They've lost 13 games in a row, and won only 14 of 77 all season. They sit sadly in the NBA basement, easily the worst team in the league. They trail the league-leading Los Angeles Lakers by 50-plus games.
Not exactly a big box office draw, these L.A. Clippers.But they play the Delta Center nevertheless, as is the case tonight, when the Clippers visit the 52-25 Jazz in Utah's second-to-last home game of the regular season.
Opponents like tonight's are but one in a myriad of reasons the Jazz have announced they will not be doing something they have done every season since they moved to the Delta Center in 1991: raise tickets prices.
Jazz owner Larry H. Miller has announced that prices for the 2000-2001 season will not change from this season, when ticket costs ranged from $10 to $82.50 (not including VIP sections).
Miller said the pricing of tickets "is always a sensitive issue."
"We recognize that the burden of increasing costs cannot always be passed on to our tickets holders," he said. "We have a very loyal fan base, both as season ticket holders and as individual ticket buyers, and we hope this move will acknowledge our appreciation of their support."
The move comes on the heels of a season in which the Jazz, prior to tonight, have sold out just 13 of 39 regular-season home games.
Two seasons ago, when the Jazz advanced to the NBA Finals for the second straight time, they sold out 38 of 41 home games. Even last season, when a lockout prompted by labor strife limited the Jazz to just 25 home games, they sold out 18.
Gone now, though, are the days when the Jazz almost automatically sell out, regardless of who their opponent may be.
One reason may be that the Jazz are simply not playing as well at home as they were in seasons like 1996-97, when they sold out 33 of 41 home games, or '97-98.
Three seasons ago, the Jazz were 38-3 at home. Two seasons ago, they were 36-5. Even in the lockout season, they went 22-3.
This season, however, the Jazz are 29-10 in the Delta Center following their 90-86 loss to Portland on Monday night.
The susceptibility at home may be one reason sellouts are down, and the fact sellouts are down may be one reason ticket prices are staying the same. Another may be related to what is really more of a leaguewide problem, post-lockout hangover.
As is the case with most sports-related labor disruptions, winning back lost fans is a primary concern once the issues are settled and play has resumed -- especially in these days of costly tickets.
The NBA and the Jazz are no different.
"Attending major professional sports events has grown increasingly expensive over the years," said Jay Francis, senior vice president of marketing for the Jazz, whose ticket prices average just under $50 -- a figure that ranks near the middle of the 29-team NBA.
"Ticket prices are a way to generate the revenue needed to meet the increasing demands of operating a team," Francis added. "However, Larry (Miller) has felt that, at least for the present time, ticket prices need to stabilize."
By maintaining their current prices for next season's ticket packages, which are already on sale, the Jazz hope to maintain the spectator base they have -- and perhaps win back some fans who have stayed away since the lockout cut the '98-99 season from 82 games to 50.
On one hand, the decision means a bit of a hit, at least short-term, to the Jazz pocketbook. On the other, the move is made as a sort of preventive measure against absorbing a potentially larger hit in the future.
It could come in handy, too.
Soon, the Jazz will be trying to bounce back from the post-Jeff Hornacek -- and eventually, a post-John Stockton and post-Karl Malone -- era. And even after those three retire, there is another reality with which to deal: The Clippers aren't going away.