Clippers Meltdown Like Toddlers In Loss To Cavaliers

The Clippers were mauled in Cleveland tonight. They only lost by 105-94, but that is a deceptive result as they were down 31 after three quarters. The game was only misleadingly close because the Cavaliers sat their starters for the entire fourth quarter. It was the kind of game where the NBA puts up a video titled "LeBron James First Half Dunk Fest vs Los Angeles Clippers" afterwards.

Sensing his team already losing the plot in the first quarter, Doc Rivers intentionally picked up a technical while complaining to the referees, in an attempt to fire his team up. It didn't work. But tensions really boiled over while the Clippers were getting their assess whooped in the third quarter. Just look at this shot from the broadcast (via r/NBA):

Barnes got technicals from referees Ken Mauer and Eric Lewis respectively—to be fair to Barnes, the first one he got for hitting the ball out of Kevin Love's hands was weak—and had to be restrained from going after Mauer after getting ejected. Chris Paul got his after saying something to rookie female (this will become important in a minute) referee Lauren Holtkamp, while DeAndre Jordan got his after bellowing a "GODAMNNIT!!" in Holtkamp's direction.

This point is obvious considering the Clippers were down 31 going into the fourth quarter—and they admitted as much post-game—but I am going to make it anyways: they didn't lose because of the referees. Still, guess what they wanted to talk about post-game?

But the most interesting comment came from Chris Paul. You can watch video of it on ESPN.

Oof. Now, some are suggesting that Paul wasn't referring to Holtkamp's gender with his comment, and that if he were talking about a rookie male referee he might've said the exact same thing, swapping in "he" for "she." That may well be true, but it is a bad look, and a lame-ass thing to say on a night that your team got blown out. You can be sure the NBA will fine him for it tomorrow.

Photo of Chris Paul complaining to a referee earlier this season via Ezra Shaw/Getty