So today I was stuck remembering that 2018 Clippers squad and figured, why not dig into whether they really shocked fans like people say? Grabbed my dusty laptop first thing after breakfast. Thing barely woke up, sounded like a jet engine. Typical Tuesday.
Starting the Data Hunt
Dove straight into old stats sites, fingers flying over sticky keys. Needed basic stuff about who was even on that team. Took forever – kept getting distracted by pop-up ads trying to sell me sneakers. Finally got the names down:
- Tobias Harris – dude came outta nowhere that season
- Lou Williams – always lighting people up off the bench
- Boban Marjanovic – seriously huge guy
- Plus Avery Bradley, Gallinari, others
Watching Old Highlights
Scrounged YouTube for fuzzy game clips since my league access expired. Lou Will crossed people so nasty! But couldn’t find clean full games anywhere. Ended up scrolling through box scores instead, squinting at tiny numbers. Found something weird:
- Team had NO top-25 player stats-wise
- Yet somehow pushed towards playoffs? Didn’t make sense first glance
Here’s the funny part – I spilled coffee all over my notes halfway through. Had to wipe down everything while muttering swear words. Thought about quitting but nah, stubbornness kicked in.
Putting Pieces Together
Started scribbling strengths and weaknesses on a napkin since my notebook got drenched:
- Good Stuff: Crazy scoring off the bench, coach Rivers pulling wild moves, team felt scrappy underdogs
- Bad Stuff: Defense looked awful on replay, injuries everywhere, Blake gone but ghost hanging around
Cross-checked fan forums after lunch. Lots arguing whether they overperformed or just got lucky. Didn’t settle anything but helped my thoughts. Realized their biggest surprise wasn’t skill – it was nobody seeing them coming. Like that quiet kid winning the science fair.
Finished around sunset. Conclusion? Yeah they probably shocked folks, but more by being weirdly stubborn than actually great. And my keyboard still smells like coffee. Lessons learned.