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The Clippers lost a heartbreaker to the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena in Oakland last night, and it was pretty devastating for Clippers fans. A close game against a bitter rival, when both teams were undefeated, it a pretty sucky way to go down.
When the Clippers' social media staff tweeted out the final score of the game, what message did they give the fans?
Hey, at least we didn't lose by more.
Hashtag didn't lose by 50.
Final from Oakland...
GSW 112 LAC 108
#didntloseby50
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) November 5, 2015
#didntloseby50
It is, of course, a reference to the Warriors' prior game, in which they beat the Memphis Grizzlies, another bitter Clippers rival who lost to Golden State by 50, 119-69. It's also a pretty crappy message to send.
I'm a Clippers fan. I love the Clippers, I hate the Warriors, I hate the Grizzlies. I'm not especially mad that the Clippers lost last night: they played well, fought hard, and held their own on the road against the best team in the NBA. I tend to enjoy a little trash talk between the Clippers and their rivals, even if it could be seen as "childish", which was how Grizzlies guard Courtney Lee described the Clippers' tweet.
What I don't like is the message that #didntloseby50 conveys--as if losing by 4 to Golden State, or losing at all, is good enough. At some point, the Clippers are going to have to play the Warriors in the playoffs (and if they don't, then that'll be really lucky) if they want to win a championship. And they're going to have to beat them. If you go out there and beat Golden State, throw all the shade in the world at Memphis for losing to them by 50.
When you lose? Worry about yourself.