Superman III
Last week I pointed out that the Orange County Register downplayed the Clippers stopping a consecutive victory run by the Miami Heat.
In today’s register the front page of the sports section devoted half the page with three photos of the Lakers victory over Oklahoma City yet you need to go to the last page to find coverage of the Clipper’s victory over the Indiana Pacers. This was not just another game in the season. Rookie Blake Griffin scored a franchise record of 47 points in that game. This is the most points scored by any player so far this season.
As pointed out last week the Register didn’t even have one of their sports writers covering this game that was played on the same Staples court on the same date. The Clipper coverage is from David Lassen of the Press _Enterprise. It’s a good thing for faithful Register subscribers like myself that they were able to find a stringer willing to write their story.
Earlier this year we read about the “big three” of the Miami Heat getting off to a slow start by playing 500 ball from the preseason through November with a record of 12 and 12.
In the last 10 games the Clippers have the same 7-3 record as each of the Eastern Conference leaders, Boston, Miami and Chicago. So far this month the Clippers and Lakers have each defeated three teams with winning records.
Let’s get to the “center” of this discussion. Namely starting Clipper center Chris Kaman who played for the German National Basketball team in games leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Chris played in 92 percent of the games in the 2010 schedule yet has missed 32 games of 40 games so far this season and remains sidelined with an ankle injury.
Entering the picture replacing Chris is DeAndre Jordan. No, not Michael Jordan, or big name players such as “Shaq” O’Neill or Dwight Howard. Who is this 6-11 forward/center anyway? Drafted by the Clippers in 2008, DeAndre averaged 4.8 points per game last season. We hear about games missed by Andrew Bynum but when is the last time we heard any comments about the absence of Chris Kaman?
In addition to his 47 points yesterday Blake continues to “slam dunk” with his team record of 27 consecutive double doubles.
I respectfully take issue with Laker sportscaster Mychal Thompson who did not like Blake’s going for a rebound with less than six seconds to play as the Clippers took the wind out of the Laker sails. Lamar Odom and Blake had an exchange resulting in four players being sent to the showers.
As a New York Jet fan I think back to December 6th when head coach Bill Belichick ran up the score as the Pat’s defeated the Jet’s 45-3 scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter long after the game was over. My point is that basketball is not the only sport where some players dribble out the final 24 seconds while others take one more shot at the basket. Suck it up. Others engage in trash talking. It’s all part of professional sports.
And I smile when the Laker sportscasters brag about of 11 straight home wins. I would add an asterisk as they lost to the Clippers in the same building last week. If “Fish” had not sunk that final shot in their first meeting on Dec 8th, they would have lost to the Clipper’s by one point. However, at this point in the story we do not have to resort to spin. That’s the job of Mychal Thompson. In the record book a “W” is still a “W” be it by one point or a dozen.
In closing. While the Clippers surely got off to a slow start this season, they have impressed coaches and sports writers. All but the OC Register.
Come on Larry, at least they gave the Clips a mention in the top banner this time. It’s not like Blake Griffin is the most deserving rookie for an All-Star spot in some time (good old Phil is already in spin mode for why he won’t pick him). And it’s not like he’s posterizing a player a night. And it’s not like Eric Gordon is making highlight reel plays of his own. Oh wait …
Keep up the posts. While not as critical to our future as the HSR posts, they are just as much fun.
Newbie.
Thank you. At times we do need to shift gears or we become typecast.
PS: Drop us a note as to the outcome of Tim W’s challenge to Scott B at the Central Committee meeting last night.
Hey Larry, newbie, Geoff … you’ve heard about that “OC Can You Play” thing, right?
http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2011/01/oj-editor-im-gonna-play-all-those-pianos/
One of the painted pianos is in your “Norman P Murray Center” I want to schedule a time when you guys can meet me there, that would be fun. When’s a good day/time before Feb 6?
Vern,
Great idea – check your email (the aol.com one) for my proposed dates.
If the price of the gasoline will increase because this, I will hold you personally liable Mr. Gilbert.
Stanley. I wil gladly pay for your fill up once the Register acknowledges this oversight.
Larry,
as a long suffering clipper season ticket holder, thank you for publicizing the dismal and horrific coverage of the best team in southern california. even when the clips played at the Pond, the paper ignored them. once, during the larry brown era, i got to go to a clippers playoff game. this may be the second time in two decades that i get to enjoy the post season in person.
derrick.
In a discussion with a Register reporter I was told that they do not cover the Clippers or the Kings and trade with other print media for coverageof their games. Nice.
Copies of both Clipper reports were emailed directly by me to Register VP Ken Brusic
Email response:
“Larry:
Unfortunately, the OC Register is very slow in realizing the potential of a new superstar. Blake Griffin is only 21 years of age and has given the Clippers a chance of having a successful season. I believe Kobe Bryant is 32 and has a few good years left to show his wonderful talents. Kobe, right now is the best player on the Universe.
I personally like the way Blake Griffin plays basketball.Blake is a very cool and exciting player. Blake deserves to be on the All Star Western squad by the way he has been performing. He has a wonderful streak going now for many games of Double-Double ( more than ten points and ten rebounds.)
This is Blake’s first season so we will have to wait awhile before we judge him as a super star. Right now Blake Griffin has been performing superbly and deserves kudos by the OC Register.
What a wonderful great talent.”
Time to take the Register back to the woodshed. The back page of the Jan 19th sports section includes over a half page of Laker coverage when there was no game played yesterday. They have also included the LAKERS TONIGHT matchup stats against Dallas.
OK. However that other team that shares the same Staples Center is also playing tonight. The difference is that the Lakers are playing in Texas while the Clippers are at home yet they do not offer a similar match up for that game. The only reference to the Clippers, which must be painful to the Register brass, is the SCOREBOARD where the opponent and starting time is included with 12 other games and the STANDINGS.
No respect. The bigger question is why did I just renew my subscription for another year
Update. Lakers lose in Dallas while Clippers roll over Minn. at Staples.
Let’s see who gets the preferred coverage in tomorrow’s Register. Blake did not get a double double but a W is all that matters in the standings
Clipper fans. Things are looking brighter. We have moved from the back page of the Register to page 4. While the Lakers lost again, they still command top billing on the front page of the sports section.
Having watched the Clipper game last night I will criticize the Register headline which reads “Clippers get scare but all ends well.”
Unless I am mistaken, at no time did the Timberwolves get closer than 9 points in the fourth quarter. For the most part the game was a blowout with Griffith playing only 32 minutes.
While Kevin Love is surely for real, it is worth pointing out that his big push was in the second half with Griffith on the bench.
Well Larry, the Lakers have won 32 world championships, after all.
Tony.
As a former year long owner of a Senate seat at the Forum in Ingelwood I am very familiar with the Lakers history. My only point is that the sports pages are not for Opinion where you can and do take sides. The sports section is to cover events from high school games to the pro’s. To outsource coverage of the Clippers, as I was told by a Register reporter is a sad input. Unless they are playing each other the Lakers always get top billing .