Steve Ballmer's Prophecy Is Coming True Right Before Our Eyes As The Clippers' "Wall" Has Become A Legitimate Weapon

Harry How. Getty Images.

Back when the Clippers announced their new arena and walked everyone through how innovative and one-of-a-kind it would be, one of the most intriguing aspects of their building was, of course, The Wall. Naturally, because it's the Clippers, opposing fans (mostly Lakers fans tbh) couldn't help themselves and made all sorts of jokes about how this was a terrible idea because the Clippers don't have actual fans, they'll always be the little brother in LA blah blah blah.

When we saw it for the first time at the start of October to begin the season, it immediately made an impact

Fast forward to now, and I think it's safe to say not only has The Wall been a fantastic idea, but its sneaky turned into a legitimate weapon for the Clippers. Considering we're about to enter the playoffs, I don't think this is something that should be overlooked. This is especially true if the Clippers end up in the Play In, where one game could be your entire season.

This is a topic of course because of what took place last night, with the Clippers taking down the full health best record in the NBA Cavs in dramatic fashion

What was so significant about that game? The Cavs, who currently shoot a collective 78% from the FT line (about middle of the pack, 12th in the NBA) ended this game with a brutal 17-26 performance from the FT line (65.4%). In the second half alone, they finished 7-13 (53.8%), and just 4-8 (50%) in the 4th quarter. 

Considering what a magnet ball season the Cavs are having from legitimately every single player on the roster, how does one explain this sudden drop-off? Easy. The Wall. You know it, they know it, fans know it, and all of a sudden things aren't so funny now are they? This thing is legitimately impacting games (against good teams), which when you add that to a healthy Kawhi/Harden suddenly makes the Clippers an interesting team as we head into the playoffs. 

It's even reached the point where opposing fanbases are now begging the NBA to ban it

Now that we have a rather large sample size of how impactful The Wall may or may not have been this season, what do the numbers say? Good news for Steve Ballmer, it appears this thing is working exactly as he envisioned

When we talk about true homecourt advantages, there are only a handful of arenas where that sort of thing exists. Let's not forget, at 24-10, the Clippers now own one of the best home records in the West/NBA. Their .706 home winning percentage is the 5th highest win% in the league, and given their injury situation with Kawhi you have to think The Wall is playing a role there. Sure Norman Powell has made a leap and Zubac is having a career year, but the numbers are the numbers.

Just think about what type of moment this thing could give us in the Play In/Playoffs. Imagine we have a tight game where an opponent steps up to the FT line and has to block out The Wall? Imagine if that player misses a huge FTA on that end of the floor to lose a playoff game or a series? That would be incredible theatre. It's not totally out of the realm of possibility that the Clippers play either GS/MIN in the Play In Game, so imagine someone blowing FTs to lose that game, and their playoff path now includes a 1st round date with OKC? This thing has the potential to shape the entire Western Conference playoff path! 

There are plenty of reasons to think the Clippers (barring health) have what it takes to make a deep playoff run. For starters, a healthy Kawhi changes everything about their ceiling. But they also have depth, a great coach, solid defensive versatility, a point differential (+3.1) that is currently higher than both LAL (+1.6) and GS (+2.6), a great home record, and a legit difference maker in The Wall. Is that enough to cover for the potential James Harden playoff dropping that NBA history says is coming? Only time will tell.

But considering at the start of the season many people were mocking Ballmer and the Clippers for creating The Wall, the fact that it actually works is incredible and has us set up for some all-time chaos in just a few weeks. Good for the Clippers now they are finally out of the Lakers' shadow and have created their own identity, and just don't be surprised when this thing wins them a playoff game or two.