As of writing this post the Los Angeles Lakers – who barely made the playoffs after a terrible start of the season – are up 3-1 against Golden State and are on a way to make their second WCF finals in the 213 era/LeBron+AD era.
Meanwhile Clippers made WCF once in their whole history and after another mediocre season got bounced in the first round after Kawhi and PG both went down with injuries.
I’ve been a Clippers fan for a while but on the side I’ve been (or at least trying to) rooting for a Premier League football team – Tottenham Hotspur.
Anyone who knows something about European football knows that Spurs are team that on paper shows incredible potential and looks like a world class organization – beautiful new arena, one of the best players on the planet being locked with them, getting a great coach a while ago.
But that’s on paper. In reality Tottenham are an organization that always finds a way to fuck their situation and besides making Champions League finals a couple years ago they are not really winning anything – no matter who coaches them, no matter who they sign.
After a shitshow of a season under Antonio Conte (one of the best coaches in the world) they are still not even TOP4 and couple weeks ago [Antonio exploded](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDkfWRAAqQU)
During a press conference he started calling out the whole organization. He said this team is used to losing deep in their core and it’s not just players, not just the coach it’s the whole culture of losing that’s dragging this team down.
He was criticized for his comments but some people agreed with him a bit and it made me think about our LA Clippers and the culture we’ve built.
Right next door we have an organization that’s on the opposite side of the spectrum. Los Angeles Lakers are used to winning and even when it looks as if they operate like a kid in the fog somehow they always end up being above us. (I know we crushed them in regular season games but I sure as hell would rather be down 20-0 in regular season against them but make WCF at least twice)
I don’t know what it is exactly about the Los Angeles Lakers but every player that plays for them just gives them their all. Maybe it’s the history of the franchise that just forces the players to perform at their best to not put a shame on an organization that had players such as Magic, Kobe, LeBron…
I’m starting to believe Clippers deep down need to fix the heart of this organization. You do not build a winning franchise just by somehow winning a championship. A winning franchise is built by habits that run from top of the org to the players.
I know Steve Ballmer is not the issue. So we have a solid starting block.
But anything below him needs a deep investigation.
We are not going to win anything if the culture of this team is “we can just cruise till the playoffs, fuck around, win first in 7, maybe win second, somehow make it to finals and I guess we have to win the finals – that’s it”
This organization has to be hungry and attract players that will do ANYTHING to prove the world they are winners.
I’m not sure any of PG or Kawhi have this mentality.
Russ has this mentality. Norm has this mentality. Bones has this mentality. TMann has this mentality.
Rest of the guys? I don’t think so.
We as fans have no idea what’s going on behind closed doors but I believe there’s also a lot of deadwood there that needs to be cut.
Something in this organization is rotten and is stopping us from getting to the full potential.
I get grinding the whole season, finishing TOP3 and then being struck by injuries.
But load managing and giving a half assed effort in regular season, finish barely out of play-in and then lose in the first – that’s a losing team.
What do you think?
HM: The connection doesn’t stop there – [Tottenham Hotspur players visited the LA Clippers couple years ago](https://youtu.be/z5JUQR4cGt8)
by BallmersBurner
2 Comments
Nah, The spurs have made a final before.
