Los Angeles Clippers: 8-1
From here , it’s all untrue. No pretenders. No”if a few things go right” aspirants. No more”maybe, just perhaps” hopefuls.
Actual, honest-to-goodness contenders only.
The Clippers, by virtue of being said after that debut, are one competition.
Free of the shadow cast by Donald Sterling and imbued with all the frightening enthusiasm and deep pockets of fresh owner Steve Ballmer, the Clips will look to lock up a top-three seed in the West again. This time, tough, they’ll aspire to advance to the Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.
The bulk of the responsibility falls on the familiar shoulders of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, two players who could readily lead the Clips to yet another No. 1 end in offensive performance. With Doc Rivers’ leadership and (hopefully) another step from DeAndre Jordan, L.A. is in great position for yet another deep playoff series.
There are concerns.
The wing positions are somewhat weak behind J.J. Redick. Matt Barnes is slated to start at the 3, and at age 34 that there ought to be real concerns that his 4.2 percentage (yes, 4.2 percent) shooting from long range during the preseason is not as a blip and more a signal that his offensive game has dropped off a cliff.
Spencer Hawes was the group’s big offseason get, and as valuable as he is as a passer and floor-spacer, he won’t scare anybody on defense.
If the offense remains elite and Rivers may manage his frontcourt rotation wisely, the Clippers could be slightly better than they were a year ago. That may be sufficient for them to achieve heights they’ve never reached before.
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