Clippers critic forced to literally eat his words

The Los Angeles Clippers have shocked the NBA world by how they've bounced back from a 6-21 start. None more than a Clippers writer who had to eat his words after a rash promise last month.

Robert Flom, the managing editor of Clippers blog 213Hoops.com, was skeptical when Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue told his players before their Dec. 20 game that the team should aim to go 35-20 the rest of the season. So Flom promised to print out and eat a tweet if the team went 15-3 for any stretch. The Clippers made him eat his words as early as possible.

The Clippers have made an astounding turnaround

Perhaps inspired by Lue's words, or eager to prove a longtime Clippers blogger wrong, the Clippers proceeded to go 15-3 immediately after Flom's tweet. With Sunday's 126-89 demolition of the Brooklyn Nets, the Clippers improved to 21-24, moved 2.5 games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks for the final play-in spot and forced the meal.

Lue's initial pitch to his players was that they should aim to finish the season at 41-41. Now they're only three games under .500 with nearly half the season left to play, after going 15-3 since his address before their Dec. 20 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. "Let's finish at .500" was the rallying cry, but the result was an immediate six-game losing streak and a completely rejuvenated team.

The biggest improvement has come on offense. Since Dec. 19, the Clippers have the NBA's third-best offense, with John Collins improving his shooting to 67.2 percent from the field and 62.5 on three-pointers. Kawhi Leonard is averaging 31.8 points, best in the league. James Harden is scoring 25.1 points, while he and Leonard are getting to the foul line for a combined 17.1 attempts per game.

The defense has also picked up, with Leonard showing his old Defensive Player of the Year form with 2.4 steals per game. They're holding opponents to 106.9 points per game and only 32.3 percent three-point shooting, best in the NBA in that stretch.

The Clippers writer ate his tweet with aplomb

Initially, Flom doubted the Clippers' ability to even reach .500. His tweet-eating promise was made in response to a joking suggestion that the veteran-laden Clippers roster would double-down on age by trading for 36-year-old DeMar DeRozan.