Twitter Backlash Forces Richard Jefferson to Break Silence on Exposing Losing Team’s Playoffs “Advantage”

Can a losing team have an advantage over a winning team? The answer may be circumstantial, and something similar has landed Richard Jefferson in a controversial scenario. Notably, the LA Clippers registered a 109-97 win over the Dallas Mavericks, gaining a 1-0 lead in the first round of playoffs. Pointing out an upside for the losing team, however, has led to his words being taken out of context.

“I never said that. You want to complain about media then misquote me. I offered EVERYONE free NBA insight to the strategy that goes into it. It was clickbait without context similar to your tweet. I can explain slowly if you apologize,” Richard Jefferson posted on X. This came as a reply to a comment by Sports Illustrated’s credentialed writer for the Clippers, Farbod Esnaashari.

Esnaashari stated that almost every piece by the media mentions that what the Clippers did was a fluke and that Dallas found something in the second half. “Not to mention Richard Jefferson saying that the losing team actually is the winner. Alright then,” he added.   

Amid all of this backlash, Richard Jefferson received some support from ex-Boston Celtics star Kendrick Perkins. “Yall might want to listen when a brother like @Rjeff24 has played in 140 playoff games, 4 NBA Finals appearances and 1 NBA Championship… I think he just might know a thing or two when it comes to the postseason,” Perkins posted on X.

What is the advantage that Richard Jefferson was pointing out for the Mavericks?

The Dallas Mavericks have been among the fan favorites this season, especially because of Luka Doncic’s domination. He finished this season as the highest scorer of the league, in terms of total points and points per game. So the Mavericks losing to the Clippers in the first game may have come as a shock to many fans. Therefore, Jefferson pointing out an advantage for the Mavericks in this scenario could easily have been misunderstood as him undermining the Clippers’ win.

However, as per an article by The Street, the comments against the ex-New Jersey Nets (now Brooklyn Nets) star come because of the selective part of his statement being highlighted on social media platforms like X. Richard Jefferson had more to say about the result of Game 1 between the Mavericks and Clippers. He suggested that the losing team is likely to make more adjustments to their game than the winning side. This reflects that he was most likely offering insight on Game 2 and not trying to take away what the Clippers did.