INGLEWOOD, Calif. – There’s no black cat running around the Los Angeles Clippers franchise, no unnecessary fumigation needed to rebrand their sprawling new facility that will surely be the envy of owners without the deep pockets of Steve Ballmer .

It wasn’t even funny or appropriate. James Harden missed the back of two free throws that would have tied the game in overtime in the Intuit Dome’s regular-season debut Wednesday night as the Clippers fell 116-113 to the Phoenix Suns.

It was just Game 1 of a new season for the Clippers, the first in a while where championship expectations weren’t on everyone’s tongue, a season where the margin for error is razor thin and a bit stressful.

But that’s probably where the Clippers function best, because they’re between two eras. Purgatory is the result of both choice and circumstance – a space they can dig themselves out of with a few deft moves.

When Ballmer’s new box opened its doors in Inglewood in the Clippers’ boldest and biggest attempt to maintain a footprint in Los Angeles, which has yet to emerge from the Lakers’ vast shadow, it seems like last year the best chance would have been to make such a trip.

After all, Russell Westbrook was on the roster, as was Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard was on pace to appear in his most games since he was a Spur.

Four big names, four kids from LA who could carry the city’s flag and connect the neighborhood with the new building. A building where kids shot shots on a field outside before going through the actual turnstiles, a building that, despite all its bells and whistles, was still confusing to navigate – which is usually the case when a new arena opens.

There’s the giant Jumbotron on the ground, a visual marvel, and all the technology meant to make it easier for fans to get back in their seats and back into the action as quickly as possible.

But only Harden remains standing as a major player for now, as Westbrook wasn’t ready for a smaller role and George wasn’t ready for a salary below the cap. As for Leonard, it’s all a mystery as he’s out indefinitely after yet another offseason knee surgery and a confusing stint with USA Basketball that sent him home as an Olympian last summer.

With Harden, his numbers weren’t quite vintage, but he managed to collect 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in nearly 40 minutes, coming off a two-for-11 start and scoring 24 in the second half.

He helped the Clippers from a slow start, where they trailed by 14, to an energetic comeback that brought the fans to life. Can he return to being the night machine he was in Houston, compared to the distributor and occasional scorer boss he has been in his last three (!) stops, all since January 2021?

It seems unlikely, but he is the best option.

“We fought, we played hard. We all feel this was a game we should have won,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “I can’t question how hard we played. How in tune we were. Overall, I thought our guys did well during the competition.”

As for Harden’s free throw miss and later mishandling an inbounds pass as the Clippers tried to tie the game in overtime with a three-pointer, Lue said his team was “in perfect position” to win, but he would not grieve. too much at one time.

The building had its moments, especially when Ballmer went to a section known as “The Wall,” where fans stand on their feet throughout the game, throwing chants and playful punches at the other team, while the conglomerate stands behind the basket is placed near the visitor’s side.

“The wall is crazy. That’s our sixth man,” Lue said. “They are interested in the game. I think they made (Kevin Durant) miss two free throws in a row. We need that. It was good to see.”

Ballmer hopped on the mic to welcome fans to the Intuit Dome before the game started, and was in animated misery when Harden’s free throw went wrong — not long after Kevin Durant hit a vintage high-vault jumper over two Clippers, including Harden who came to help.

“Yeah, K made some tough shots, especially that shot in the fourth quarter when I tried to contest it, and he still doesn’t know how he made it,” Harden said with half admiration, half annoyance. .

“History, you know, Inglewood, Intuit Dome, the fans came out and came out and showed themselves,” Harden said. “And we were just, you know, we got the short end of the stick. But I think they gave us great, great energy tonight.

Lue continued to refer to the effort as a major change in the philosophy of this organization. This is not an insult: this is now a team that is doing everything in its power, one that will have to rely on wildcards like Kai Jones to develop, or Derrick Jones Jr. or Terance Mann to take another step to keep the Clippers afloat.

That element, however, starts with Harden, who for the first time in a while isn’t surrounded by preseason or offseason controversy. Not that it deserves applause, but it’s worth noting that he’s in there, and he’ll be counted on to produce even more given the roster uncertainty.

“We need him especially until Kawhi comes back,” Lue said.

There was no trace of irony in Lue’s words, because no one knows when Leonard will return. People will say that he is doing a great job with the rehab and that he has had no setbacks – a positive sign to say the least.

But even with Leonard’s collective eye-rolling and his numerous injuries, it has helped the Clippers choose a path in the meantime.

For the Clippers, this is who they need to be right now. Their ambitious effort to nab Leonard and Paul George in the summer of 2019 — George was an MVP finalist in Oklahoma City and Leonard dragged his leg and the Toronto Raptors to an improbable championship — was more than worth it.

The ending was ultimately unsatisfactory, even with just one conference finals and all those picks and pick swaps coming courtesy of the Oklahoma City Thunder. But it was an opportunity the Clippers had to seize because it forged an identity, or at least the expectation of one.

They’ve been a relevant franchise for over a decade now, after years of being the joke in the league. Dating Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, they have been on the national stage for a long time, even when the Lakers were struggling in the wilderness. But beyond the cuteness of the Lob City era, not much stuck.

But the league needed to see how this iteration treated its players, like Leonard and George, and later Harden. Having this brand new facility shows the commitment the organization has to standing on its own, even though the Lakers may be the biggest brand name in sports, but certainly the NBA.

Even with Harden no longer a 48-minute supernova and Leonard remaining an unknown, the Clippers could be a destination for the next crop of free agents who no longer see the Clippers as the clown franchise, Donald Sterling’s franchise.

They now have their own home, their own unique wall, their own place in this NBA ecosystem. It seems like the Clippers will always be the Clippers, and that may be the case eventually.

But they have, at least through intention and investment, set themselves up to continue taking risks even if they do nothing in the meantime.