Clippers’ fresh start clouded by old struggles in Intuit Dome debut WSOC TV [Video]

INGLEWOOD, Calif — There’s no black cat running around the Los Angeles Clippers franchise, no unnecessary fumigation needed to re-christen their sprawling new facility that’s sure to be the envy of owners who don’t have Steve Ballmer’s deep pockets.

It wasn’t even funny or fitting James Harden missed the back end of two free throws that would’ve tied the game in overtime, at the Intuit Dome’s regular-season debut Wednesday night as the Clippers fell 116-113 to the Phoenix Suns.

It was merely Game 1 of a new season for the Clippers, the first in a while where championship expectations weren’t on the tip of everyone’s tongue, a season where the margin for error is razor thin and a bit stressful.

But that’s probably where the Clippers operate best as they straddle between two eras, purgatory that’s the result of both choice and circumstance — a space they can dig themselves …