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Clippers CourtVision, Steve Ballmer’s latest endeavor, wins NBA Innovation Award

By Garrett Chorpenning

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 17: LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer speaks prior to the game against the Denver Nuggets on October 17, 2018 at Staples Center, in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 17: LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer speaks prior to the game against the Denver Nuggets on October 17, 2018 at Staples Center, in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The LA Clippers were honored by the NBA on Tuesday with the Team Innovation Award for Clippers CourtVision, another testament to Steve Ballmer’s excellent vision and creativity.

Early Tuesday morning, the NBA announced the LA Clippers had received the first-ever Team Innovation Award for Clippers CourtVision in its annual team sales and marketing awards. The award description noted LA Clippers Chairman Steve Ballmer as the visionary behind the application, another example that shows just how far the Clippers have come since the Sterling Era came to an end in 2014.

Clippers CourtVision is an app that allows fans to view the game in an all-new way, using cutting-edge technology to deliver a virtual experience that, depending on which viewing mode you choose, shows different statistics and graphics on-screen that help us fans understand and enjoy Clippers basketball.

There’s Coach Mode, which paints lines on the court and shows plays developing in real time. If you’re trying to figure out offensive and defensive schemes without taking time to pause and rewind the game, this one is for you.

Player Mode tracks live shot probability, so when a player pulls up from way beyond the three-point line, you can see just how rare it is for them to hit a shot from that range.

Mascot Mode is easily the most fun, but is also the least informative. The setup is similar to what’s seen in games like NBA 2K and NBA Live, with shapes and names appearing beneath each player. When the Clippers score, an abundance of graphics appear, like Chuck the Condor celebrating, and foam fingers flying in the stands.

Finally there’s Broadcast Mode, which tunes you into the LA broadcast with Ralph Lawler and one of his rotating partners. This is probably the most common option of the bunch, since it’s traditional, but it’s also the least fun.

I was given a chance to use the app for the duration of this season, which I wrote about in early October. And while I haven’t been able to use it during every game do to some blackouts and delays, it’s proven to be a valuable tool when I want to review a game or share a clip of a highlight play.

The service is still available to Fox Sports Prime Ticket subscribers, so if you haven’t checked it out yet, I’d highly encourage you to do so — it is an award-winning service, after all.

Next. Clippers welcome a dangerous Charlotte team to STAPLES. dark

So thank you, Steve, for taking over this franchise and running it professionally. Us fans appreciate it, and things like the CourtVision app show that you care about us, too. Hopefully this is only the beginning of what’s to come.

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