Clippers’ sad-sack run continues
The best time to be a Los Angeles Clipper doesn't exist. That's the only assumption that can be gleaned from a nearly 12-hour period in which the Clippers went from receiving an incredible opening to end their conference finals drought – heck, perhaps win a championship – to having the door slammed shut so hard, a dramatic rebuild could be in order.
Coach Doc Rivers has become adept at managing crises in his three years with the organization – from the Donald Sterling saga to nearly losing DeAndre Jordan in free agency to, most recently, keeping his team hovering within range of the elite despite Blake Griffin limping and punching a team employee.
Rivers has always set the right tone, found the perfect quip and appeared impervious to any capsizing drama. But Rivers couldn't hide his discontent late Monday night after the Clippers lost their last legitimate chance to salvage a meaningful run out of Chris Paul, Griffin and Jordan.
Paul, the team's best and most competitive player, broke a bone in his hand while taking a swipe at Portland Trail Blazers swingman Gerald Henderson in the Clippers’ 98-84 loss. He had surgery on the hand Tuesday and will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks. And Griffin will miss the rest of the playoffs after tweaking his left quadriceps injury, which has plagued him more this season than his lapse in judgment.
No team was set up to immediately benefit from Stephen Curry’s sprained right knee more than the Clippers, a team that has known misery during its laughingstock worst and even now in its brief tenure as a fringe contender. The Vertical reported around 12 p.m. PT that the soon-to-be two-time MVP was going to miss at least two weeks after an unfortunate spill in Houston, meaning that the earliest Curry could return to the Warriors was somewhere between Games 3 and 5 in the second round. Even then, it would still take some more time for Curry to again be that surreal shooting showman.
Paul arguably means just as much, if not more, to his franchise than Curry. His drive and tunnel vision toward a title is what pushed the Clippers as they spent more than half the season without Griffin. Set to turn 31 next month, Paul understands that his prime is almost up, and he has been haunted by postseason failures despite trailing only Michael Jordan, George Mikan, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon in career postseason player efficiency rating. He has used Curry’s ascension to MVP status as motivation, then seemingly got the break he needed until he got the break he didn’t need.
Black hat on his head, arm in a sling and hand in a cast, Paul walked out of Moda Center dejected and defeated, the Clippers’ championship hopes fractured along with the middle finger he defiantly served all season to those who doubted his team’s chances.
This NBA postseason has gotten off to the roughest of starts, from some rotten blowouts to injuries to three of its biggest stars. Before Curry’s injury, the Clippers felt confident in their chances against a full-strength Golden State. Griffin had returned from his forgettable season and started to resemble his old, explosive self. Rivers thought he had finally solidified his bench and discovered the small-ball style that could counter the Warriors’ lineup of death. Once Curry went down, the Clippers had to believe that suddenly the basketball gods were smiling down on them – until receiving yet another reminder a few hours later that they move hand-in-hand with hard times, even in better times. The emotional pendulum has swung back in favor of the Warriors, who actually might be able to hold on until their best player returns.
Aside from winning the No. 1 pick a few times, the Clippers haven’t had much reason for optimism for much of their time as the second-most relevant NBA team in Los Angeles. Anytime they did acquire some talent, there was always some disappointment to follow. Lamar Odom’s untapped potential. Elton Brand’s ruptured Achilles’ tendon. Griffin’s knee cap. And on and on.
The Clippers brought in a championship coach in Rivers in 2013 to replace Vinny Del Negro, but his best season is only one win better than the best Del Negro could. Steve Ballmer shelled out $2 billion to replace the shamed Sterling, but the team continues to experience an inordinate share of postseason mishaps. This franchise-record run of five straight playoff appearances – which has coincided with Paul’s controversial trade from New Orleans – has been filled with bizarre sequences and blown opportunities.
Three years ago, Russell Westbrook was the point guard from the Western Conference’s top-seeded team who went down with a knee injury, but the then-fourth-seeded Clippers couldn’t capitalize because Griffin landed on Odom’s ankle in practice, never recovered, and they lost to Memphis in the first round. Two years ago, they were 50 seconds from going up 3-2 on Oklahoma City in the second round before Paul inexplicably lost his composure with a flurry of turnovers that cost the Clippers the game and eventually the series. Then came last year, when the Rockets rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to keep the Clippers stuck with their second-round ceiling.
Jordan was prepared to leave behind the Clippers for the opportunity to be a franchise center with the Dallas Mavericks but that led an all-out war – complete with emojis, an in-house lockdown and chicken fingers – to keep their three best players together. Paul Pierce fended off retirement so he could win another championship with his old coach in his hometown. Now, they all have to wonder if it was even worth it.
In one horrific half in Portland, the Clippers went from being a serious threat to reach the NBA Finals to approaching a final countdown on the Paul-Griffin-Jordan era that could potentially come this weekend. Rivers has to decide if coming back with the same core of a team that can’t get it done is reasonable.
Both Paul and Griffin will enter free agency in the summer of 2017. Starting over would begin with moving one or both this offseason, before one – or both – decides to flee a franchise too accustomed to bad breaks. The Clippers plan to aggressively pursue Kevin Durant in free agency and have a valuable sign-and-trade chip in Griffin, the Oklahoma City native. If that fails, Rivers could also make the argument that the team never got right this season, that one more run could suffice. But sometimes, it’s just not meant to be.
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