A few days ago, I provided A Way Too Early Assessment of the New Look Lakers. In that same spirit, I present two paragraphs about the new look L.A. Clippers, who have played three games since acquiring Russell Westbrook after the 2017 regular season MVP was traded by the Lakers to the Jazz and then negotiated a buyout so that he could sign with the team of his choice. Every stated fact/statistic in both paragraphs is accurate, but one paragraph uses facts/statistics out of context while the other paragraph places facts/statistics in context. You can think about this as the difference between writing for the "Galaxy's Leader in Sports" versus writing for an independent website that is not beholden to a particular agenda or particular interests.
Paragraph #1:
"Since acquiring Russell Westbrook, the L.A. Clippers--who had won their previous two games--have gone 0-3 while giving up an average of 139.0 ppg, which would be the worst points allowed defense in NBA history if the Clippers maintained that pace for a full 82 game season. Westbrook scored 17 points or less in each of those losses while amassing a total of 13 turnovers. The Clippers are now clinging to the Western Conference's sixth seed, just a half game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks."
Paragraph #2:
"Since acquiring Russell Westbrook, the L.A. Clippers lost a 176-175 double overtime shootout versus the Sacramento Kings, the third seeded team in the Western Conference that had previously split a pair of games versus the Clippers this season. After that close decision in the second highest scoring game in NBA history, the Clippers had just one day off before traveling to Denver to face the Western Conference leading Nuggets, who had already beaten the Clippers three straight times this season. The Nuggets prevailed again, 134-124, but this time the Clippers pushed them to overtime after losing by at least 10 points in regulation in each of their three previous contests versus the Nuggets. The Clippers then had one day off before returning home and dropping a 108-101 decision versus the Minnesota Timberwolves. In his first three games as a Clipper, Westbrook averaged 16.0 ppg, 9.3 apg, and 5.7 rpg with shooting splits of .529/.444/1.000."
Read both paragraphs again to consider how it is possible to state facts yet not tell the truth (a tactic frequently used by propagandists in a variety of fields, not just sports media).
The stretch run will be interesting. It seems like the Clippers are going to stop load managing Leonard, and attempt to solidify their playoff rotation in the final regular season games. The Clippers' offense with Westbrook at the helm has been very good because Westbrook pushes the pace while relieving Leonard and George of primary playmaking responsibilities. The challenge for the Clippers is to tighten up their defensive communication and rotations. The Clippers were very competitive against two of the top three teams in the West, but there is no doubt that a home loss to the Timberwolves is disappointing.