Yes, the LA Clippers had a rare home loss to the Houston Rockets last night. But everything is just fine.
Let’s all just take a collective deep, rejuvenating yoga breath and put the LA Clipper loss last night into perspective. Breathe in for 4, 3, 2, 1. Hold for 4, 3, 2, 1. Breathe out for 4, 3, 2, 1. Everyone breathing? Great. Let’s look at last night for what it really was. One loss in an 82 game schedule, against a very competitive team, with two MVPs anchoring their squad. These aren’t excuses, just facts.
Yes, the Clippers were leading by 15 points at half time, having all but shut down those two MVPs, James Harden and Russell Westbrook, in the first two quarters. It was exciting, even exhilarating. I was finishing up some holiday shopping with my eyes glued to the Clippers app, following along with the game and possibly alarming the other shoppers when I forgot my surroundings and maybe screamed out loud a few times.
Finished with my shopping, I got home in time to start watching with a few minutes left in the third quarter. Wait, what happened? Weren’t we dominating? I felt marginally responsible, I had just texted my friend that the Clippers tend to fall apart in the third quarter, although usually following that up with an electrifying fourth quarter run. Did I cause this demise? Confident in our fourth quarter prowess, usually led by Lou Williams, I settled in prepared to watch the Clippers close out this game at home, as they have done so spectacularly this season with a 14-1 home record.
And then the wheels fell off. It’s all a blur, but I kind of remember some guy with a big beard hitting a lot of shots. Friends at the Staples Center texting me that it was too quiet. And then, the fourth quarter nightmare as Lou Williams is ejected just one minute into the quarter. Lou, our closer, ejected for only the second time in his 14-year career. In spite of, or perhaps fueled by, the ejection, the Clippers rally, going on a big run, garnering a 113-107 lead with about four minutes left in the game.
And then the other shoe drops. Patrick Beverley, noted Westbrook nemesis, apparently fouls out and gets ejected concurrently with 2:52 remaining in the fourth quarter when the Clippers were down by just three points. OK, it’s not ideal, but we might still have this.
But, as anyone who is reading this knows, we didn’t still have this. In hindsight, I honestly don’t even know what happened, I muted the TV and paced in silence as the game slipped away. I grieved for a few minutes, exchanged some “ugh” texts with friends, and then did the healthy thing and moved on.
Was it disappointing and frustrating? Yes. Is there a reason for panic in the Clipper Nation? A resounding NO, despite the demoralizing take by the LA Times which questioned whether this Clippers team has the stomach for a long playoff run
As Doc Rivers said post-game, the team simply lost its composure. A learning experience, according to Doc. It’s far better to be learning these lessons in December than in June.
NBA basketball is a game of runs. The Clippers had a sustained run in the first half, the Rockets had runs in the third and fourth quarters, the Clippers had a run late in the fourth that put them back in the lead. We just didn’t have the last run, the one to close out the game. It happens. Sometimes we will be on the winning side of that equation, and sometimes, like last night, we will not.
It’s not a rationalization, it’s just fact that two of our most important fourth-quarter closers were not on the court to put this game away. Even with the record-setting home wins the Clippers have earned this season, sometimes they are just going to lose at home. It’s part of the game. It’s not a crisis.
Looking forward to the month ahead, the Clippers play the Spurs, Thunder, Lakers, Jazz, Kings, Pistons, Grizzlies, Knicks, Warriors, Nuggets, Cavaliers, Magic, and Pelicans. Conservatively speaking, we could win, worst case, ten or eleven of the next thirteen games. The loss to the Rockets will barely be memorable by then. Let’s focus on the long game. We have the first Clippers team in memory that has a chance to contend. There will inevitably be bumps on that path, but nothing that we can’t handle if we keep our collective composure.
And if the yoga breathing still isn’t working, remember this. The Lakers have lost two in a row. Enjoy that for a moment.