The Los Angeles Clippers are not exactly the most popular team in the league. There’s a perception that they’re all whiners, and it’s reinforced by the reality that they get called for technical fouls much more frequently than anyone in the league. Superstars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have been called “dirty,” “soft” and everything in between.
Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck explored this subject in great detail, and, while Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said it’s not a bad thing to be hated, Paul doesn’t care either way:
“He kind of does the Boy Scout thing,” the veteran player said of Paul, “and then will be the one to trip you as you’re going by. And then, like, flop.”
Rivers considers all of this and declares, “CP3’s just smart, he ain’t dirty. If CP’s dirty, so is John Stockton.”
Of course, Stockton was also branded dirty in his time.
“Exactly,” Rivers said. “Because he was smart. CP is a clever, smart player. Dirty to me means you’re trying to hurt someone. And CP would never try to hurt anyone. Is he clever? Yes. And if people have a problem with that, then they’ve got to get over it.”
The list of alleged offenses is relayed to Paul after a recent game. He meets the indictment with a steely stare that somehow conveys both indifference and contempt.
“I don’t play for anybody to like me,” Paul told B/R. “I’m telling you, I got enough friends, you know what I mean?”
It’s not at all surprising that Paul reacted like this. He’s the kind of player who keeps the term “killer instinct” relevant, and he is always going to try to get an edge any way he can. It’s a little strange, though, that Paul — perhaps the smartest player in the game — and the Clippers — once seen as the league’s most exciting team — have become villains. Players say they don’t like that they celebrate, but Griffin never reacts when he has a big dunk.
Obviously, the shine has worn off with this Clippers team, and there’s a sense that they act entitled despite the fact they have repeatedly lost in the playoffs. Despite an offseason that was supposed to take them to the next level, they appear to have stagnated. The highlights are still there, but nobody outside of Los Angeles is particularly excited about them. Without winning a title it will be difficult, maybe impossible, for the Clippers to change how people view them. Realistically, Paul’s who-cares attitude is the only correct one.
My favorite line in the piece, by the way, comes courtesy of former NBA official Steve Javie. “They don’t think they ever foul, and they think they always are fouled,” he told Bleacher Report. He added that, as a referee, you don’t want to see them at the end of the road trip — you’re tired, and you don’t want to listen to them complaining. It’s so rare that you hear refs, past or present, talk about teams like this, but this is what the Clippers bring out in people.
Cortesy: CBS Sports
