CJ McCollum hasn’t forgotten about the “clerical error” that occurred the last time the Portland Trail Blazers met the Los Angeles Clippers.
McCollum, the team’s second-leading scorer, had been inadvertently been left off Portland’s active roster on Jan. 6 and the Clippers defeated the Trail Blazers 109-98.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers had the final say regarding McCollum’s playing status that night, a source told The Oregonian/OregonLive. The NBA gave Rivers the option to let McCollum play but he declined.
Casey Holdahl, digital reporter for the Trail Blazers, had the postgame exchange:
CJ McCollum and Doc Rivers postgame pic.twitter.com/kUE2bCtgbD
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) January 7, 2016
Portland visits the Clippers on Thursday night in the first meeting since the incident. “It’s unfortunate that that’s how it had to go down,” McCollum said Wednesday night, via The Oregonian/OregonLive. “But if it was my son, I would probably protect him, too.”
McCollum’s comments were directed at Rivers’ son, Austin, who is a backup shooting guard for the Clippers.
Assuming the Trail Blazers don’t make the same mistake twice by leaving McCollum off the active roster, he should be extra motivated to play Rivers’ Clippers and stick it to his son on the court.