They are the luckiest team ever but also they are earning easy paths to the finals by capturing the 1 seed every year. Cant hate on that. Usually the 1 seed will guarantee a 3rd round birth before you see worthy competition
However it's just one game, the Clippers can still hope in Hayward getting injured in game 2 and Hill in game 3
The Clippers got a pass last year because of the injuries to Griffin and Paul. They would've beaten the Blazers otherwise. But if they lose to a Gobert-less Jazz team despite having home court, they really do need to blow it up.
....then the vultures come in and whisper sweet nothings into their free agents' ears, planting the seeds of future successes. So many successes that they may get bored of all the success.
I don't really "root for" anybody other than the Rockets, but I do have teams I wish would win in certain games/series. And in this series, I wish the Jazz would win......and it feels SOOOOO f-in dirty. I'm disgusted with myself, but I can't stand the Clippers... So, there. My secret shame revealed.
Very interesting that most people here are rooting for the Jazz over the Clippers. I thought I was the only one.
I prefer the Jazz as well. Well, the only reason I don't is the dream of getting Hayward to join the Rockets in the offseason. But otherwise, the Clippers are super annoying as a team - principally because of Doc (who I find to be one of the most annoying coaches of the past 15 years), somewhat because of CP3 (who I like generally as a person and dude, but his game annoys me) and somewhat because of Blake/DJ (who just get too much pub imo). Whereas the Jazz... well, there a team out there with them mormons that i don't really care about, but they seem to play right, work hard, etc.
After Malone, Stockton, and Sloan have all gone, I don't hate the Jazz much. Just sort of a "don't care" team. I do hate the Clippers. Paul is a dirty whiny player. Griffin is a fake tough guy who has one of the weakest minds. I can't believe I could hate a team more than the Lakers. But since the Lakers are irrelevant, I simply don't care about them. I used to like the Warriors. I liked the way they played the game. But Draymond Green is getting on my nerve. He's the big's version of Chris Paul, dirty and whiny. Durant signing on with them was the last straw that tipped me to the side of hating them.
These aren't the Jerry Sloan, d*ck face Jazz anymore. I feel sorry for the people who live where they don't allow Jazz, but they have put together a pretty good team with a very good coach.