Clippers at Staples Center: Where If Happens

Official Review by Jose Salviati, Stadium Journey Correspondent

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The Staples Center in the heart of downtown Los Angeles changed everything when it opened in 1999. Los Angeles, you see, is not a city as much as it is a large expanse of space made up of several cities all of which often refer to themselves as “L.A.” Inglewood, Hawthorne, Orange are all most definitely not L.A., but when people who live there are asked where they are from they invariably say L.A. It’s just easier to say that than to explain how you are about 30 minutes Southeast of Los Angeles.

Staples brought L.A. together. It represents a town center, a central meeting place for all of L.A. to gather. In addition to uniting a very diverse and displaced Los Angeles it also revitalized its downtown.

Downtown L.A. was a place everyone wanted to see when they traveled here but truthfully before Staples arrived there wasn’t much to see. If you strayed too far from the well lit areas then you risked seeing much more than you would have ever hoped for. Frankly, before Staples, Downtown L.A. was ugly. You went there to get a bargain on clothes, jewelry or a pirated DVD and then you left. Quick.

Today downtown is a thriving area with Staples as its anchor. It’s a place to go walk around, eat, shop and sure even watch a Clippers game.

Staples Center is no longer the new kid on the stadium block. Its bells and whistles have been matched by some and surpassed by others. It remains however an impressive venue to watch a basketball game. The Clippers are a basketball team; no really they are. They were in fact the only basketball team in L.A. that was rocking Staples in 2006. That was when the Clippers made a run in the NBA playoffs that saw them fall one game short of the Western Conference Finals. 2006 seems a long way away today however. In 2010 the Clippers are, well, not so good.

What will it be like watching a sub-par team in an above-par stadium? I am here to find out!

Food & Beverage   5/5

Food and beverage are everywhere! All the normal fare along with some unique items are available at every level at Staples. Hot dogs, nachos, burritos, the list goes on and on.

Atmosphere   3/5

Here is where the tenant might be hurting the stadium’s score. Today, the Clippers were the host and the atmosphere was lacking. Clipper management certainly tries hard. The Clipper Spirit, the cheerleaders, have just as much going on as the Laker Girls, but watching them do their thing doesn’t seem to cause the same reaction as their more popular counterparts. In addition to the cheerleaders, which every NBA team seems to have now, the Clippers add a drum group. Think Orlando Jones and Nick Cannon in Drumline. They call themselves Clippercussion. Um, ok. The name doesn’t seem to roll all that well off the tongue (or maybe it’s just me), but I couldn’t help but tap my toes.

There was the now standard half-court free throw attempt and tossing t-shirts into the stands stunts, but both fell flat. The young lady who MC’ed the half-court shot appeared to be as comfortable on the court as Tiger Woods at a NOW convention. I was only nineteen rows from the court and felt I was in good shape to walk away with a free T-shirt. The throwers however did not come equipped with those T-shirt launching thingys. Their weak throws barely made it to row five. Sad.

Finally, there was a guy who had on about 15 clipper t-shirts. He took them all off as the P.A. Announcer egged him on. It had to of been scripted, I mean who does that on a whim. It was sorta funny but left me a bit uncomfortable when the last shirt came off. Ew.

Other than that the place was surprisingly family friendly. I saw lots of kids which was nice.

The score is as low as it is however because the place lacked energy. It wasn’t from lack of trying but there was no spark in Staples this afternoon. When the players yawn you know its bad!

Neighborhood   5/5

You are in Los Angeles. If you want it, it is close by. Regardless of what “it” happens to be. Restaurants are plentiful from something as fun as the ESPN Zone to things a tad more upscale like Lawry’s Carvery. If you want to make a day of it arrive early and head North East on Figueroa until you see The Pantry for the best breakfast you will ever have. The people you see in the picture are waiting in line. Yeah, its THAT good!

Fans   5/5

I love Clipper fans. I love them because people are shocked that they even exist! They are kind of like the coelacanth fish. The coelacanth was believed to be extinct until one was spotted of the East coast of South Africa. Clippers fans are exactly the same, long since thought to be extinct but they pop up from time to time! When they do pop up they are amongst the most knowledgeable fans in the Association.

They always cheer and jeer at the right times and at the right player. They don’t need the overhead jumbotron to tell them when to scream. Today’s game was no exception. They were ready to explode as the Clippers inched back into the game, but the Kings quickly took control and took the wind out of the fans’ collective sail.

I had the privilege of enjoying the game next to a longtime Clipper fan. He has been attending games for 20 years rarely missing a game at Staples. Matter of fact when I asked him how many games he attended a year he said, “All of them. Unless they are cutting on me.” I wasn’t sure what he meant. Maybe he waits in line to buy a ticket and will always get his seat unless someone cuts in front of him. That explanation made sense to me, but I was off. He pulled up his left pant leg to show me a very scarred up knee. “Unless they are cutting on me, I’m here. I’m even here sometimes when they DO cut on me,” he exclaimed with a wide smile.

I love Clipper fans!

Access   5/5

This may be a shock to some who think of Los Angeles as a hustling and bustling metropolis of confusion, but parking and access to the stadium was very pleasant. Parking ranged from $15 to $20 depending on how far you wanted to walk. I went cheap paying $15 and was less than a 1/4 mile from Staples. Once inside there were restrooms everywhere that were, in addition to plentiful, well maintained.

Return on Investment   4/5

One very interesting dynamic about Clipper games is that they are much cheaper than Laker games. Same stadium in the same seat will cost you less to see the Clippers than the Lakers. It makes sense when you check the franchise lineage of course; the Lakers are in many ways the model franchise in the NBA while the Clippers are the longtime doormat. Because both clubs face the same competition in the same stadium it makes a Clipper game much more affordable if you want to see the Association’s stars. LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and even Kobe Bryant are all much cheaper when you watch them do their thing at a Clipper home game.

The Clippers are the Association’s classic “if” team. If they had drafted differently, if some of their stars wouldn’t of been injured, if they weren’t owned by Donald Sterling then things would be different. If, if, if. The team is about ready to complete the 2009-2010 season in much the same way its ended most of their campaigns in Los Angeles, poorly. This year however they are poised to spend money on a bevy of free agent’s available at years end. Which leaves them with a new if. If LeBron James signs here then everything will be different.

It could happen. Which would leave Staples rocking like never before! If.

Extras   0/5

No additional points awarded.

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