Of all things the things that remain constant in the NBA, the truest is that the Clippers are always terrible. It took Larry Brown and Dominique Wilkins just to get them a winning record, and even then they were bad. The Clippers in their 26-yr existence have never won a playoff game. All that could change this year. The one that's always been true with the Clippers is they skew young. For example the longest tenured LA Clipper ever remains Eric Piatkowski. In the off-season, the Clippers signed Sam Cassell, Cuttino Mobley and Howard Eisley to contracts. All of which have paid off. Cassell looked finished after his terrible season with the Timberwolves last year, but has returned to all-star status. And Cuttino Mobley adds good 3-pt shooter to the squad. The real hero has been Elton Brand. Brand is averaging 24 points and 12 rebounds a game, and is faster and stronger than before. He and Chris Kaman make it very hard for opponents to grab offensive boards; they're 3rd in the NBA in rebounding. The Clippers are 4th in the League in PPG with 100.3 a night, something Clipper teams haven't struggled with either in the past. Still, inklings of the bad Clippers still leak into the stat sheet. They completely allow their opponent to dictate the tempo for them, which will cause them problems when they aren't playing Phoenix and Dallas. Their bench is extremely weak. Once in awhile Walter McCarty will step up but that's about it. Quinton Ross is underrated but he's currently filling in for Corey Maggette at SF. It is hard to ever consider it possible for the Clippers to overshadow the Lakers this much. Just look at the crowds for both of the teams: The Clippers are more lively and energetic in Staples Center while the Lakers are dull and lifeless. Elton Brand is finally pushing his game to the limit and is taking control of the team. Their 14-5 record isn't a fluke, they really are outplaying the opposition. The Clippers still have a lot to prove, like whether they won't fold in half when the season winds down. As of right now, they are a playoff team. Competing against Phoenix will be tough, but will too much for the bizarro LA Clippers? Los Angeles has no football team and their baseball team is in a never-ending rebuilding period, so the drama in basketball is all that the city has. |
