LOS ANGELES -- The Clippers currently are seeded fifth in the Western Conference and are fighting for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, but Blake Griffin doesn't believe home court will be much of an advantage if Tuesday night's 110-106 loss to the Golden State Warriors is any indication.
"Home-court advantage is just not there for us," Griffin said after the game. "If that's how it feels in the playoffs, it's not looking good."
Warriors fans made Staples Center sound more like Oracle Arena on Tuesday night. They loudly cheered every made basket by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, and chanted "M-V-P" when Curry was at the free throw line, causing several Clippers players to look up into the stands and shake their heads.
"I don't know what we could do, but it would be great if it wasn't that way," said Griffin, who had 40 points in the loss. "It's kind of like when we play the Lakers. I don't know, maybe worse. It's one of those things where it would be great if it wasn't like that."
This isn't the first time the Clippers' lack of a home-court advantage has been an issue. In losses to Chicago and Miami earlier this season, opposing fans made the Clippers feel as if they were playing on the road. In fact, DeAndre Jordan sarcastically called both those games "road games" this season. The Warriors in particular always have a strong turnout when playing the Clippers in Los Angeles.
Doc Rivers smiled when asked about the crowd and admitted there was a split, saying, "I loved our crowd for the most part. I didn't like their crowd."