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This thread will never go away![]()
In my opinion, anyone that will state that the clippers aren't truly contenders, states that only because they simply do not like the clippers....because when examining the clippers for purely basketball reasons, it is clear that they are contenders this season.
As the season gets closer to the middle point.. I legitimately am starting to think the Clippers might win the championship. Miami looks flawed as hell and I think the Clippers should be healthier and hungrier than last year. I think they will do better this time against the Spurs and will prove that their favorable matchup against OKC the last 3 years is no fluke.
I'm willing to bet anybody that the champions are coming out of the west. It's going to be either the Spurs, Thunder or Clippers this year.
Last edited by Clippersfan86; 01-09-2013 at 01:58 PM.
If Jazz fans had a schedule like the Warriors they would bawl. We just came off a 7 game road trip, and in January alone we face the Clippers 3 times, Memphis, Portland, Denver, Miami, San Antonio, OKC, and Chicago.
To say you would be #1 in our division is just so funny. Jazz have no talent compared to the Clippers, Lakers or Warriors. That's why the Jazz are below .500.
Originally Posted by Inside Hoops member, 2009
The West is going to be so competitive. I do agree that it will be between those 3 teams in the West for sure. Only thing that'll slow one of these teams down is injuries.
Spurs/Clips would certainly be more of a series than last year. But a lot can still go down from now to the playoffs start. But as things stand right now, those 3 are the best in the league.
For the Clips/OKC, they probably will have a tough stretch (at some point?) I don't recall them having a lot of road games in a month yet or a bunch at one time. Spurs of course have their annual rodeo road trip, 9 straight road games. But in March they only have 2 road games since they had a lot early on. Winning on the road is important for sure.
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Damn they dropped below .500?. Clippers and Warriors seem to have this division under control for the next decade. Lakers will always be relevant but I honestly think after the worst failure in sports history, Dwight Howard will walk, Gasol will be traded and Kobe and Nash will retire in two years. That is such a MASSIVE failure that the Lakers will need a good 5-7 years to become a good team again.
They can't even sign and trade any of these guys either because they are so massively over cap.
Clippers are totally legit....and Miami does look flawed as hell, but we say that every year around this time about Miami.
KARL JOSEPH CREW
Lakers ****ed up. i dont trust jim buss as an owner. he comes off as a snake.
KARL JOSEPH CREW
Yea Spurs have had a crazy number of road games (more than home ones I think). Clippers hell period comes Jan-Feb with all the events at Staples center. They have a ton of road games in Jan and Feb. I do know I'm hoping for OKC more than the Spurs, simply because I think the Spurs give the Clippers more issues. Hopefully you guys and OKC will beat each other up in the early rounds, although a lot of that will have to do with how the dogfight for the top 3 seeds pans out.
On a nightly basis OKC, Clippers and Spurs keep switching for best record in the league. It's honestly unfair how stacked the west is. You have 3 teams that could win the title and 3 teams that if moved to the east would make the ECF at a minimum. Spurs and Clippers have matched up well with Miami so in the east I think they would be in the finals.
Let's move OKC to the eastern conference, since they are closer to the center of the US anyways.
I would say they are easily a contender and not a team I would want to face in the playoffs. To much firepower.
The issues the Spurs give the Clipps I think is mostly mental. It's like they have that mental edge and experience factor. Because no way can they match their athleticism. Although, if they met this year the Clips could just turn the table on them.
I could see why you'd prefer OKC, I think the Clips have more weapons than they do, and Paul vs Westbrook would be pretty fun to watch. I could also see Paul trying to get in WB's head.
Getting the 1 seed would mean avoiding one of those other 2 teams will potentially the WCF. It'll be interesting to see, the West is always so tough. But to be the best you have to beat the best
Clippers are significantly better defensively than OKC and neutralize their biggest strengths while capitalizing on their weaknesses. Also remember Billups and Hill have been out all year and are returning. Hill likely makes his debut tonight, Billups likely returns in 2 weeks.
OKC's weaknesses are ball movement, scoring in the paint and turnovers. Wrong weaknesses to have against the Clippers who are..
A. Unstoppable when they have time to react defensively. Teams like the Spurs, Wolves, Warriors give them issues because they swing the ball so well and have so many shooters unlike OKC.
B. Blake and DJ can stay out of foul trouble easily when guarding Ibaka and Perkins in the paint which changes the entire game in H2H. Also DJ has his way with OKC because he's just way too big and athletic for Perkins.
C. The biggest problem for OKC vs the Clippers is their propensity to turn the ball over. It just so happens that the Clippers lead the NBA in turnovers forced, steals and converting those steals into buckets.
Additionally no other team in the NBA had 3 capable defensive SF's to throw at Durant (Hill, Barnes, Butler) that can all make him work and wear him down.
I agree all of the issues vs the Spurs come down to experience and the mental game. Coaching edge, experience as a unit and overall team IQ pose a problem for the young athletic teams. Then again the Clippers are much much better than last year.
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