Considering the history of the Clippers, the easy shot is to compare them to the franchise they’ve always been. Losing a 3-1 lead in the series and a 19-point lead in the third quarter of what should have been the deciding game is another case of “the Clippers being the Clippers” – only on a much grander stage.
The reality is, however, that as inept as the Clippers looked while losing in the Western semifinals to the Rockets, they are nothing like the team burdened by Donald Sterling, the Homer Simpson of NBA owners.
Sterling had a number of sterling idiot performances, but one of my favorites was in 1987 when he told us the Clippers might win the NBA title.
They were 12-70 the previous season.
After his prediction, they went 17-65.
As Homer Simpson said: “Facts are meaningless.”
No, this Clipper team is not like the one that made the playoffs four times in the first 30 seasons of Sterling’s ownership. Since the arrival of Chris Paul in 2011, the Clippers have a winning percentage of .669, which translates to a record of 55-27 each full season.
Much has been made of the Clippers becoming the ninth team in NBA history to lose a series after leading three games to one.
What is rarely pointed out, however, is the quality of teams that lost those series. Consider:
— The 1997 Knicks team that lost a 3-1 series lead and was defeated by the Heat included Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, John Starks, Allan Houston and Larry Johnson.
— The 1995 Suns team that lost to the Rockets included Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle and A.C. Green.
— The 1981 Sixers team that lost to Larry Bird and the Celtics included Julius Erving, Andrew Toney, Darryl Dawkins, Bobby Jones, Lionel Hollins and Maurice Cheeks.
— The 1968 Sixers team that lost to Bill Russell and the Celtics was the same team that had ended the Celtics’ streak of eight consecutive titles the previous year and had won the 1967 title. That team included Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer — both among the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history — and Chet Walker.
Admittedly, it is not much consolation to know that in losing a series after leading 3-1, you are in some fine company. But when Donald Sterling has been your boss for 33 years, being in fine company is a step up. And the Clippers did eliminate the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, which should be an indicator the franchise is on the correct path.
But the challenges facing the Clippers are significant and have been well documented. DeAndre Jordan is a free agent and speculation is starting to pick up that he will be leaving.
GM/head coach Doc Rivers must add or develop depth. Rivers played a seven-man rotation most of the series and even though the Rockets relied primarily on eight, one fresh bench player can make a difference.
The reality of the current NBA – especially in the unsparing Western Conference – is that opportunities are precious. It’s not like years ago when a powerhouse could be built and a front line like Bird-McHale-Parish would stay together 12 years. Free agents move more freely and talent is spread more evenly. What is available one year is gone the next.
Consider the final four teams. Last season, Golden State, Houston and Atlanta lost in the first round and Cleveland did not make the playoffs.
Consider the final four teams from last season – San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Miami and Indiana. The latter three missed the playoffs and the Spurs lost in the first round this season.
With Paul and Griffin playing as well as any duo in the league, the Clippers won games by 16, 25 and 33 in the Houston series.
When they led the Rockets by 19 in Game 6, I went to bed thinking about the eerie column that was waiting to be written:
The Clippers have a chance to get in the NBA Finals! This Wile E. Coyote of a franchise that has been dumped on for more than three decades actually is in position to win a title! And they are led by a coach who left the Celtics and their 17 titles for the Clippers and their deadweight owner!
Red Auerbach is regurgitating in his grave!
The next morning, the piercing headlines told the shocking story of the Clippers’ demise. And, yes, my first thought was, “the Clippers just can’t escape being the Clippers.”
But that is wrong. A new era has arrived for the Clippers. It is unfortunate for them and their still small but growing group of fans that the bit of history they made last week was negative.
They undeniably have challenges but it does appear they have made significant progress in wiping away the stench of the not so sterling past.
Jan Hubbard has written about basketball since 1976 and worked in the NBA league office for eight years between media stints. Follow him on Twitter at @whyhub.
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