The Works: The Clippers Come Around Again

Filed under: Celtics, Clippers, Suns, NBA Fans, The Works

Today in The Works: everything you ever wanted to know about players' eating habits and the Suns take a field trip.

But first, the cosmic significance of the Clippers.

We Are All Clippers Fans

The Clippers are a weird team, to say the least. By general consensus, it's the worst organization in basketball, and likely the worst in all of pro sports. There must be real Clippers fans, though I suspect some of them are motivated just by dislike of the Lakers, or of tickets at the Staples Center when Kobe Bryant is playing. For the rest of this, though, this team is a laughingstock, with a consummate scumbag writing the checks, that every once in a while -- almost by accident -- spits out a squad that really captures our collective fancy.

There was the hectic, flashy, and ultimately doomed Clippers of Lamar Odom, Elton Brand, Darius Miles, and Quentin Richardson; nor are they the Brand, Sam Cassell, Chris Kaman, Corey Maggette assemblage the found its way into the 2005-06 playoffs and, supposedly, vindicated the long-suffering fan-base, that great underclass of Southern California basketball. Now, we are in the middle of the third Clippers awakening, another moment when a franchise that, almost since its inception, had been a punchline. Or maybe it was born under a bad sign, stolen from Buffalo when two owners traded rosters and the Braves franchise was easiest to pry free.

The Clipper curse has been about individuals: Bill Walton, walking wounded during his time in San Diego; Danny Manning, blowing out his knee and destroying such sweet promise. In fact, it's been a general malaise. It could be the fall stars, it could be Sterling. Whatever the cause, this franchise has long been death in a handbag. And then, in the 21st century, it started to squirm, to periodically show life. Sometimes, the Clippers matter, and we all perk up. This is one of those moments.

Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2011/01/21/the-works-the-clippers-come-around-again/

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