‘Frothing at the mouth’ hatred against Eric Gordon forged his calming court presence
LA TimesClippers guard Eric Gordon controls the ball during a loss to the Golden State Warriors on March 2. “He’s going to make the right plays.” That player is Eric Gordon, the 34-year-old, 6-foot-3 reserve guard whose 89 fourth-quarter minutes since his Clippers season debut Feb. 14 are the team’s second-highest total in that span, surpassed only by George’s 104. After 14 third-quarter points Wednesday against Golden State, Gordon played the final six minutes of the fourth quarter to finish off the Clippers’ vital, fourth consecutive victory. “Every team I’ve been on, good team, bad team, I’ve always been figuring out ways to fit in.” The Clippers traded for Gordon believing he could provide their lineups with this sense of security. The announcement of Gordon’s name pregame was nearly drowned out by boos from an Illini crowd later described by Indiana’s student newspaper as “frothing at the mouth with hatred for Gordon.” When Gordon jogged to midcourt for a traditional meeting of starters, Illinois guard Chester Frazier chest-bumped Gordon hard enough to push the Hoosier guard backward several steps.