, who with their combined 18-54 record give us an excellent chance to hit the .500 mark with three more wins.
It’s still too early to tell if the team will compete deeper into the season, so who knows if the future holds any trades – ClipperBlog notes the enticing trade value Camby holds – or if Mike Dunleavy will continue to be the head coach, but as things stand now it isn’t so bad. Clipper Nation is still keeping hope alive, because as the old saying goes, you have to take things one step at a time.
-Will.
“Diary of a Clippers Fan” will be published Mondays and Thursdays during the regular season.
