What will be the fate of the best Clippers team we’ve ever seen?
The Sporting Tribune's Arash Markazi wonders how far the greatest group of Los Angeles-born players will go this playoffs.
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1. What will be the fate of the best Clippers team we’ve ever seen?
The Sporting Tribune's Arash Markazi wonders how far the greatest group of Los Angeles-born players will go this playoffs.
I was in New York the night James Harden made his debut for the LA Clippers earlier this season.
It was moment I needed to see in person because, well, as we’ve learned with the Clippers you just never know when all the players on one of the most talented teams ever assembled will actually all be healthy at the same time.
As the Clippers’ new starting lineup of Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook took the court at Madison Square Garden that night there were several questions about how all new pieces would fit together. They lost six straight following the Harden trade and were 8-10 on Nov. 30 leading to doomsday prognostications but everything changed when Westbrook moved to the bench and became a contender for the Sixth Man of the Year Award. The Clippers went on to win 26 of their next 31 games and were 34-15 on Feb. 6. It looked like they could be the No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history.
Having covered the Clippers over their 25-year run at Staples Center and now Crypto.com Arena, I knew these exciting mid-season moments were fleeting. I remember Vinny Del Negro being named Western Conference Coach of the Month after leading the Clippers to a perfect 16-0 record in December and being at every one of the team’s franchise-best 17 straight wins in 2012. That season would end in a four-game sweep at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs in the second round.
I wasn’t sure how this season would end for the Clippers (I’m still not) but I knew that this would be undoubtedly the greatest team of basketball players Los Angeles has ever produced.
2. Los Angeles to be an Olympics host unlike any other
The plan is for the 2028 Olympics to be the first summer Games in recent history in which no new venues will need to be constructed, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Jackson Thompson.
When the Paris Olympics closes Aug. 11, the world can turn its attention to a handover ceremony that will feature a heavy Los Angeles theme.
The moment was teased by U.S. Olympics committee CEO Sarah Hirschland and LA 2028 Chief Athlete Officer Janet Evans at the U.S. Olympics Media Summit in New York this week, but all of its key details of the ceremony are still under wraps.
The ceremony will be the first tick in the countdown to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the first Olympics hosted by LA since 1984 and the third overall.
“This very well may be the single most important decade in sports in this country and we see a massive obligation and massive opportunity,” Hirschland said.
Many of the same pillars from 1984 will be reprised in 2028, but in many ways Los Angeles will be a vastly different host city from that of 1984.
3. Lakers lose Game 1 as Nuggets take over in second half
Nuggets take a 1-0 series lead against the Lakers in the opening round of the playoffs, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Rey Moralde.
It was more of the same between the Los Angeles Lakers and the defending champions.
Actually, it was more of the same between these two teams for the last 9 games and counting. The Lakers couldn’t keep up as Denver ran away in the second half to take Game 1 of the series, 114-103.
The Nuggets closed the third quarter with 13 straight points before Taurean Prince finally stopped the run with a three-pointer. From there, Denver staved off any sort of rally the Lakers might have. Los Angeles got within seven points within five minutes to go before the Nuggets scored consecutive field goals to put the game out of reach.
The Lakers led by 12 points in the second quarter, 49-37, before Denver woke up and knotted the game at 51. LeBron James would break the tie before the half with a faraway three-pointer before the champions took over in the second half.
4. USC spring game shows the growth of Lincoln Riley
USC's spring game Saturday afternoon was dominated by the defense—a stark contrast from head coach Lincoln Riley's teams of the past, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Adam Bradford.
It’s easy to overreact to a spring game. They are, after all, essentially glorified intrasquad scrimmages. Starters see limited action, reserves play bigger roles, and play calling is often simplified.
Hence, it is hard to draw too many conclusions from USC’s spring game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Saturday. You can certainly analyze the performances of individual players and units, but to say anything definitive based on the 30 minutes of football that the Trojans played Saturday afternoon would be ill-advised.
After what we watched Saturday afternoon, however, it does seem like we can say one thing with relative certainty: this isn’t your older brother’s Lincoln Riley-coached football team.
In the past, Riley’s teams have been notorious for playing great offense and very little defense. This was on full display the past two seasons, when USC averaged over 41 points per game in both campaigns, but failed to win a conference title due to several untimely defensive collapses.
Saturday, however, was the complete opposite. The defense dominated Saturday’s spring game, forcing five turnovers while allowing only four offensive scores. The result was a 43-28 defensive victory, based on the scoring system devised by Riley.
5. Dodger lineup struggles to capitalize in second straight loss to Mets
The Dodgers failed to come through late in the game as they lost their seventh of the last nine, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Holdenn Graff.
A 2-12 day with runners in scoring position left the Dodgers struggling to keep up with the Mets on Saturday afternoon.
Starter Gavin Stone pitched through the first 3.1 innings, allowing two earned runs and walking five as New York took the early lead. Starling Marte made Los Angeles pay especially as he went 2-4 with a big three-run homer in the sixth inning that put the Mets back on top 5-2.
For New York, Jose Butto got the start and worked around trouble all day long as he pitched through 4.1 innings of two-run baseball on 90 pitches. Just like Stone, he also managed to walk five batters during the start.
Freddie Freeman managed to get the Dodgers within a run in the bottom half of the sixth as he delivered a two-run single. However, Los Angeles failed to score a run against Edwin Diaz in the bottom of the eighth inning with the bases loaded and one out. New York hung on for their sixth win in a row and their second of the series.
6. Denís Bouanga powers LAFC to dramatic draw against New York Red Bull
LAFC’s second consecutive draw pushes the Black and Gold up to 6th place in the Western Conference, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Chandrima Chatterjee.
A gripping 95th minute equalizer from Denís Bouanga secured a point for LAFC who played the New York Red Bulls to a 2-2 draw at BMO Stadium on Saturday as the Golden Boot winner tallied a brace that quieted critics wary of his shaky finishing touches. The match was also his second brace of the season.
The resulting tie, their second consecutive draw, pushed LAFC up to 6th place in the Western Conference and kept the Red Bulls, now unbeaten in five, are in 2nd place in the East. “Going down a goal early after a set piece after an injury is never easy, but I think the boys shook it off pretty well, got themselves back in the game,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo explained in his post-match review.
7. Video of the Day
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8. Ticket Time
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:
12:30 p.m. – Mavericks at Clippers (Game 1) – $69
1:10 p.m. – Mets at Dodgers – $38
4:30 p.m. – Courage at Angel City – $22
5:00 p.m. – Earthquake at Galaxy – $31
9. On the Air
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today:
10:40 a.m. – Angels at Reds – Bally Sports West
12:30 p.m. – Mavericks at Clippers (Game 1) - ABC
1:10 p.m. – Mets at Dodgers – SportsNet LA
4:30 p.m. – Courage at Angel City – CBS Sports Network
5:00 p.m. – Earthquake at Galaxy – Apple TV
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Bet in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher. You can also watch every Friday on BLEAV on FuboTV.
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That’s it for today. Talk to you tomorrow!