6 Random Thoughts About the NBA Free Agency Period
By Segun Giwa
4. Might the Clippers actually make the Western Conference Finals?
Before I get into the Clippers spiel, I’d like to take this moment to shoutout Mo “Buckets” Speights. Man it’s going to be weird seeing him in a Clippers jersey next season.
Anyway, the Clippers might actually be the 2nd best team in the Western Conference! The Thunder are no longer championship contenders. The Spurs are old as dirt. The Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, and Houston Rockets are buried in the 2nd tier of western conference teams. That leaves the Clippers, right behind the Warriors.
The Clippers have been dealt some crap hands in recent years in the playoffs. In 2014 they were jocked by an officiating debacle, in 2015 they ran out of gas and blew a 3-1 lead because they were only 6 players deep (looking at you GM Doc), and last season Chris Paul broke his hand and Blake Griffin reinjures his quad in the same playoff game.
There’s no excuse for the Clippers to not make a deep playoff run this year. Time is running out on the Clippers cores’ shelf life, and one more disappointing playoff exit could mark the end of the “Lob City” era.
Next: A new playoff team?