title 0
L.A. CLIPPERS VS. MILWAUKEE BUCKS: EDEN’S TAKE
This Article Originally appeared on sportsdistillery.com DECEMBER 10, 2015 2:00 PM
by Eden Perry
Watched At: Grand View Market, Culver City, Los Angeles.
Drank What: Red Wine from the deli counter.
I’ve been in Los Angeles for a week and after everything I do, people let me know, “That is so LA” I don’t know what this means but I nod my head and agree because, yes, I am in LA.
Things so far that have been “So LA”: drinking juice in the morning, going for a hike, riding in a car, writing in a coffee shop. People do these things elsewhere in America, but Los Angeles has somehow taken credit for them.
I watch the Los Angeles Clippers-Milwaukee Bucks game with my friend Jay. He has lived in LA for a long time so I trust his read on the city. He has asked me to meet him at a strange, multi-purpose grocery store/deli/bar/stand-up venue. When I arrive, Jay tries his best to explain his location choice.
Me: “This place is really weird, Jay. Why are we here?”
Jay: “I know, I can’t tell if it’s intentional or not but this place is so LA.”
We sit at a long plastic picnic table and Jay gives me the inside scoop.
“Not many people like the Clippers because they’re not from LA.”
The team moved from San Diego in 1984 which is probably longer than most Angelenos have been here, but whatever. The Lakers are playing too, but “Kobe is on his way out” so we don’t bother. And if you’re not a Lakers fan, you root for the Clippers out of revenge, he tells me. Revenge is so LA.
Jay says the Clippers have “stacked” their team with a “nasty” line up this season. Jay’s knowledge of all things sports is highly impressive. He can converse on any number of teams and leagues and he does. I try my best to soak up his knowledge. It takes me a while to understand that “nasty” is a good thing.
We look at the screen: Blake Griffin sinks a shot for the Clippers.
“He is the best athlete in the league,” says Jay, “and he went to Oklahoma for college.”
“Oh, was he a Rhodes Scholar or something?” I ask.
Jay explains some next-level stuff to me: “Guys in LA watch regular season games for the talking points because this game means nothing in the grand scheme of the league.”
I’m constantly trying to relate. “It sounds like when New Yorkers go to brunch!”
“That’s right, Eden. Nobody goes to brunch for the eggs.”
DeAndre Jordan, Texas A&M, tries to make a free throw for the Clippers. “He’s the worst free-throw shot in the league,” says Jay.
The Bucks are way up at one point during the second quarter. I ask Jay why the Bucks are winning if the Clippers are so “stacked” this year.
“Sometimes you can put all the best talent together but you can’t give them the chemistry.” They do that in Hollywood all the time! I might be starting to get this city.
Meanwhile, the bar/grocery store has begun to fill up. For a moment, I think we have stumbled on a whole group of Clippers fans/Lakers haters, who are uniting to share an experience! Have I finally found the local community? No, it’s just standup night.
We watch the rest of the game through five-minute sets of jokes. These are either the best or worst comedians I’ve ever seen. Jay cries tears of joy at the biggest flops. The Clippers win, 109-95. And once again, I understand nothing about Los Angeles.