[外電] Bill Simmons on Battle Hollywood
看的我都快哭了，第二輪一定要去bid票，預算300 \__/
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060502
Subplot No. 9: Clippers-Lakers
When I arrived here in November 2002, the Clippers were a punch line,
an afterthought, the black sheep of the local sports scene. That same
winter, I was shopping at a grocery store and noticed Clippers scratch
cards in one of those lottery machines; I brought one into Jimmy Kimmel's
show and we used it for a bit the next night, with the joke being, "Now
here's a scratch card where you have a 0 percent chance to win!"
Everything was justified, of course. The Clips have been the lowliest
franchise in sports for a solid 25 years. Since they moved to California
in 1978, the Lakers have won eight championships ... the Clippers haven't
even won eight playoff games.
They now share the same building, with the Lakers charging twice as much and
taking all the best dates; the Clippers get stuck with Valentine's Day,
Easter Sunday, New Year's Eve, the day before Thanksgiving and every other
crappy date you can imagine. There are little Clipper-related slights
everywhere you turn, from the stadium's Pro Shop (which carries about five
times as much Lakers gear) to its pasta and sushi stops in the concourse
(which only open for Laker games). Make no mistake -- they are the
second-class citizens on the NBA scene in Los Angeles.
And because that's the case, Clippers fans loathe Lakers fans, whereas
Lakers fans wouldn't even waste the energy to hate them back. As I wrote
two weeks ago, the relationship resembles the dynamic between preppy college
kids and the townies with chips on their shoulder from the same town.
During every Clippers game, too many Lakers fans show up, and there are
almost always arguments and fights (see the accompanying sidebar). Those
games always sound like a World Cup soccer match, with fans loudly
cheering for both sides, just a constant din of noise, unquestionably the
best subplot for the upcoming Round 2 series (assuming it happens).
There are some other juicier-than-normal plots. Odom was considered the
most talented Clipper ever -- the fans loved him and made excuses for him
time and time again -- until his sleazy departure to Miami three summers
ago (ensuring his status as "Most Hated Visiting Player" until he retires).
Kobe strung the Clips along as a free agent in 2004, leading them on to
the point that the Clips even cleared cap space for him before he abruptly
re-signed with the Lakers.(Clippers fans hate him, too.) Clippers
GM Elgin Baylor spent his entire career with the Lakers retiring during
the '72 season, just months before they won their first title in California.
Mike Dunleavy coached the Lakers in the 1991 Finals. There's even a
built-in feud: For whatever reason, Cuttino Mobley and Kobe absolutely
despise one another. (Count on them being separated at least three times
in Round 2.) And did I mention that both teams share the same building?
If the Lakers advance, you'll find out how much Clippers fans loathe
Lamar Odom.Even after Monday night's defeat of the Nuggets, certainly the
greatest moment in Clippers history, the Lakers loomed over everything.
Clippers-Lakers Clippers-Lakers Clippers-Lakers. That's all anyone was
talking about. Everyone agrees that the Clips have a superior team --
it's not even close, really -- but the Lakers have Kobe and history on
their side, while the Clippers have three decades of baggage weighing
them down. Either this could end up being the greatest sports experience
of their lifetimes ... or the most catastrophic defeat. With no in-between.
Clippers fans don't knowwhether to be excited or scared. Rightfully,
they're a little of both.
But if those Sunday-Monday games were any indication, we could be headed
forsomething special over these next two weeks. After a euphoric fourth
quarter and postgame celebration Monday night, when we were filing out
of the stadium someone started a "Lakers suck!"chant in the crowded
throng. Just as some fans started joining in, someone else started a
"Kobe sucks!" chant, and the two chants collided for a little while,
with everyone gradually settling on the "Lakers suck!" chant. That one
grew louder and louder, and it was a goofy moment, watching all these
happy Clippers fans chanting "Lakers suck!" at the top of their lungs
after such a happy game.
In the old days, it would have been a pathetic display, just the bitter
sound of hopeless fans lashing out for no real reason. Not anymore. The
Clippers fans were preparing for battle. They were getting ready to play
the Lakers. First team to four wins takes the city.
And no, the Lakers don't actually suck. But neither do the Clippers.For
once.
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※ 編輯: eebrilliant 來自: 24.127.127.200 (05/03 08:00)
※ 編輯: eebrilliant 來自: 24.127.127.200 (05/03 08:02)
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05/03 08:59, , 1F
05/03 08:59, 1F