The Clippers were originally scheduled to host the Pacers tonight. With games on hold for now, we take a look at how both teams match up when it comes to recent news from around the NBA.
NBA 2K tournament will feature Harrell, Beverley, Sabonis
Both the Clippers and Pacers will be represented when ESPN broadcasts a “players only” NBA 2K tournament starting this Friday. Clippers Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley enter the tournament as the number eight and 14 seeds, respectively while Domantas Sabonis, of the Pacers comes in ranked at number nine. The Clippers get the win here because two reps are better than one. In addition to the simple math, even though he may be the lowest ranked of the three players, Beverley has been vocal about his video game prowess in the past. We’d bet he comes into the contest with a chip on his shoulder and the same kind of competitive fire we see him display on the actual court.
Steve Ballmer expects eight digit loss for LA Clippers due to stoppage
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer revealed in an interview with Bloomberg that he expects stoppage-related losses for the team to reach at least $10 million. While all teams will be negatively affected monetarily by the loss of NBA-action, Ballmer should personally be able to handle the setback, as his net-worth has been estimated at $58.6 billion. So, all-in-all not a major loss to his massive fortune, but a loss nonetheless. No such word from Pacers owner Herbert Simon on expected losses for Indiana, whose personal net worth has been estimated at a mere (at least, compared to Ballmer) $2.6 billion.
‘The Last Dance’ documentary set to air April 19 on ESPN
This should be a win for everybody as ESPN has announced the will premiere the 10-part documentary covering Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls of the 1990’s on Sunday April 19. It should be…but since we’re talking about how these headlines affect the Clippers and the Pacers we’re going to have to chalk this one up as a loss for Indiana. Jordan and the Bulls tormented fans in the Hoosier state much more than they aggravated Clippers fans during their championship runs in the 90’s. Watching the documentary might prove much more painful for fans of the Pacers. ESPN will premiere two new episodes each Sunday starting on April 19 and finishing on May 17.
Today’s Winner: Double-representation in the NBA 2K tournament and not having to worry about past embarrassments at the hands of Michael Jordan coming back to haunt them via documentary give the win to the Clippers today, even if Steve Ballmer projects eight-figure losses for the team. The Pacers will certainly take a financial hit from the loss of play as well, and their owner isn’t out in the news being as candid as Ballmer. But then again, if we had over $50 billion, we might not worry as much about a mere $10 million either. It must be nice.
Up Next: The Clippers were scheduled to play the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, April 2. We’ll be back then with another round-up of recent stories from around the NBA, how they impact each team, and name a winner for the day.