These past few weeks have been extra exciting for me. No, it is not because the semester is coming to a close or because my partner and I are almost rid of senior project stress. It is because the basketball playoffs have finally started.
In the first round, I have been cheering a little bit louder for the Los Angeles Lakers to win, but not necessarily because they are my favorite team. They have not been my favorite ever since point guard Derek Fisher went to the Golden State Warriors. No, I am rooting for the Lakers only because I want them to face off their Los Angeles rival, the Clippers.
Who would have thought five or six years ago that the Clippers would actually be in the playoffs? I sure did not. It seemed like a long shot. It was all about the purple and gold.
So this season, it is amazing and almost surreal to see the red, white and blue boys make it in the top eight. Not only were they in the top eight, but the Clippers easily moved on to the second round after defeating Denver Nuggets, 4-1.
It was now all up to the Lakers to defeat the Phoenix Suns. I thought it would be in the bag. They were up three games to one. So it seemed like a shoe in. Then on Tuesday they had their fifth game. They ended up losing, 114-97. Okay, I thought they were just having a rough night. I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Thursday came along and I figured that this was it. This will be the last game of round one. Again, I was wrong. And again they lost, this time by eight.
Finally, on Saturday the Lakers and the Suns played the last of seven games. A disappointment to my father, I had a previous appointment. Instead he promised to tape the game. I could not wait to get home. I was just hoping that no one would ruin it for me and tell me the outcome before I had the chance to watch it.
As soon as I got home, I changed into my pajamas, grabbed a bowl of ice cream and plotted my self in front of the television to watch the game. I had high hopes in the first quarter. But I knew that by halftime it would be impossible for the Lakers to take this round; after all, they were down, 60-45. As each quarter passed, my hopes for a Clippers vs. Lakers match continued to dwindle. By the end of the game, my excitement and dream had become empty, just like the bowl that was once filled with my vanilla flavored ice cream.
O.K., so the Lakers may not have made it to the second round, but the Clippers sure did and that is a feat of its own. Now the only nuisance that comes with the Clippers continuing their playoff journey is the bandwagon fans that follow. It is most likely that many Lakers “fans” will soon convert
to become Clippers fans.
These are probably the same people who jumped on the wagon when the Anaheim Angels won the World Series. These Clipper fans will disguise themselves as fans by taking down their Lakers flags, license plate holders or decals and replacing them with the Clippers logo. In the next few weeks, they will also be sporting a Clippers jersey, most likely wearing Elton Brand, Cuttino Mobley or Sam Cassell.
I do not remember seeing them when the Clippers were at the bottom of the food chain. I am not saying that you cannot root for them, but do not pretend that you have been their lifelong fan.
Anyway, I am excited to finally see them in the playoffs. Who knows? Maybe they will start a new legacy. Some used to say that you will get struck by lightning before the Los Angeles Clippers will compete in the NBA playoffs. I guess someone got struck by lightning.
Nila Priyambodo, a senior journalism major, is editor in chief of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at npriyambodo@ulv.edu.
