They beat the Spurs, the kryptonite of many teams, in seven games. They continued their good form in game one versus the Rockets...Beating them in Houston WITHOUT Chris Paul then blew them out twice in LA in games three and four...Then it all went pear shaped!!
Game five wasn't really close! Maybe they relaxed a bit because they had game six at home up their sleeves? Who knows. Then game six happened! I don't like using the word 'choke' very often, but there is no other word to describe it!!! It was a collapse of epic proportions...I didn't actually see the game but I remember exactly what I was doing. I was strolling around the supermarket, checked the score on my phone and LA were up by 19 points with about three mins left in the third quarter! Its the NBA playoffs and you never want to just assume a team is going to win...But up 19 with just over a quarter to go in a series clinching game AT HOME, I wouldn't blame you for thinking the series was over. As I was driving home I pulled out my phone for an update and I couldn't believe what I saw...The Rockets were up 12 with just over a minute remaining, I was shocked. They didn't just lose, they got blown out!! As we all know by now Houston closed out the series at home by a pretty comfortable margin in game seven earlier today.
Despite beating the Spurs and initially stealing home court advantage of Houston...The Clippers are still the Clippers (I hate saying that, but you can't really deny that its true)
When I said the Clippers have a legit shot at winning it all I meant it. They beat the battle tested Spurs winning multiple must win games and big road games, they stole home court from Houston, Golden State looked vulnerable against Memphis (though they turned that around) and out East the Cavs had lost Kevin Love, Atlanta were in a dog fight with Washington and they were the team in the best form! Then it all came crashing down...
So the question has to be asked! Was this their best shot? Do they need some type of overhaul? Its hard to say! Here is a look at their roster situation for the next couple of years...Of their main rotation Blake Griffin, CP3 and JJ Redick are locked in for the next two seasons (So is Spencer Hawes) Matt Barnes is in for at least one more season, Jamal Crawford has a player option so who knows what will happen there...The glaring thing is that DeAndre Jordan is a free agent! He will no doubt be a hot commodity and may be tough to retain...The Clippers have a big off season ahead of them, I don't want to speculate over who I think will stay and who won't but will definitely be worth keeping an eye on and seeing what unfolds.
I was rooting for this team! They are fun to watch and have a lot of talent, but give credit where its due, the Rockets put three pretty good games together with their backs against the wall. I was hoping that the Clippers would be this years cinderella story and would make a run at the championship...unfortunately they showed that they are STILL the Clippers.
AP
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