LA Clippers' history of disappointment goes back to the franchise's beginning
By Martin Rogers
FOX Sports columnist
To the young folks of Buffalo, New York, the LA Clippers are a basketball franchise on the other side of the country that just so happens to be battling for an NBA championship.
To the city’s older – sorry, more experienced – citizens, the team that boasts Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Clipper Darrell is a painful part of their history, a piece that they’re not sure whether to get behind.
"I guess I’ll root for the Clippers," acclaimed sportswriter Erik Brady – born and raised in upstate New York and now a contributing columnist for the Buffalo News – told me in a telephone conversation this week. "But if they lose, I’m not going to be heartbroken. They already broke my heart years ago."
Long, long ago, the Clippers were the Buffalo Braves, a pretty decent team that joined the NBA in 1970 and made the playoffs three times in eight seasons. It was a fun team to watch, featuring promising young stars such as 1973-74 Rookie of the Year Ernie DiGregorio and 1975 MVP Bob McAdoo.
Unfortunately, that promise was short-lived, as an ownership change (more on that later) led to the franchise's relocation to San Diego and then Los Angeles, as well as the achievement of nothing much of anything.
Until now … perhaps.
Sure, LA is down 0-2 to the surging Phoenix Suns, but it took a dramatic, last-second alley-oop to defeat the Clippers in Game 2, and Leonard is about to rejoin the lineup following a troublesome knee injury. Besides, upturning a sizable deficit is nothing new, as the Clips fought back from 3-2 against the Dallas Mavericks and 2-0 against the top-seeded Utah Jazz.
It is hard to think too firmly about a title when the conference finals are in danger of slipping away, but reality states that this is the closest the Clippers have ever been. With head coach Ty Lue marshaling things as his reputation continues to grow, hope remains.
"If you do not consider [Lue] one of the top five coaches in basketball, you’re an idiot," FS1’s Nick Wright said on "First Things First." "I don’t know if he is a great motivator. Here’s what we do know. Within a series, he will take any chess piece on or off the board, and he will render what you are trying to do [against him] useless."
If the Clippers end up with something to celebrate in a few weeks’ time, where does that leave Buffalo? Let’s rewind again a bit first.
In 1970, a lot happened in Buffalo sports. The Buffalo Bills were absorbed into the National Football League. The expansion Braves joined the NBA. The Buffalo Sabres entered the NHL.
The Sabres were initially more successful than the Braves and thereby more popular, but there was still a generation of Buffalo youngsters who gravitated toward the basketball team and held warm sentiment for it.
As there is any time a professional franchise leaves a city, there was sadness and a feeling of loss when the team got switched out — under circumstances that seem extraordinary now.
Did you know that the Buffalo Braves were essentially swapped for a little organization you might have heard of, known as the Boston Celtics? Then-Celtics owner Irv Levin wanted to shake things up a little, so he completed a like-for-like trade with Braves owner John Y. Brown Jr., then packed up the team and headed west.
Almost immediately, the Celtics drafted Larry Bird and became a 1980s juggernaut. Suffice to say, the Clippers’ history has been far less glorious, with this year’s run marking their first trip to a Conference finals, and the decision to leave Buffalo set off a run of just four playoff appearances in 27 years.
The city of Buffalo has not won a championship since, suffering a whole lot of pain in the meantime. The Sabres were the worst team in hockey this season, while the Bills had four straight Super Bowl appearances during their nearly-days of the 1990s but have had 16 years of postseason dearth more recently.
"There hasn’t been a lot of cheer for, although the Bills now have some real cause for optimism," Brady added. "Which puts us in an interesting position with the Clippers. Most of the young people don’t feel any connection at all. But some of us older crowd do, and it brings mixed emotions."
Brady wrote about the Braves/Clippers link in an excellent column and touched upon some further connections running through the postseason.
If the Clippers are to make it past the Suns, they will have to overcome Chris Paul once he returns from the COVID protocol. This is another interesting twist, as it was Paul who launched LA’s recent revival when he played there from 2011 to '17.
Furthermore, if the Clippers reach the Finals, they could be against the Atlanta Hawks, who began life as the Buffalo Bisons — for all of 38 days — before taking a winding journey through Moline, Illinois (as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks), Milwaukee and St. Louis before finally resting in Georgia.
Ahead of Thursday's Game 3, the Clippers were +600 (via FOXBET) to win the series and advance to the NBA Finals. The Hawks were +375 as they prepared to meet the Milwaukee Bucks.
"It would be pretty remarkable if the Clippers ended up in the Finals against the Hawks," Brady added. "If it did, one way or another, we here in Buffalo would definitely get a win. Although, truthfully, it wouldn’t completely feel like it."
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. You can subscribe to the daily newsletter here.
