OAKLAND, Calif. — In New York City, the story has been around forever — or at least since the 1960s. The Knicks dwarf the Nets. The Yankees are larger than the Mets. The Giants overshadow the Jets. The Rangers are bigger than the Islanders and Devils. Facts of life.
It is the same in Los Angeles. Despite the Lakers’ recent struggles — they haven’t won a championship in four years, which for the Lakers qualifies as struggle — LA is their town. The Clippers own the better team, but not the city.
Adding insult to injury, the Clippers’ biggest historical story is destined to be the racist ramblings of an octogenarian owner kicked to the curb by the new NBA commissioner. Not the sort of tale you want for the archives.
“It’s not frustrating but you would like [the focus] to be on basketball, but if we keep winning it will be,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday. “The Lakers have earned the right to have the fan base they have because they’ve won. We have to earn that right. We do have a lot of attention on us right now — we had it even before this because we’re the only NBA team in LA playing basketball right now. And then this happens and obviously it takes over anything we have done.”
The Clippers were a joke for years under Sterling. Kerry Kittles, who played seven seasons with the Nets, finished his career with the Clippers. And he admitted when he was sent there, he adopted a different mentality.
“Honestly, at that time I saw it only as an opportunity to play,” said Kittles whose time in LA was dashed by injuries. “I thought very selfish, that ‘It’s a chance to play,’ not ‘It’s a chance to win.’ Everyone knew what the Clippers were.”
And that would be a team with the bottom line as the top priority, Kittles said.
“They weren’t committed to winning, Sterling did not spend money and looked to save wherever he could,” Kittles said. “For him, it was all about attendance. That’s why they were losing. It was, ‘Let’s have a fun time and see who’s in the crowd.’ ”
And if you win, wow. But even if the Clippers did win, who noticed? LA belonged to the Lakers. After their move from San Diego, the Clippers went to the playoffs four times in their first 27 years, only advancing once. Then the Clips went on a three-year playoff run, topped by this season’s franchise record 57 victories — all of it under Sterling’s watch.
After NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced Sterling’s lifetime ban on Tuesday, politicians and NBA types gathered for a press conference at LA City Hall. Among those present were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Steve Nash, A.C. Green, Norm Nixon and Luke Walton.
“To get this many Lakers to stand up for the Clippers,” said LA mayor Eric Garcetti, “you know something big is happening.”
It took a racist rant by Sterling to bring the Clippers the sort of attention the owner wanted. Of course, the attention was universal condemnation.
“We may be a two-team town, but [now] we’re behind one team,” Garcetti said. “To the players of the Los Angeles Clippers, we love you, we’re behind you.”
Charles Smith, who once told of how the Clippers picked him up at the airport in a Ford Pinto (he’s 6-foot-11) when he was coming out of college for his pre-draft workout, spoke of how the team was handled.
“[Sterling] ran that business as if it was a real estate property just trying to increase its value,” Smith said.
After Silver’s ruling, potential buyers want in, which is no surprise.
“It’s in a great location, that has a lot to do with it,” Rivers said. “We have some pretty good players in place. So it is a very valuable franchise in that way. That’s why a lot of people want in. You knew if this franchise ever went for sale there would be a lot of people in line because it’s a good market with a good team.”
Even if it’s on the Lakers’ turf.