Streetlights over Spotlights: How the Clippers rebranded their culture
By Joey Linn
The 2018-2019 Clippers:
The Clippers would miss the playoffs during the 2017-18 season for the first time since 2010, after trading Blake Griffin to Detroit in January. The 2018-19 season that was upon them, is the same one previously referenced in the opening.
Bleacher Report predicted 36 wins, ESPN had 35 wins, Vegas had 35 wins, and even Charles Barkley had 35 wins for this Los Angeles Clippers team. With a declared culture absent of anything soft, this team wore those low expectations as a badge of motivation and elevated this newly found culture to untouchable heights.
Large comebacks, improbable upsets, and a “never die” mentality had the Clippers in playoff contention much deeper into the season than anyone outside of the organization or fanbase expected.
Led by the late-game heroics of Lou Williams, along with the unstoppable energy of Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell, this team was a tough out on any given night. Throw in the efficient mastery of Danilo Gallinari and the rising stardom of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and this team was not just a tough out, they were good.
With the depth of the West, sometimes good isn’t good enough. Despite the unexpected play of this Clippers team, they still would need some big wins late in the season in order to secure a spot in the top-eight.
The most notable of these was that game on March 4th. Patrick Beverley had been rigorously berated by media members and fans alike when he declared pre-season that the Clippers were still the best team in LA.
Lou Williams doubled down on Bev’s take when he reiterated that until the Lakers beat the Clippers or finish with a better record, the Clippers still hold that title. This game on March 4th would be the first time all season that these two teams would play each other at full strength.
Pride, bragging rights, but most importantly, a playoff position was on the line. These two teams went to battle knowing the implications that a loss would hold, and how rewarding a win would be.
The Clippers won that game and ensured the Lakers’ place in the lottery for the seventh straight season. Montrezl Harrell could be found egging on the Laker faithful after the buzzer sounded, Patrick Beverley was celebrating with him, and Clipper fans were running it up on Twitter. Patrick Beverley set a standard before the season, and his team’s play backed up his talk.
When addressing the media, who was nowhere to be found on media day, Pat Bev made sure to remind them that he was mocked for his claims that LAC still reigned supreme.
His quotes to the media that night went even further for the team’s culture than his tweet from the previous season after the win over the Rockets. For perhaps the first time in the lives of many Clipper fans, Patrick Beverley gave them an identity.
The people in the back. The blue-collared people. The people who work for everything they deserve. That’s how Patrick Beverley described Clipper fans, and that’s who he said his team does it for.