This Clippers/Rockets story is so perfectly today’s NBA.
It’s not about the game itself (game-related stories draw far fewer eyeballs/traffic than off the court stuff). It involves drama and confrontation between star players with grudges and a guy who forced a trade. And while the players postured, there was never going to be an actual fight and everybody knew it, still the LAPD was called in.
It’s all perfect fodder for Twitter.
Just a quick recap of events. The Clippers win Monday over the Rockets at Staples Center got chippy — Blake Griffin got into it with Mike D’Antoni after running into him, Griffin and Trevor Ariza were ejected after some words where Austin Rivers was involved. After the game, Paul led a group of Warriors — James Harden, Ariza, Gerald Green — down a secret tunnel behind the locker rooms, went to the back door of the Clippers’ locker room and started to confront the Clippers. Except, nothing really happened but a verbal exchange, security broke it up and the LAPD was called in. That last part just about made Shaq fall out of his chair on Inside the NBA.
"LAPD was called 😂😂" pic.twitter.com/Oy0Gz9A9Co
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) January 16, 2018
All this while Clint Capela knocked on the front door of the Clippers locker room and had it shut in his face.
This story was perfect for NBA Twitter, and it had a field day. Including the big names.
— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin23) January 16, 2018
Still putting on his shoes pic.twitter.com/mj9vS9cwCn
— Daryl MorΞy 🗽🏀 (@dmorey) January 16, 2018
Everyone got in on the act.
Wesley Johnson at the secret door pic.twitter.com/Qjcq5jYI9Y
— Saylor (@ceesay257) January 16, 2018
chris paul sneaking into the clippers locker room pic.twitter.com/9AVFBrhPci
— nick (@nick_pants) January 16, 2018
Did they have torches? Pitchforks? "Just give us Austin, and the rest of you can live!" BK
— Kamenetzky Brothers (@KamBrothers) January 16, 2018
CP3 knew there was a backdoor that connected the home and away locker rooms in Staples. pic.twitter.com/SDgtLe3yxA
— Wells P (@Wells_P) January 16, 2018
Rockets rolling into Staples Center next month pic.twitter.com/Ghanr29QwY
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) January 16, 2018
