Are the Clippers a real contender?

[Iron24th]

If they can be that efficient in playoffs, they'll be a threat for sure.

[Cracka2HI!]

these Clippers are easily the most fun team to watch in the league, its almost like a Globtortters game right now the way they are toying with teams. The only thing I think they are missing is a post presecence on offense.

LOL! I use that Globetrotters reference often. I don't remember seeing a team toy with the opposition like the Clippers are now. We do have post presence. 2 actually. Blake has been excellent in the post during this streak. Even DeAndre is a post precense now.

I still can't see them beating Memphis, SA, and who knows what the Lakers will look like in April. Their backcourt rotation is probably best in the league with CP3, Bledsoe, Billups, Crawford but I am not sold on their front court guys. I think in a playoff series when the game slows down and the pick and roll shuts down Blake and DJ can be defended and expose for what they can't do and you can limit what they can do. I would say Odom is their X-Factor if he can be anywhere near 6MOY Odom.

Clipps beat Memphis last year tho. Memphis is very good, but I can't buy that you can't see us beating them when we did it just last year.

[Over Da Pence]

Not bad to barely beat the so called "darkhorse" of the west and one of the most hyped teams when you have 10 new players, your top 5 players injured and no experience as a team. Abe brings up a valid point that coaching is the biggest issue. Put this talent with a top tier coach and they might win the title if everything worked out nicely... with Vinny though I'm expecting 2nd round exit to WCF max.

Love clippers86fan

[RyanStorm]

If your comparing Clippers to the other West Coast teams, my only real argument is the fact that Clippers have had an easy schedule so far.

I compared LAC to my Jazz, if we had your schedule we would be #1 in the division against GS and LAL! You have spent so much more time at home with like 4 times where you had 3 at home in a row.

Since your losing trip, your undefeated. The only highlight of this streak is winning all 4 on the east road trip, which was nice even if it wasn't against division leaders like when Utah faced Nets/Pacers/Heat/Magic on 1 trip.

You still had over 8 easy wins out of the current streak, with only 6 on the road(w/bucks and bulls). It would be a miracle for Utah to get 10+ in a row, but not if it were on this Clippers schedule.



You easily had one of the easiest opening schedules, and its easy to win when your not flying in an airplane every night and day and playing every other day at home, then road, then home!

I predict Clippers knocked out in 1st round by Lakers(who aren't really a road team). Houston got 22 games in a row in 08, they went to playoffs, where Utah knocked them out in the first round!

So Who can stand up when its hard, and prevail when its easy? You are prevailing like you should during this time, but will you be standing high and mighty at #1 when times get tough? Jazz are keeping a .500 during all the hard times, will you?

I just wonder how playoff ready they are, and if they are ready to out beat Spurs, OKC, and Memphis? Let alone Lakers, Utah, Minn, GS, Houston, Portland, Denver, Dallas and Phoenix), any one of these other teams would make for a tough 1st round. Hell Lakers are just as scary at #8 than #1, same with Dallas.


Honestly this is the first year that I actually want to watch Clipper games.

[Method28]

If your comparing Clippers to the other West Coast teams, my only real argument is the fact that Clippers have had an easy schedule so far.

I compared LAC to my Jazz, if we had your schedule we would be #1 in the division against GS and LAL! You have spent so much more time at home with like 4 times where you had 3 at home in a row.

Since your losing trip, your undefeated. The only highlight of this streak is winning all 4 on the east road trip, which was nice even if it wasn't against division leaders like when Utah faced Nets/Pacers/Heat/Magic on 1 trip.

You still had over 8 easy wins out of the current streak, with only 6 on the road(w/bucks and bulls). It would be a miracle for Utah to get 10+ in a row, but not if it were on this Clippers schedule.



You easily had one of the easiest opening schedules, and its easy to win when your not flying in an airplane every night and day and playing every other day at home, then road, then home!

I predict Clippers knocked out in 1st round by Lakers(who aren't really a road team). Houston got 22 games in a row in 08, they went to playoffs, where Utah knocked them out in the first round!

So Who can stand up when its hard, and prevail when its easy? You are prevailing like you should during this time, but will you be standing high and mighty at #1 when times get tough? Jazz are keeping a .500 during all the hard times, will you?

I just wonder how playoff ready they are, and if they are ready to out beat Spurs, OKC, and Memphis? Let alone Lakers, Utah, Minn, GS, Houston, Portland, Denver, Dallas and Phoenix), any one of these other teams would make for a tough 1st round. Hell Lakers are just as scary at #8 than #1, same with Dallas.


Honestly this is the first year that I actually want to watch Clipper games.

Holy homer Batman!

