Many times a fan will have a second team. Regardless of the sport or league, everyone has a backup squad. This team isn’t in the same universe as the person’s favorite team, but they keep a small level of interest in the second team—in other words, they care about that team just a smidgen more than the rest of the league and much less than their favorite team.
The Sonics will always be Seattle’s team, regardless if there is an incarnation of the green and gold in the Emerald City. However, the Los Angeles Clippers are quickly developing into Seattle’s second team. Or rather something closer to a “interim” team.
I basically bestowed the Heat with this title a few years ago. After all, Miami had beaten that team from that one Midwestern state (people from Washington State know which NBA stolen property team I’m referring to) in the NBA Finals. The Heat also employed former Sonics greats Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis.
The Clippers win the award for a few reasons. First off is the fact that they are simply fun to watch with highlight reel dunks and alley-oops a regular occurrence. The team also employs elite players in Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
After that, theirs the fact that they are owned by a man with obvious Seattle connections, Steve Ballmer. In addition to Ballmer, Los Angeles employs two of the Emerald City’s finest in Spencer Hawes and Jamal Crawford. The Clippers also recently drafted former Husky C.J. Wilcox in the first round of the NBA draft.
Congrats Clippers. You’re unofficially Seattle’s second team until we get the Sonics back.
Washingtonians, who is your second NBA team, is it the Clippers or another team?
