The Los Angeles Clippers: America’s Team
Please tell me…how does a lineup of Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard, Amir Coffey, Robert Covington, and Isaiah Hartenstein look like a two seed contender? They just lost to the Suns 103-96, but it was a dog fight all the way through. The Suns are the best team in the league and the clippers made it look like game 7 of the conference finals. That game was on national tv, so now people are aware of them, but they do this almost every game. Got a lead on them? They’ll come back. They never give up, and they play so well together. It’s like watching the Spurs of the 2000’s. How are they pulling this off? They have no talent due to injuries, but they remain as the 8th seed at 29-31 heading into the All-Star break. How?
Tyron Lue
At this point, I’m convinced Ty is that good of a coach. To do what he’s doing consistently is insane. As a Cavs fan, I can vouch that we all loved him, but we weren’t convinced he was the main factor for our success. We kind of believed twitter; LeBron was the real coach, right? I guess we shouldn’t underestimate someone who captained a ship down 3-1 in the NBA Finals. For a coach to be able to put those lineups out there and have them go toe-to-toe with the best this league has to offer every time the ball tips off is miraculous. Give Tyron his stripes, this guy knows how to keep a team motivated, play team ball, create lineups that work well on both ends, remain calm when faced with adversity, and bounce back from anything. When your two best players go out with season ending injuries, it’s difficult to keep the player’s spirits up, but he managed to do it. However, there is a certain advantage when you have no expectations every time you step foot on the court.
Having fun & Playing free
These guys are just having a blast out there. They have so much confidence in each other. Reggie Jackson is hitting step back threes like he’s James Harden, Luke Kennard is knocking down 5 threes a game like he’s Klay Thompson and moving the ball oh-so effortlessly like he’s Chris Paul. Plain and simple, these guys have just gotten into a rhythm together. They enjoy playing with each other so much that they’re constantly motivating each other to reach greater heights. They have that “Next man up” mentality perfected. Whatever the moment is, these guys aren’t afraid, they’re carefree. They go out there and act like they’re Golden State. They go out there and act like they’re the Milwaukee Bucks because…why not? What other choice do they have? They’re the best players that can suit up for that team, so you might as well play the part and see what happens.
The Verdict
I hope and pray to God that I get to see this team make the playoffs. They are the definition of a team. They’re an inspiration to anyone out there who’s got no believers and the odds stacked against them. They’re proving what Nick Jr. shows tried to teach us when we were young; when you work together and believe in yourself, anything is possible. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the Los Angeles Clippers…America’s team.