Easiest opening schedule?! I think you better take a look at the opening month for the Clips schedule. There's only 2 cake games there.

Point is....when comparing the Jazz vs the Clippers there is no comparison right now. Clippers are just a better team flat out. Sorry to burst that bubble man but your homerism for the Jazz is going a lil far.

[RyanStorm]

You only had two winning teams on the road games during your entire streak. Facing teams while being at home for 3 games is a lot easier than going back in forth, and going from your city to another which is being in 3 cities in 4-5 days, instead of sitting at home all week for 3 games, then taking a quick bus to phoenix just to come back and sit at home for another week and 3 games.

Your 14 game streak is filled with nothing but easy wins. The rest of your earlier schedule was slightly harder, but you still had a lot of help.

Between the 3rd and 17th you had one road game with Portland. Then you had one tough losing road trip and only won Spurs and lost to OKC, Hawks, and Nets(this is the extent of your "hard" season so far) and more is coming.

After the road trip, between the 26th of November and 9th of Dec, you faced 5/7 who were below .500, and 6/7 were at home, and the only road game was against Utah at Energy(the other .500 was Minn)(both teams sitting at the cusp of .500).
Then you did your second trip, with Bulls and Bucks which were contenders, but the other two were Detroit and Charlotte. Since then you had 3/4 games against losing teams with one road trip to the losing Suns, and Denver being the only one over .500 at a home game for you.

Besides for your two trips, your schedule has been very easy, especially compared to your upcoming schedule. Yeah you faced Spurs and Memphis early on but you still had home court advantage and were at home for 3 games!

Your streak is mainly what I was talking about, the 14 wins only had 2 teams that were good. Yeah you faced us at home, but you were at home for 3 games, came here, then went home for another 3 games. While the Jazz flew home from a 3 game road trip, to come and face the LAC(which is how we lost our home court winning streak).

If you think that is harder then what the Jazz have been through then, I don't know what to tell. Our schedule becomes a lot easier, so I just hope you have your fun cause I know your not gonna have streaks later this season(maybe in march). Houston thought they were great getting a title, cause they got 22 wins in a row, only to lose in the 1st round to the Jazz.


Pretty much your saying what you have done so far is just as hard as what your going to face in Janurary and February??? Guess again! All this free time you get at home is gonna not be there when your living out of a backpack. Your only going to have 3 home games for an entire month(30 days).

If you actually read anything I wrote, I was comparing Clippers schedule to Utah's, to point out how hard your schedule is going to become and that was the point(oh and to show that the streak isn't as amazing as people think it is, definitely not worth talking about rings or mvp, if that was the case, we should have given houston there rings and mvp for their 22 game streak)!

This had nothing to do with Utah or why they aren't winning in streaks(I already know why we are not winning, and I would only like to see what happens to your team if Chris Paul gets injured like Mo has been for several games so far this year missing 7 during big games) I mean how could they get a streak, when they have gone through the toughest part of their season with their biggest player being injured continually. This is besides the point.

I just wouldn't get too cocky. I would be surprised to see Clippers get .500 between all their games from Jan 14th and Feb 14th. After that its back on the easy wagon for them again. Just don't let the wins get to your heads. Yeah they will get you in the playoffs, but it doesn't guarantee anything.

[Chronz]

If you think that is harder then what the Jazz have been through then, I don't know what to tell.

There are various metrics that factor strength of schedule and performance vs said factor, they all have the Clippers in the elite... so whats the problem again?

Our schedule becomes a lot easier, so I just hope you have your fun cause I know your not gonna have streaks later this season(maybe in march).

The presence of such a streak is already the milestone of a contender, so the likelihood of ANY team going through a streak like this is low.

Houston thought they were great getting a title, cause they got 22 wins in a row, only to lose in the 1st round to the Jazz.

That hilarious piece of revisionist history may have worked on another Clippers fan, but not one who happens to love the Rockets. NOBODY thought they would win a title, they had to play without Yao and a hurt Tmac, then it would be discovered that they would be without Rafer for the first 2 games of the playoffs, pretty much, nothing you said was true.

If you actually read anything I wrote, I was comparing Clippers schedule to Utah's, to point out how hard your schedule is going to become and that was the point(oh and to show that the streak isn't as amazing as people think it is, definitely not worth talking about rings or mvp, if that was the case, we should have given houston there rings and mvp for their 22 game streak)!

Nobody gives rings for regular season accomplishments, that doesnt mean there arent impressive feets of performance given the context of a regular season. Your strawman complaints dont carry weight.

I would only like to see what happens to your team if Chris Paul gets injured like Mo has been for several games so far this year missing 7 during big games

Last year we would have sucked, this year we often play better without him.

