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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Solemn protest

Silent Clippers symbolically respond to team owner Sterling

Clippers listen to national anthem wearing their warmup shirts inside out to hide the team’s logo as a protest. (Associated Press)
Antonio Gonzalez Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Los Angeles Clippers chose not to speak publicly about owner Donald Sterling. Instead, they made a silent protest.

In response to Sterling’s purported comments urging a woman to not bring black people to his team’s games, the Clippers on Sunday let their uniforms become a show of solidarity.

They ran out of the tunnel for Game 4 of their first-round playoff at Golden State wearing their warmups. Then they huddled at center court and tossed their warmups to the ground, going through their pregame routine with their red Clippers shirts inside out to hide the team’s logo.

Players also wore black wristbands or armbands. They all wore black socks with their normal jerseys.

“It’s just us, only us. We’re all we got,” Clippers star guard Chris Paul could be heard shouting to teammates before they ran out.

The Warriors’ sellout crowd of 19,596, decked out in gold shirts, booed the Clippers – as they always do – during introductions.

Sterling’s wife, Shelly, was sitting courtside across from the Clippers’ bench. Commissioner Adam Silver had said Donald Sterling would not be at the game.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers said before the game that he would remain the only one to speak for the team on this, saying players want to remain focused on basketball. Even he, though, acknowledged that has not been easy since TMZ released the alleged recording of Sterling on Saturday.

“Our message is to play,” Rivers said. “Our message is that we’re going to let no one and nothing stop us from what we want to do. And I think that’s a good message. I really do. I think that’s the message we’re trying to send. And if we can pull this off all the way, I think that would be a terrific message.”

The Warriors won the game 118-97, behind a career playoff-high seven 3-pointers from Stephen Curry, who scored 33 points.

The All-Star guard made his first five 3s to give Golden State a 20-point lead in the first quarter that held up most of the way. Curry shot 10 for 20 from the floor, including 7 of 14 from beyond the arc, and had seven assists and seven rebounds to help the Warriors snap a two-game losing skid and tie the series at two wins apiece.