Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports
There was no doubt in everyone’s mind that the Los Angeles Clippers could be legitimate title contenders, before the start of the season. But with the NBA regular season in its final stages, the Clippers are currently 39-36 and, as the fifth seed, only are one game ahead of a play-in spot.
The Clippers indeed are a very well-rounded team and have the roster to live up to some lofty expectations. This season, the team made some solid additions, trading for Eric Gordon, Bones Hyland and Mason Plumlee before the NBA trade deadline, and signing former league MVP Russell Westbrook after he was bought out by the Utah Jazz. But due to injuries and other adversities, it hasn’t fully worked out yet.
The team’s difficult regular season has also led to their head coach, Tyronn Lue, missing seven family funerals since December, due to him trying to be accountable to the team, during an unsuccessful stretch.
“Since December, I lost seven family members from Mexico. But we lost six games in a row so I can’t leave my team behind. I know I should be there for my family and it’s been a tough time for my family, and they wanted me there, and we’re going through some tough times, and people didn’t even notice. But seven family members since December and I didn’t go to one funeral because we lost five games in a row. I can take the easy way out and say I’ll go home for a week, but I just felt like I couldn’t do that. Sometimes, you give the game too much… If we had won five in a row, I would’ve been home for three or four of the funerals.”
