The Los Angeles Clippers picked up a big win on Thursday night, taking down the Suns who are the current 2-seed in the West one night after Phoenix beat the Jazz in overtime. It was a game that featured some chippiness and a late ejection for Patrick Beverley, but a sensational performance from Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, combining for 60 points, led L.A. to the 113-103 win.
Prior to the game on TNT, Charles Barkley had declared that he didn’t believe the Clippers were title contenders this year, and even after a strong performance he wasn’t swayed. He’s far from alone, as after last season’s collapse against the Nuggets many are waiting to see them prove they can get over the hump in the playoffs before buying in no matter how well they perform in the regular season. For Barkley, though, it goes deeper than that, as he had a rather hilarious response to some angry Clippers fan tweets after the game, noting that for his entire life the Clippers have sucked through his many phases.
Charles Barkley: "I've been poor, I've been rich, I've been fat, I've been skinny, I've been old, I've been in the Hall of Fame and one thing I can always tell you,the Clippers have always sucked" pic.twitter.com/OdTF0YBnuP
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) April 9, 2021
In all fairness to Chuck, he’s not wrong here. The Clippers as a franchise have been a disaster for a long time, although at least over the last decade they’ve been far more competent, even if they haven’t been able to get over the hump to reach the conference finals. There are plenty of folks who share the same trepidation about believing in the Clippers as a real contender for the very reasons that they’ve been burned before, and until they prove it to Chuck, he’s not going to buy in on this L.A. squad.
