That’s just part of the reason Sterling was long considered one of the worst owners in sports and his team one of its biggest laughingstocks. But the Clippers had zoomed past the Lakers as the best team in Los Angeles in their three years since acquiring Paul and are perhaps on their way to becoming one of the best in the league.
They won 57 games last season, their most ever, before the Sterling recording was released during their first-round playoff series against Golden State. The Clippers pulled that out in seven games but who knows what toll, if any, dealing with the Sterling fallout took, and they were ousted by Oklahoma City in the next round.
An unusual provision of the ruling bars Donald Sterling from seeking a court-ordered delay of the sale as he appeals. His lawyers plan to seek permission from an appellate court to file an appeal, and with lawsuits pending in state and federal courts, Monday’s ruling is unlikely to end the bizarre saga.