The Los Angeles Clippers could take a commanding 3-1 series lead against the Golden State Warriors following Game 4, but that isn’t the biggest storyline heading into Sunday’s game.
Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers spoke to the media after practice on Saturday, addressing the racist comments made by the team’s owner Donald Sterling that were revealed in an audio clip obtained by TMZ.
Rivers told reporters that every single player in his locker room — regardless of race — was upset with the racially-charged remarks. Rivers added that there was even talk of boycotting their upcoming playoff game, but that idea was eventually rejected.
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The head coach added that this incident is a “distraction” to the team, but they will rise above it to play in Game 4.
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The Clippers players declined to answer questions regarding the Sterling situation. One player told Yahoo’s Marc Spears that they wanted Rivers to speak for them so they could focus on their playoff series. But NBPA president and Clippers point guard Chris Paul did issue a statement on Sterling’s alleged racist comments.
“On behalf of the National Basketball Players Association, this is a very serious issue which we will address aggressively. We have asked Mayor Kevin Johnson to expand his responsibilities with the NBPA, to determine our response and our next steps. As players, we owe it to our teams and our fans to keep our focus on our game, the playoffs, and a drive to the Finals.”
