The Los Angeles Clippers are finally not sharing an arena with the Los Angeles Lakers following the opening of the Intuit Dome this season, and Norman Powell sure is happy about that. The Clippers previously shared Crypto.com Arena with the Lakers and Powell revealed to HoopsHype what their experience was like at that arena.
“When you have your own place, you don’t see any other logos, you don’t have to change your schedule around, or security not knowing who you are and having to argue with them about letting you go down as a player,” Powell said. “Stuff like that we had to deal with at Crypto (laughs).
“It’s been a seamless transition,” Powell continued. “Everybody is loving it. For me, being able to get into the gym whenever I want and be on the actual court and not the practice court to get shots up and not having to worry about not only the Lakers but even the hockey team being in there, too, has been a great time.”
The Clippers undoubtedly were second-class citizens at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers were the top dogs and it would appear their players got preferential treatment in more ways than one.
Terance Mann once stated that workers in Crypto.com Arena favor Lakers players over Clippers players. Meanwhile, NBA insider Brian Windhorst suggested that Crypto.com Arena’s allocations gave the Clippers a poor schedule last season.
It had seemed fairly clear for years that the Clippers needed to get an arena of their own to finally step out of the Lakers’ shadow. They’d been sharing Crypto.com Arena, previously known as Staples Center, from the 1999-00 season but now have one of their own thanks to owner Steve Ballmer.
While Ballmer might not be everyone’s cup of tea, he might be the best thing to have ever happened to the Clippers. He deserves a lot of praise for overseeing the building of the Intuit Dome and for trying to make his team more than just a sideshow in Los Angeles.
The Clippers have enjoyed a fair bit of success at their new home in a short period as well. They lost their first four games at the Intuit Dome but followed that up by winning nine in a row. That win streak did come to an end at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, but it’s clear that the new arena has given a bit of a boost to the players.
One of the Clippers players who have thrived at their new home is Powell. The 31-year-old is averaging 24.3 points per game on 51.7% shooting from the field at the Intuit Dome this season. To his credit, he has played on the road too, and is having the best season of his career.
Powell is averaging 23.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game this season and is a big reason why the Clippers are currently sixth in the West with a 14-10 record. He has stepped up to fill the void created by Paul George’s departure and Kawhi Leonard’s injury and has made all the talk of a Clipper implosion seem rather foolish.
Powell missed that loss to the Timberwolves last time out due to left hamstring injury management but should be back for the next game. The Clippers take on the Houston Rockets next at the Intuit Dome on Sunday at 9 PM ET and I expect some fireworks in that contest.
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