Home court advantage is important in sports; Chris Paul doesn’t believe the Los Angeles Clippers have much of one at all. After his team lost to the Chicago Bulls 105-89 at Staples Center on Monday night, Paul said the game “somewhat felt like” it was played on the road.
CP3: "Tonight somewhat felt like a road game. It ain't no secret. It's not the first time."
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) November 18, 2014
Watching on television, there did appear a decided din of excitement as Chicago made its big third quarter run to turn a close game into a blowout. Those in attendance even confirmed that a “Let’s go Bulls!” chant broke out at one point:
A loud, "Let's go Bulls!" chant at Staples Center. I might need @NickFriedell to show me around Chicago after the game. Oh, wait.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) November 18, 2014
This isn’t surprising. Chicago has one of the league’s biggest fan bases, and the city of Los Angeles is rife with imports. And despite present realities of each franchise, the Clippers still aren’t the Lakers in terms of following. Most of LA still wears purple-and-gold, and that might always be the case.
But that doesn’t mean Paul can’t be frustrated. Los Angeles is laboring in the season’s early going, and needed any help it could get from the home crowd in a battle with Chicago. It’s not like there weren’t more Clippers fans than Bulls fans in the stands, too; Windy City faithful were simply louder and more engaged than their counterparts.
Los Angeles is now 5-4 on the season despite seven of their nine games coming at Staples Center. The Clippers are just 4-3 in those contests, and begin a seven-game road trip tomorrow night in Orlando against the Magic. Could this be an opportunity for them to turn their season around? Given Paul’s frustration with LA’s home crowd, it certainly seems possible – no matter how nonsensical.
What do you think?
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