LOS ANGELES _ Suppose you are Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard and you are considering your options this summer as free agents. You are weighing the options of a pair of teams in the biggest markets, the Knicks and Clippers. And suppose they turned on the television to check the meeting between the two Sunday afternoon.
While both teams have traded away star players and cleared the camp space for two max contracts this summer, there is a far different mood in place between the two teams. It isn't just that one city was covered with snow Sunday while the other endured a slightly overcast sky. And it isn't even the effervescent owner, Steve Ballmer, cheering from the front row.
While both teams may have an eye on next season, only one threw in the towel on this season and definitely this game. The Knicks, as they lost their 50th of the season, marking the fifth straight season with that dubious honor, were humiliated as the Clippers led by as many as 38 points in a 128-107 win at Staples Center.
