There are specific groups as a sportswriter that you just shouldn’t belief. Regardless of the best way the Detroit Lions are enjoying, their followers gained’t hesitate to let you know a size-14 steel-toe boot is about to drop at any second. Everyone knows what tortured souls I’m speaking about so let’s spare them additional anguish, and simply single out the one which individuals are falling for, but once more: The Los Angeles Clippers.
For me to consider that the Clips, or a staff with James Harden, are ever really contenders, they’ll must be up 25 with 3 seconds left within the clinching recreation of the NBA Finals. I don’t care in the event that they swept by means of the primary three rounds of the playoffs and are going through the Bucks with out Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, I wouldn’t journey with LA’s stepchild.
This may occasionally sound like I’m hating, and that’s most likely 75 p.c of it, however the different quarter is motivated by self-preservation. You know the way many media members appeared like full morons for hitching their hopes to Aaron Rodgers this season? Innumerable. (The worst was most likely Mike Greenberg and his Jets watch occasion that was a childhood reenactment of his most traumatic sports activities reminiscences, however nonetheless, innumerable media members.)
I don’t care about Ty Lue’s rotations, Harden’s dedication to enjoying basketball, Kawhi Leonard’s resurgence, or no matter Paul George is doing effectively — the chances of solely a kind of stars being wholesome and pleased come April far outweigh this factor really coming to fruition. This factor being a Clippers postseason run to an NBA title.
At 21-12, Los Angeles is doing what any staff with that form of expertise ought to be doing. The Sixers have been 26 video games above .500 a 12 months in the past, had the league MVP, and Harden’s juju permeated like a burnt roux in a batch of gumbo. Philly went out within the second spherical, once more. And we’re going to combine the Beard’s historical past of flameouts with a franchise as incompetent and unfortunate because the Clippers?
Whereas I’m longing for Billy Crystal and whoever attends Clippers video games in blue and pink, this isn’t about that. It’s a warning to fellow sportswriters and prognosticators to suppose twice, thrice, 100 instances a woman earlier than placing your perception in Santa Claus on the web.
If I’ve realized something about this job, it’s that individuals solely ever keep in mind your predictions in the event that they’re flat-out terrible. Effectively, that, and if you happen to’re nameless sufficient nobody actually reads or remembers. I may take advantage of off-base prediction — not editorial error — ever, and the one individuals who may say one thing are my coworkers, and the probabilities of that taking place are 10-1.
So, actually, I assume this piece was about firing strays on the Los Angeles Clippers all alongside. Alright then, job effectively performed, onto the following take.