Clippers complete drastic turnaround, reach .500

The long national nightmare is over.

Darius Garland dropped 23 points and 7 assists in a big win for the LA Clippers on Monday night. (Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Imagine telling someone 80 days ago that the 6-21 basketball team they were watching was eventually going to get back to .500, and do so in under three months.

That person would have had you committed to the nearest psychiatric ward.

And yet, as a result of their 126-118 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday night, the LA Clippers, a team that was once 15 games below .500 this season, found their way back to level -- a perfectly balanced 32-32 record.

It’s a team that’s reached into a depth of camaraderie and fortitude that is seldom seen in sports. They could have quit. The towel could have been thrown in. Instead, they fought.

“It means a lot,” coach Tyronn Lue said postgame about what this win and getting back to .500 means to the whole Clippers’ organization. “We thought we should have been better, we could have been better, injuries hurt us, but this team -- ever since I’ve been here for six years, our guys always continue to keep fighting when our back’s against the wall. I credit all my coaching staff just for doing a great job of just staying with it, being positive, continue to help these guys get better, and to start 6-21, to be .500 right now, it’s a big thing for us.”