TWiCH: Boston Has Class

Another Thursday, another look back at This Week in Clippers History. As always, I have scoured the internet, looking for interesting stories about the Los Angeles Clippers. Let's head back in time, as we visit the Clippers news of the past.  As always, we start with the TWiCH Record:

TWiCH Record: 64-86 (43% win percentage)

Last week, with the shortage of great stories, I went away from the usual 1 story each decade format. Fortunately, there were more than enough stories to go back to the usual ways. So let's start at the 70's:

1976

Bob McAdoo Traded to the Knicks

Bob McAdoo was the original franchise player for the Clippers. He still ranks as one of, if not the, best players in Clippers/Braves franchise history. In his 4 1/2 seasons with the Braves, McAdoo averaged 28.2 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. For the 1974-75 season, he averaged 34.5 points per game, the 14th highest per game average for a season in NBA history.

So why would the Braves trade their best player, just entering his prime? McAdoo was in the final year of his contract, and the team could not come to an agreement with him on a new contract. Rather than loose him outright, they decided to trade him. They sent McAdoo and Tom McMillen to the Knicks in exchange for John Gianelli and cash (reported at $2.5 million).

Gianelli would finish out the season with the Braves, averaging 7 points per game. He was traded in the off-season to the Milwaukee Bucks for their 1979 1st round pick. McAdoo would spend just about 2 seasons time with the Knicks, averaging 26.7 points, and 12 rebounds per game, before being traded to the Boston Celtics.

For those of you, like myself, who never got a chance to see Bob McAdoo play, check out this video:

1988

The Northridge Clippers?

In the late 80's and early 90's, the Clippers were looking for options for a new home. They played at the Sports Arena, which was never the greatest arena in the NBA. We already looked at a proposal from 1992,
but just 4 years earlier, the team was looking at another option. They had preliminary discussions with Cal State, Northridge, about the possibility of sharing a new on campus arena. The next day, the team denied it, and nothing ever came of it.

1997

It's Not a Good Sign When Keith Closs is Your Leading Scorer

In 1997, Keith Closs was a rookie with the Clippers. At 7-3, the Clippers were hoping that he could become a good NBA center. Early on in his rookie season, in a game against the Atlanta Hawks at the Sports Arena, 6,227 fans witnessed his finest game as an NBA player. Closs scored 15 points off the bench to lead the Clippers in defeat. Unfortunately, that was his high point, and alcohol issues would derail his NBA career after just 3 seasons.

He did end up getting a little notoriety, with a YouTube video that went viral. Unfortunately, it was a video of him getting beat up.

2007 & 2010

MILPH Gets Some Love

In two separate articles, one from 2007 and one from 2010, the Clippers announcers, Ralph Lawler and Michael Smith, are shown some love. The 2007 article tells the story on how Lawler met Smith, and gave him a shot. The 2010 article shares the story of how Lawler introduced Bill Walton to the idea of broadcasting. Both stories are a good read, and are great after the harsh opinion shared by a writer at The Dream Shake a couple of weeks ago.

2013

Celtics Show Doc Some Love

In his first game back at Boston since leaving the Celtics for the Clippers, the Celtics played a tribute to Doc between the first and second quarter. For those of us in Los Angeles, watching the Prime Ticket broadcast, we didn't get to see it. The the Celtics, one of the classiest organizations in sports, captured it and uploaded it to their YouTube channel. Enjoy:

So there you have it, This Week in Clippers History. Hope you enjoyed. Remember to check back every Thursday to travel Back in Time with TWiCH!