The Clippers' new arena stuns KD with “The Wall,” but LA falls short

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – With ten minutes left in the LA Clippers' first regular-season game at the Intuit Dome, Kevin Durant stood at the free throw line and faced something he had never experienced in his 17 seasons as a professional.

The Phoenix Suns star took on The Wall. And The Wall won, at least in this particular moment, when the 88.4 percent free-throw shooter missed two free throws and sent the sellout crowd at the Intuit Dome into a frenzy.

Durant scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter but could have scored two more if not for the distraction of The Wall, a steep section of fans behind the basket closest to the visitors' bench.

However, Durant would bring the Clippers and their fans back, completing a 15-foot fadeaway late in regulation to force overtime before the Suns spoiled the Clippers' historic night with a 116-113 win in front of 18,300 fans .

“Yeah, it was crazy,” Durant said of The Wall. “I just stared at it the whole time. You’re not used to that.”

It features 51 uninterrupted rows of seats, but the first 13 rows are filled with die-hard Clippers fans whose fan base has been previously vetted by the franchise. Fans in the first 13 rows are expected to stand and chant throughout the game, creating an atmosphere similar to a student section.

This was Clippers owner Steve Ballmer's vision as he went through designs for the $2 billion arena. He wanted a home-court advantage like no other in the NBA and it almost helped the Clippers to their first win ever in the state-of-the-art facility.

The wall and the high-tech 4K Halo Board – the largest double-sided Halo display ever in a nearly acre arena – are perhaps the two biggest features that set the Intuit Dome apart from any other arena in the world N.B.A.

“It's the experience, the feel of the bowl and the scoreboard,” Ballmer told ESPN last week about what he loves about the Intuit Dome. “I actually love our standing room only section [in The Wall]. It worked great in the preseason. Let’s see how it works in the game, but it had a little bit of a college gym feel…this is going to feel like a student area because that’s what students do.”

Ballmer opened the evening by standing among fans at The Wall and beginning what the Clippers hope will be a ritual with dancing and singing.

“Welcome home, Clipper Nation!” Ballmer screamed at the top of his lungs into a microphone.

With star Kawhi Leonard out indefinitely as he continues to strengthen his right knee, James Harden posted 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, but also had eight turnovers. He gave the Clippers a two-point lead with two free throws with 41.5 seconds left, but Durant tied the game with his big throw over Harden and Amir Coffey with 21.2 seconds left.

Harden had a chance to win the game, but his floater fell off the rim. In overtime, Harden had a chance to tie the game, but missed the second of two free throws with 4.8 seconds left. Jusuf Nurkic then sank two free throws.

With 1.6 seconds left, the Clippers were unable to get the ball to Harden as Grayson Allen stole the ball, sealing the Suns' first win of the season.

Durant and Devin Booker then spoke enthusiastically about the Intuit Dome wall.

“I missed a free throw,” said Booker, who committed a foul late in the fourth quarter. “I was angry. I think K missed two down there too. So that could work.”

When asked if The Wall left an impression on him, Booker replied: “Hell yeah.”

“You spend $2 billion and build a wall,” Booker said.

When Durant missed those two foul shots in the fourth quarter, the Intuit Dome came to life because whenever an opponent misses two consecutive free throws, fans get free Chick-Fil-A sandwiches.

“I think I experienced that [once before]” Durant said of The Wall. “Oklahoma State has like an arena, obviously not that big.” But to see something go straight up and I always thought that was cool. The noise sounds slightly different. It’s going to be a tough road environment for anyone coming in here.”

Harden just wishes the Clippers could give their fans something to truly remember on opening night.

“I’m so disappointed we didn’t win,” Harden said. “That’s one of the most frustrating things. How simply history in Inglewood. The Intuit Dome. The fans came and we lost out.”

“But I think they gave us great, great energy tonight and I think the more they keep going the better our results will be. So we value the fans. We had to do our part and they definitely did their part tonight.”