Butler Inspires Clippers By Playing Injured

[MR.ballin]

(Caron) Butler was the first player on the court for the Clippers nearly three hours before the start of Saturday’s game and was cleared to play by the training staff. Before the game, (Vinny) Del Negro made sure to single out Butler and his toughness when addressing the team before they took the court.

“If he can fight with a broken hand,” Del Negro said. “What can the rest of us do?”

Although Butler started, he played only 22 minutes, posting four points, three rebounds, one steal and one block in an 87-86 Clippers Game 3 win. It was far from his most productive game of the season, but it was easily his most inspiring, which wasn’t lost on his teammates, who saw the pain Butler was going through in between plays and on the bench.

“He is crazy,” Chris Paul said. “He is crazy, seriously. I talked to him yesterday in practice; his hand was wrapped up with a little contraption and found out that he was going to play. The first thing I thought was, ‘What are you doing?’ Man, I commend him because it would have been easy for him to say, ‘I’m done, and I am going to take care of my hand and I will be ready for next year.’ … He didn’t play so many minutes tonight, but his energy and his toughness is something that motivated the rest of us. That is unreal to see the pain he is going out there playing through.”

via Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles

 

[BwareDWare94]

It's just too bad that the better team might lose this series. LAC has no shot against San Antonio.

 

[Elite]

LAC had no shot against Memphis either right?

 

[BwareDWare94]

LAC had no shot against Memphis either right?

They really shouldn't. Do you actually think LAC is better?

 

[Elite]

I think that the Memphis Grizzlies aren't as good as you make them out to be because you like the brand of basketball that they play/despise the brand of basketball the Clippers play.

 

[Pugz]

the clippers arent better but they arent worse. its just two different styles of play like bs said.