You heard the word “process” used over and over Monday afternoon at the Clippers Training Facility in Playa Vista. Monday was Clippers Media Day, the official start of the 2014-15 season for the team.
“Today is the first step of the process,” Blake Griffin explained. “You don’t just jump into the playoffs, it’s a process that goes step by step. Today is the first step, then comes training camp and the regular season. We have to concentrate and focus on the process to achieve our ultimate goal.”
All 16 Clippers players were ushered to roughly 15 stations on Monday for the event. The stations were comprised of talking to the media locally and nationally, taking pictures, reading prompts and signing hundreds of autographs for community outreach. Over 150 media members were on hand plus the event was carried live by ESPN’s SportsCenter and NBATV. Overall, it lasted for around two hours, ending at 1 pm.
“Media day went great,” Jamal Crawford said. “It is a chance for all the players to see everyone, get to know each other better, answer all the media’s questions and the best part being that it is the start of a new season.”
The Clippers are looking to improve upon their performance from last season, a season in which the team won a franchise-high 57 wins and captured their second consecutive Pacific Division title. Ultimately, the team fell short of their goal of an NBA Championship, losing to the Thunder in the second round of the NBA Playoffs in six games.
“They say history has a way of repeating itself,” Chris Paul said Monday to the media. “But, this season is a time where we hope and know that statement is not true. We can’t wait to get back out on the court.”
Monday was a time for the players to put the 2013-14 season in the rearview mirror and start the process for the 2014-15 season. The next step of the process comes tomorrow, with the first day of training camp at UNLV in Las Vegas.