Steve Ballmer is perhaps the most visibly excitable owner in all of professional sports. The Los Angeles Clippers owner and former CEO of Microsoft can almost always be found in his normal seat behind the basket at Staples Center, and hardly shies away from the TV camera spotlight that inevitably follows him for every home broadcast.
Ballmer certainly didn't hold back on Thursday night, when his team played host to the cross-arena rival Los Angeles Lakers, including late addition LeBron James, who was originally listed as doubtful for the game but ultimately suited up for the fist time since Christmas.
Is that why Ballmer was caught on camera literally jumping for joy in the waning moments of the fourth quarter?
No, actually. Excited as all basketball fans were that The King returned to the court, Ballmer was celebrating a three-pointer by Tobias Harris that capped a 7-0 Clippers run and tied the game at 112-112 with 35.3 seconds remaining in regulation.
Unfortunately for Ballmer, that would be the highlight of his night, as the Clippers struggled offensively in overtime en route to a 123-120 loss. James had a game-high 24 points and 14 rebounds in addition to nine assists, but struggled with his jumper and finishing around the rim, shooting just 9-of-22 from the field. The purple and gold will take every win they can get, though, especially against teams fighting for playoff positioning in the lower half of the Western Conference standings.
The Lakers went 6-10 with James out of the lineup, falling to ninth place in the West, two games behind the Clippers. Now that James is back and has already narrowed the gap between them, will Ballmer be so outwardly joyous going forward?
Let's hope so. The league is a better place when owners like Ballmer show their true colors.
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