by Jerry Feitelberg

There have been suggestions of forcing Clippers owner Donald Sterling to sell the team and even have the team move back to San Diego or move to Seattle to at least remove the stigma and reminder of any stain of Sterling once this gets settled. The Clippers who turned their warm up jerseys inside out before the start of game four on Sunday’s loss in Oakland out of protest of what Sterling said during a racist exchange with his girlfriend in a April 9th recording.

Further right after the game against the Warriors there was even talk that the Clippers might have packed it in or were lethargic in their effort in the 21 point 118-97 loss because the weight of the controversy weighed heavily on the team. There is also concern that the Clippers with all the publicity surrounding the Sterling controversy may now have trouble even getting out of this first round with the Warriors.

The distraction has impacted the Clippers play and L.A. couldn’t get off the ground since the opening tip on Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum Arena. The fans were riding the Clips more so than usual according to some fans and media who were at the game. The heckling never ceased and to have a game on the road right after the Sterling recordings couldn’t have been worse timing for a team trying to advance in the playoffs.

The loss now ties Los Angeles with Golden State at two a piece with game five going back to L.A. on Tuesday night. “It’s just us, only us we’re all we got” said the Clippers Chris Paul before the team ran out on the floor for the warm ups. The team also graced black wrist bands and black socks.

Ironically Sterling’s wife Rochelle was sitting courtside across from the Clippers bench and did speak with ESPN’s Lisa Salter and said,”I do not condone those statements that you heard. I do not believe them. I am not a racist. I have never been never will be. The team is the most important thing to my family” Meanwhile on local talk stations in Los Angeles there was talk that Clippers fans were going to make their own statement on Tuesday by wearing their Clippers Playoff t-shirts inside out in solidarity with the players in protest over the Sterling comments.

The latest addition of recordings were released regarding conversations between Sterling and his girlfriend V.Stiviano that were not initially released by TMZ but released by Deadspin on Sunday a transcript of that conversation regarding Stiviano telling Sterling that he owned an NBA team mostly made up of African American players:

Stiviano: “Honey, if it makes you happy I’ll move all the black people from Instgram”

Sterling: You said that before you said, ‘I understand’

Stiviano: “I did remove the people that were independently on my Instagram that are black”

Sterling: “Then why did you say that you didn’t. You just said you didn’t remove them.”

Stiviano: “I didn’t remove Matt Kemp and Magic Johnson, but I thought Matt Kemp is mixed and he was ok just like me, he’s whiter and lighter than me, I met his mother”

Sterling: “you think I’m a racist”

Stiviano: “I don’t think your a racist”

Sterling: “yes you do, yes you do”

Stiviano: “I think you, you”

Sterling: “evil heart”

Stiviano: “I don’t think so I think you have an amazing heart, honey, I think the people around you have a poison mind, and have a way of thinking”

Sterling: “it’s the world, you go to Israel the blacks are treated just like dogs”

Stiviano: “so do you have to treat them like that too?”

Sterling: “the white Jews and the black Jews, there’s white Jews and there’s black Jews do you understand”

Stiviano: “are the white Jews less than the black Jews”

Sterling: “150 percent”

Stiviano: “is that right?”

Sterling: “It isn’t a question, we don’t elevate what’s right and wrong, we live in a society we live in a culture. We have to live in that culture”

Stiviano: “Shouldn’t we take a stand for what’s wrong? And be the change difference?”

Sterling: “I don’t want to change the culture because it’s too big”

Stiviano: “you could change yourself”

Sterling “I don’t want to change the culture,because it’s too big, I don’t want to change, if my girl can’t do what I want, I don’t want the girl. I’ll find a girl that will do what I want! Believe me. I thought you were that girl, because I tried to do what you want, but your not that girl, because I tried to do what you want”

Stiviano: “There’s no need to get upset, no need to get”

Sterling: “I just see what I’m living with, what I’m dealing with”

Stiviano: “I’m sorry I didn’t do anything”

Sterling: “You never do anything and do anything wrong”

Stiviano: “But I didn’t do anything”

Sterling: “You upset me, and made me”

Stiviano: “I upset you? You made yourself upset”

Sterling: “No that’s not true, you didn’t start off by saying ‘honey I understand we’re living in a culture”

Stiviano: “because I don’t see your view, I wasn’t raised the way you were raised”

Sterling: “well then if you don’t feel don’t come to my games, Don’t bring black people, and don’t come”

Stiviano: “do you know you have a whole team that is black, that’s plays for you?”

Sterling: “you just, do I know? I support them I give them food, and clothes and cars, and houses. Who gives it to them? Does someone else give it to them? Do I know that I have, who makes the game? Do I make the game or do they make the game? There are 30 owners who create the league?

Stiviano: “I’m not going to bring any black people to the stadium?”

Sterling: “is it easy to say that”

Stiviano: “It’s very easy for you to say that”

Sterling: “It’s very easy for you to say that”

Stiviano: “I would never ask anyone to not bring someone based on race or color or culture, it’s like saying like ‘let’s just persecute and kill all the Jews’

Sterling: “oh it’s the same thing right”

Stiviano: “oh it’s isn’t wrong, wasn’t it wrong then? With the Holocaust? And your Jewish, you understand discrimination?”

Sterling: “Oh its the same thing right”

Former Clippers special assistant coach Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said he heard the recording and said, “I know him and I know his voice, I’m not surprised by this very much” and Stiviano’s lawyers said earlier Sunday that it is Sterling on the recordings.

The Warriors and Clippers continue this playoff series and there will be more after game five on Tuesday night

Jerry Feitelberg does sports commentary on http://www.sportsradioservice.com