Clippers Manage a Win Within a Loss
If you’re a Clippers fan, it’s not news to you that the Clippers started abominably this season.
Expectations were high, and yet, they went 5 of 16 in their first 21 games, and fans were losing their minds.
Then, for reasons unknown (Chris Paul move? Ty Lu challenging the team to snap out of it?), the Clippers started to win and win in ways that were beautiful to watch.
Today, mind-boggling as it is, we sit on a 30-31 record, and that’s not even the most impressive part. These Clippers, after losing James Harden and Ivica Zubac at the trade deadline, arguably their 2nd and 3rd best players, continued to ball out.
This is a team full of scrappy vets who come to work ready every day.
Brook Lopez dives on the floor more than any 7-foot-plus footer in the league this season at age 37. Kris Dunn does whatever the team needs and is a menace on defense. DJJ’s offense has gotten better every day after returning from two injuries and Kawhi… I mean, that man is absolutely a top-5 player in the league right now, and not even Stephen A. Smith can debate it. Jeff Van Gundy is a defensive master, and Ty Lu, often maligned for his lackadaisical demeanor, has managed to get the best out of this team despite the rough start.
This past week, after a three-game losing streak, mostly due to injuries, we turned it on again and crushed the Pelicans, Warriors, and Pacers. The Pacers game especially showed off the prowess and fight of our new guys. Ben Mathurin was a plus-minus 32, scoring 23 points in 22 minutes against his former team, and our guy Garland had 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 12 points coming off the bench. Let’s not forget Mr. Isaiah Jackson, also an asset from the Pacer trade, with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks in his first game with meaningful minutes at 18:24.
Yanic Konan Niederhauser
I wish it were all good news, though, and that brings me to the losing part.
Our rook, first-round pick, and almost instantly beloved 22-year-old center Yanic Konan Niederhauser, took a nasty, awkward fall after only 8 minutes of play. If you were at the game, you knew. His devastated expression and audible pain reflected the fear and sadness of his team and the fans. This was confirmed the next day to be a season-ending Lisfranc foot injury that will require surgery and a potentially lengthy recovery.
The good news is that Yanic is young, has tremendous drive, and a phenomenal work ethic. I feel confident in saying that this is an injury he will fight through and overcome.
We owe it to him to be patient while we are all a bit heartbroken. We will miss his smile, competitiveness, and tenacity for the rest of our season while we wish him all the best.
For now, let’s go Clippers!
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