The Phoenix Suns defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 130-103 on Wednesday night to advance to the 2021 NBA Finals.
That should be the biggest story coming out of Game 6, but it isn’t.
Rather, the biggest story of the night is Clippers owner Steve Ballmer engaging in the weirdest, oddest behavior of the playoffs.
With just under two minutes remaining in the third quarter, for reasons nobody knows or understands, Ballmer opted to celebrate a Nicholas Batum three-pointer in this fashion:
Steve Ballmer moving a bit mad. pic.twitter.com/5622FRhKIn
— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) July 1, 2021
BALMER IS GRABBING ONTO ANYTHING HE CAN pic.twitter.com/P1MbsJV15h
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) July 1, 2021
Naturally, social media had a field day:
Lmao ay bro WHAT
— FaZe Nickmercs (@NICKMERCS) July 1, 2021
Cup Check! pic.twitter.com/WQFgcE4Uiq
— GrantLA (@GrantedLA) July 1, 2021
Thats an open and closed case
— Browns_Fan (@Browns_Fan_Here) July 1, 2021
Steve Ballmer committing all kinds of HR violations right here pic.twitter.com/F8ygG6YbDi
— CJ Fogler #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) July 1, 2021
Steve Ballmer whenever the Clippers go on a scoring run pic.twitter.com/keDJMQzgdj
— Rich (@UptownDC_Rich) July 1, 2021
So where do all parties involved go from here? Well the Suns go to the NBA Finals, despite being the beneficiaries of arguably the dirtiest play of the entire season.
LA, meanwhile, has some important questions to address. The last time the Clippers’ season ended in this fashion, Ballmer attempted to trade all the players and fire all the coaches. Will he take the same approach this time?
It’s unclear.
That’s one way to watch a game. https://t.co/rlfZSR4DDe
— Game 7 (@game7__) May 13, 2021
What will be worth keeping an eye on is what happens to Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard is said to be extremely angry at the Clippers’ medical staff, and that could lead to him leaving LA altogether. There is currently one team out there circling the waters and biding its time, waiting for the opportunity to steal the 30-year-old away.
Ballmer’s antics aside, this promises to be a pretty crazy offseason for the Clippers.
Related: 1 NBA Team Emerges As Serious Dame Lillard Trade Suitor
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