I just wouldn't get too cocky. I would be surprised to see Clippers get .500 between all their games from Jan 14th and Feb 14th. After that its back on the easy wagon for them again. Just don't let the wins get to your heads. Yeah they will get you in the playoffs, but it doesn't guarantee anything.

Maybe Im out of line, but did someone here guarantee anything?

[He115ing]

I think they are, but every time Griffin dunks I am expecting his knees to explode.

[torocan]

The Clippers are as real a contender as you can have WITHOUT having an actual legitimate play off run under their belt.

In other words, they're looking good right now. Other than that, it's up in the air until the show they can win in a play off series.

[rlundi86]

Perhaps, but they're unproven. They're incredibly deep though with battle-tested veterans, but as a team and more importantly, as a VDN-led unit, they haven't really done anything yet to lead me to believe they can wing a ring.

[airforceones25]

If your comparing Clippers to the other West Coast teams, my only real argument is the fact that Clippers have had an easy schedule so far.

I compared LAC to my Jazz, if we had your schedule we would be #1 in the division against GS and LAL! You have spent so much more time at home with like 4 times where you had 3 at home in a row.

Since your losing trip, your undefeated. The only highlight of this streak is winning all 4 on the east road trip, which was nice even if it wasn't against division leaders like when Utah faced Nets/Pacers/Heat/Magic on 1 trip.

You still had over 8 easy wins out of the current streak, with only 6 on the road(w/bucks and bulls). It would be a miracle for Utah to get 10+ in a row, but not if it were on this Clippers schedule.



You easily had one of the easiest opening schedules, and its easy to win when your not flying in an airplane every night and day and playing every other day at home, then road, then home!

I predict Clippers knocked out in 1st round by Lakers(who aren't really a road team). Houston got 22 games in a row in 08, they went to playoffs, where Utah knocked them out in the first round!

So Who can stand up when its hard, and prevail when its easy? You are prevailing like you should during this time, but will you be standing high and mighty at #1 when times get tough? Jazz are keeping a .500 during all the hard times, will you?

I just wonder how playoff ready they are, and if they are ready to out beat Spurs, OKC, and Memphis? Let alone Lakers, Utah, Minn, GS, Houston, Portland, Denver, Dallas and Phoenix), any one of these other teams would make for a tough 1st round. Hell Lakers are just as scary at #8 than #1, same with Dallas.


Honestly this is the first year that I actually want to watch Clipper games.

Hate to reign on your parade but the Clippers have played the 12th hardest schedule to date compared to the Jazz who played the 15th hardest based on SOS. Quit your *****ing an go be a homer somewhere else.

[Clippersfan86]

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...e-called-bench

A big reason for them being legit is their dominant defense. When they lock in defensively no team is better on defense and they still haven't had Grant Hill play a game and Billups only played 3.


"How ruthless is "A Tribe Called Bench?" They surrender only 87.2 points per 100 possessions. As a frame of reference, no other unit among the NBA’s Top 50 most commonly used lineups came in below 90.0. Opponents posted an effective field goal percentage of 41.6 percent (only one other unit in the Top 50 held the opposition below 45 percent), and that doesn’t even account for the fact 20 percent of opponents’ possessions end in turnovers."

[ZHawk1123]

ab so lute ly

[Clippersfan86]

The Clippers are pretenders. They barely beat the Grizzlies. They added no-show Odom, so-so Crawford and up-there Grant Hill. If we combine the 3, the Clippers might have one viable scoring option. But I see a lot of noise in "Lob City", and not much substance yet again. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they did worse this year. Until they develop overall chemistry and a sound identity as a team, they'll never beat OKC, the other LA team, or San Antonio.

[Clippersfan86]

Yes, if everything goes well.

Let's put this in perspective: They had little training camp, went 13-5 with Billups/Paul, small bench with little to no defenders. They still ended up being with a middle of the pack defensive rating and well considering VDN is not a good coach...that's pretty remarkable. They finished 40-26 with 3 different 4-5 gamelosing streaks throughout the season and had injuries to Paul, Griffin, Butler and still beat Memphis.

A year later they add: Grant Hill, Crawford, rehabbed Billups, Lamar Odom (low risk/high reward), Matt Barnes, Willie Green, Ronny Turiaf, Ryan Hollins.

They are much better in every position than last year and Griffin/Jordan look improved. Basically, they were a new club with new pieces still managed to be Top 5 in the West.

People don't respect them enough, especially since their only weakness from being a championship contender is defense.

This man knew his stuff. Good thing they addressed the defensive weakness and have now been a top 5 defense pretty much all year long.