The Clippers may have been the host team on Tuesday night in a 110-106 loss to the Golden State Warriors, but they were hardly the fan favorites.
Warriors fans invaded Staples Center and turned it into a home environment for their beloved team, which ranks first in the Western Conference. Fans could be heard chanting “MVP” for Steph Curry, and they cheered loudly when Golden State players made shots.
Clippers star Blake Griffin, who scored 40 points in the defeat, expressed frustration with the crowd.
“Home-court advantage is just not there for us,” Griffin said after the game via ESPN’s Arash Markazi. “If that’s how it feels in the playoffs, it’s not looking good.”
The Clippers have lacked a home-court advantage against other teams this season, too.
“I don’t know what we could do, but it would be great if it wasn’t that way,” Griffin said. “It’s kind of like when we play the Lakers. I don’t know, maybe worse. It’s one of those things where it would be great if it wasn’t like that.”
It’s understandable why it would feel like a road game when playing the Lakers since their fans share the same city and since they have the same home arena. But when it’s an out-of-town team coming for a game, getting outnumbered is embarrassing and not what the players deserve. Steve Ballmer better start waving his pom-poms and addressing this issue.
