Summary
I had a feelingClippedwould be hard to watch as a fan of the Los Angeles Clippers, butI was disappointed by aspects of its depiction of the true story. I experienced the Lob City Clippers as a teenager, suffering heartbreaks year after year as an ultra-talented roster continuously fell shy of winning the team its first ring. Though there’s a nostalgic lens to look through now, I’m truly thrilled to have been able to root for such a unique, exciting squad. I remember theDonald Sterling scandal, the memes, and the seven-game series against the Warriors.
The Lakers haveWinning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, and we haveClipped, marketed as"The scandalous story of LA’s other basketball team,“the condescension of which is amusing to me in a self-deprecating way. It’s an entertaining series with elements that I love, though it undoubtedly takes its creative liberties for drama. That’s part of the process of making enjoyable television, as proven byWinning Time, which I’m already missing very much. Still, there areaspects of the true story changed forClippedthat are worth exploring.
Clipped Overplays Drama Between Two Of LA’s Biggest Stars (When Donald Sterling Should Be The True Villain)
Clipped Alludes To The Clippers Hating Chris Paul Despite His Leading The Team Amid The Real-Life Sterling Controversy
The strangest thing aboutClipped’spremiere episodes to me was thatthe series took time to examine a feud between Clippers stars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. Then assistant coach (and now Head Coach) Tyronn Lue once explained on theAll the Smokepodcast that the pair had a similar relationship to Shaq and Kobe, with Paul joining the team with a killer mentality that threw off the younger Blake Griffin’s vibe. However, both players have since reflected on their experience together fondly, with Griffin saying this about an alleged feud to theDaily Newsin 2022:
“We’ve talked. We’ve played before. I think a lot of that with our team was a little blown out of proportion in my opinion. When you don’t win, things sort of get compounded. People want to write stories for clicks, not for the truth.””
While I wasn’t there in the locker room to see what happened, I knew there was a team going out every night and playing some of the most entertaining basketball the NBA has ever seen. In a TV series about one of the biggest scandals in 21st-century sports, I struggle to see the purpose in spinning a narrative claiming all the players hated Chris Paul when, in reality,the 2014 Clippers squad rallied together against Sterling in a powerful way with the help of Paul’s leadership. Read Chris Paul’s quote (viaESPN) following the Clippers' silent protest of Sterling below:
“We’re going to be one, everything we do, we do it together,” Chris Paul said. “Stay together, play ball, we worked hard to be where we are, can’t imagine going through this with anyone leading us other than Doc.”
The One Thing Clipped Gets Absolutely Right In Episodes 1 & 2
V. Stiviano Saved The Clippers Franchise From Donald Sterling
One aspect of the FX seriesthat I absolutely support is the celebration of V. Stiviano, played by Cleopatra Coleman in theClippedcast. Stiviano is a Clippers hero, as her role in outing Donald Sterling brought the franchise long-awaited hope. It’s well-documented inClippedthat Sterling’s oppressive leadership was a detriment to the team for over three decades, and his unacceptable behavior could’ve gone on far longer if not for her tape. I’m all forClippedcontinuing to be the Stiviano show.
Sources:All the Smoke,Daily News,ESPN
Clipped
“Clipped” takes viewers inside the Los Angeles Clippers' organization during one of its most controversial periods. The series follows Coach Doc Rivers, portrayed by Laurence Fishburne, as he navigates the fallout from owner Donald Sterling’s racist remarks. The scandal, captured on tape and broadcast globally, sparks a fierce power struggle involving Sterling, his wife Shelly, and his ambitious assistant V. Stiviano. As Rivers works to keep his team united and focused on winning, the show explores the broader implications of Sterling’s actions and the quest for accountability and change within the sports world.
