-
Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN staff essayist
INGLEWOOD, California — With 10 minutes left in the LA Clippers’ regular-season opener at the Intuit Dome on Wednesday, Kevin Durant found himself in the pitch sequence dealing with something he hasn’t experienced in his 17 professional seasons.
The Phoenix Suns celebrity climbed onto The Wall. And The Wall won, because 88.4% of the Sovereign Shooting Professional Shooter forgot two, sending the traitorous society of the Intuit Dome into a frenzy.
Durant scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, but would have scored two more if not for the distraction of The Wall, a sharp division of fans at the bottom of the basket closest to the visiting bench.
Durant, however, responded closer, drilling a 15-foot fadeaway that was required by law to force overtime before the Suns ruined the Clippers’ historic night with a 116-113 victory before 18,300 spectators.
“Yeah, it was crazy,” Durant said of The Wall. “I was looking at it the whole time. You’re not used to that.”
It has 51 uninterrupted rows of seats, but the first 13 rows are filled with die-hard Clippers fans whose fandom has been scrutinized by the franchise before. Fans in the first 13 rows are expected to get up and chant throughout the game and form a state similar to a school division.
This was the look of Clippers owner Steve Ballmer when he reviewed designs for the $2 billion area. He looked for a home-field advantage like every other option in the NBA, and he practically helped the Clippers regain their first win in the state-of-the-art development.
The Wall and the high-tech Halo 4K Dashboard, the largest dual-sided halo display in a space environment, and at nearly an acre long, are arguably the two best features that make the Intuit Dome unlike any other space. of the NBA.
“It’s the experience, the feeling of the bowl and the scoreboard,” Ballmer told ESPN at the end of the hour about what he loves about the Intuit Dome. “I actually love our standing-room-only section. [in The Wall]. It worked very well in the preseason. Let’s see what works in the game, but it gave you a college gym feel… it’s going to feel like a student section because that’s what students do.”
Ballmer opened the night through his status on The Wall among enthusiasts and founded what the Clippers hope will be a ritual with a dance and a chant.
“Welcome home, Clipper Nation!” Ballmer screamed at the top of his lungs into a microphone.
With superstar Kawhi Leonard out indefinitely as he continues to strengthen his right knee, James Harden scored 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, but also gave up eight. He gave the Clippers a two-point lead with 41.5 seconds left with two dominant shots, but Durant clinched the lead with his big shot over Harden and Amir Coffey with 21.2 seconds left.
Harden had a chance to win the game, but his floater went off the rim. In overtime, Harden had a chance to connect it, but missed the second of two sovereign shots with 4.8 seconds left. Jusuf Nurkic then scored two sovereign shots.
With 1.6 seconds left, the Clippers may not get to Harden, as Grayson Allen stole the ball to seal the Suns’ first win of the season.
Later, Durant and Devin Booker spoke glowingly about the Intuit Dome wall.
“I missed a free throw,” said Booker, who fouled out in the fourth quarter. “I was mad. I think K missed two down there too. So that might work.”
When asked if The Wall left an impact on him, Booker responded, “Hell yeah.”
“You spend $2 billion and you put up a wall,” Booker said.
When Durant missed those two big shots in the fourth quarter, it brought Intuit Dome to the year, because every time an opponent misses two consecutive big shots, fans get Chick-fil-A hotshot sandwiches.
“I think I experienced that [once before]” Durant said of The Wall. “Oklahoma State has kind of a stage like that, obviously not that big. But to see something go up, I always thought it was cool. The noise sounds a little different. “It’s going to be a difficult road environment for anyone who comes here.”
Harden said he simply wanted the Clippers to be able to offer their fans something to look out for on opening night.
“I’m very disappointed that we didn’t get the win,” Harden said. “That’s one of the most frustrating things. Like the story in Inglewood. The Intuit Dome. The fans showed up and we took the brunt of it.
“But I think they gave us a very, very good energy tonight, and I think the further they go, the more effective our effects will be. So we respect the fans. They gave us our part, and they certainly did.” yours tonight.”
