Nelson Rodriguez has rooted for the Clippers his total life, however the fandom of the Santa Ana resident was out of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
The 37-year-old by no means owned an article of the workforce’s clothes rising up, and even as an grownup. He can solely sustain with them on social media since Nelson doesn’t subscribe to Bally Sports activities or the NBA’s streaming service. The monetary planner works in an workplace of Lakers followers. His spouse, Cynthia, solely cares for the Dodgers in relation to sports activities.
And till I took my expensive buddy to the Clippers dwelling sport Monday night time towards the Miami Warmth, Nelson had by no means seen his workforce in individual.
“I don’t know anyone besides you who’d want to go,” he mentioned as we drove as much as the Intuit Dome from Orange County round 4 that afternoon. We left early so we might seize a chew to eat at Con’i Seafood, then wander across the new enviornment. “If it was Lakers, you’d have 20 hands go up. If I said, ‘Let’s go to an Angels game,’ people would want to go.
“But,” he concluded with a pained smile, “it’s the Clippers.”
His dad, a Salvadoran immigrant, taught him to like the workforce whereas Nelson was rising up in Buena Park. He caught with them by means of the Clippers’ misplaced years of the Nineteen Nineties and 2000s as a result of “I love going for the underdog. When you’re an Angels fan, it’s easy. The Lakers were always the cool option. They get enough praise. They get the famous fans. We get Billy Crystal.”
Nelson’s devotion paid off with the Lob Metropolis years, whose trademark dunking and slashing with gamers like Blake Griffith, DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul “is how the NBA should be played.” He was additional drawn in with the 2019 signing of his favourite basketball participant, Kawhi Leonard.
“He beat the [Golden State] Warriors with the [Toronto] Raptors single-handedly and shut up those bandwagon fans,” he cracked as we loved aguachile and fish chicharrones at Con’i. After I requested what he favored about Leonard, Nelson replied, “He’s super quiet, but laser-focused and lets his actions speak for him.”
Very very like Nelson, come to consider it.
I requested how the Clippers’ season was going as we made the five-minute drive from Con’i to Intuit Dome.
“Good, considering Kawhi has been out for so long. The fact the rest of the team was able to hold it down, that makes the rest of the season promising.”
We lastly obtained to the world, which we each agreed appeared just like the ARTIC practice and bus station in Anaheim. Music was blasting. Folks shot baskets at two courts close to the doorway. A dance crew wearing grey jogging fits did their factor. Nelson stared at all of it and simply grinned.
“Look at how clean everything is,” he mentioned, referring to the design scheme. “That’s one of the reasons I never really wanted to go to a game, either. I once went to a concert at Staples Center. It was ugly.”
Nelson made his option to a spot the place we might look down on the Clippers observe facility, the place a solitary participant was practising. “Amir Coffey!” Nelson exclaimed. “He’s a hustler.”
Our seats, which had been a Christmas shock from Cynthia to her husband, had been the nosebleeds of the nosebleeds.
“That’s where the real fans are, anyways,” he mentioned with amusing. Nelson then pointed to a piece of seats behind one finish of the courtroom far under us.
A Clippers fan holds up an “L.A. Strong” shirt throughout the first half of the Clippers’ 109-98 win Monday on the Intuit Dome. It was the Clippers’ first dwelling sport for the reason that begin of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.
(Jessie Alcheh / Related Press)
“That’s called ‘the Wall.’ You have to go through this process and you really have to be a Clippers fan to sit there. They ask you things like who’s your favorite player, how many years have you rooted for them — it’s like a quiz. [Clippers owner] Steve Ballmer wanted a space for the real ones.”
Cynthia tried to purchase tickets for the Wall however didn’t move muster in time.
Nelson nursed a margarita and held on to a Clippers sweatshirt I purchased him; I downed my double Jack Daniels. It was Korean Heritage Day, so the world performed Psy, BTS and Blackpink whereas flashing all kinds of lights.
It was sport time.
The Clippers got here onto the courtroom sporting black-and-white T-shirts that learn “LA Strong.” It was their first dwelling sport for the reason that devastating Pacific Palisades and Eaton hearth that introduced spoil to tens of 1000’s of Southern Californians. Public tackle announcer Eric Smith talked about the disasters and their “unfathomable devastation” in a brief speech, however the few followers who confirmed up — attendance was introduced at a beneficiant 13,119 — wished to give attention to one thing else for just a few hours, no less than.
Nelson booed the Warmth as they had been launched, and applauded when it was the flip of his squad. Leonard was nowhere to be seen. “He doesn’t seem to be playing today,” Nelson mentioned with disappointment.
Then Leonard ran onto the courtroom.
“He’s playing!” Nelson shouted.
That will be as joyful as he’d be for the primary half.
Leonard appeared rusty. The Warmth had been raining down three-pointers. Nelson groaned when the Clippers turned over the ball and shook his head after they missed straightforward pictures. Largely, he stayed quiet. He was enraptured. He by no means checked his cellphone as soon as.
At halftime, with the Clippers down 48-43, I requested how he favored watching a sport in individual.
“It’s really nice,” he replied. “Live, you really get into the flow of things. And it’s such an amazing view.”
I used to be joyful he was joyful, however was afraid my compa’s first sport can be a blowout loss. Then the Clippers got here alive.
Middle Ivica Zubac saved grabbing rebounds and muscling his approach towards dunks to followers growling “Zuuuuub.” James Harden scored 13 factors within the third quarter because the Clippers clawed again from a 17-point deficit. Nelson started to clap louder. His head bobbed with the music. When small ahead Norman Powell did a shake-and-bake earlier than hitting a 3 to present the Clippers a lead they by no means relinquished, Nelson yelled “Ohhhh!”
Clippers ahead Kawhi Leonard controls the ball in entrance of Miami Warmth guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. throughout the first half of the Clippers’ 109-98 win Monday on the Intuit Dome.
(Jessie Alcheh / Related Press)
We cheered and booed all through the fourth quarter, and even mooed as a part of a Chik-fil-A promotion that guarantees free hen sandwiches to all attendees if an opposing participant misses back-to-back free throws within the fourth quarter. When the sport ended with the Clippers on prime, 109-98, Nelson sat again for a bit and basked within the second.
“Beautiful,” he lastly proclaimed. He placed on his sweatshirt so I might take a photograph with the Clippers courtroom behind him, then we left Intuit.
“That was really good,” Nelson mentioned as we walked by means of the chilly Inglewood night time. “All I can think of right now is, ‘When am I gonna come back?’”
He defined how tonight was a typical Clippers victory this season: “They’ll be up, then they start to get behind, then they hustle back to win but give their fans freaking anxiety. But Kawhi is going to get better. The Clippers are going to get better. It’s going to be good this year.”
We drove again to Orange County, and agreed to attend one other sport this season. The next day, I frolicked with Cynthia and she or he advised me how ecstatic Nelson was.
“He even wore his sweatshirt to work,” she mentioned with realizing eyes. “And I said, ‘Is that appropriate?’ And he said, ‘Of course it is!’”
We’ve obtained the Wall subsequent time, Compa Nelson. Zuuuuub.
