Apr 18 2019
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On Monday night, the Los Angeles Clippers completed the largest comeback in NBA playoff history. Down 31 points halfway through the third quarter against the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, the Clippers roared back behind a collection of role players, castoffs and rookies. The irony of Golden State’s blown lead (31, 3-1 – get it?) and Kevin Durant’s apathy (only eight shot attempts) consumed the media’s attention. Debates quickly shifted to the potential of Houston Rockets upsetting the Warriors in the second round.

The real headline should have been the powerhouse brewing in the opposing locker room. No, the Clippers are not going to win this series and maybe not even another game. But the cohesiveness and competitiveness that willed the Clippers to the win are indicative of a rising championship contender. Los Angeles does not have the horses to win right now, but the cavalry is coming in the very near future.

The burgeoning Clippers juggernaut has been building since the summer of 2017 when Steve Ballmer finally grasped the secret to being a great sports franchise owner: hire smart people and get out of the way. He brought in the highly-respected Jerry West as an advisor, promoted Lawrence Frank to President of Basketball Operations and allowed Doc Rivers to focus solely on coaching.

In a series of arguably the most shrewd basketball transactions of the decade, the Clippers turned Chris Paul and Blake Griffin into Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Patrick Beverley, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Landry Shamet and a wealth of future draft picks. The Clippers turned the rotting remains of the perennially underachieving Lob City era into the crux of a playoff team and the deepest war chest of assets in the NBA.

The Clippers are flush with young talent and future draft picks, but their prized possession is financial flexibility. According to Spotrac, they will have nearly $60 million in cap space this summer (the second most in the league). If they move Danilo Gallinari this summer, they can free up enough room for two max slots.

Considering the crop of upper-echelon talent available this summer, the Clippers’ timing is either extremely serendipitous or the result of the most brilliant foresight in league history. Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson lead the class of free agents, while Kemba Walker, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford, Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris and Khris Middleton make up a talented second-tier.

Kawhi Leonard, a LA native, has been heavily rumored to be interest in the Clippers. The Clippers have aggressively been planning to recruit Leonard this offseason; scouts employed by the Clippers have been common at Raptors home and away games, including appearances by Frank and Ballmer. Marc Stein said on The Stephen A. Smith Show last month “Every time I’m in the Clippers orbit all season long, they’re confident in terms of getting Kawhi Leonard. You feel it when you’re around them”.

Montrezl Harrell #5 and Patrick Beverley #21

In a season where the Lakers acquired LeBron James, the greatest and most powerful athlete of the century, the Clippers became the most intriguing team in Los Angeles. Beverley and Harrell have brought a special tenacity to the Clippers locker room. They’ve created a culture of fearlessness and unrelenting effort rarely found in professional basketball. The fans have followed; Bill Simmons, a Clippers season-ticket holder for fifteen years, said on his podcast that this is the single most beloved Clippers team ever. Ballmer finally achieved what was thought to be impossible when he bought the franchise in 2014: make the Clippers popular in Los Angeles.

The cliché that professional athletes are enamored with big cities remains true. Between the glamour of Hollywood and the spectacular weather, Los Angeles is the city of choice for many NBA players during the off-season; the Lakers will always be listed among potential free agent destinations. Little brother teams like the Clippers lack the mystique of their co-residents and are rarely able to successfully attract star talent. However, the Clippers have changed the game – and everyone involved with the league knows it.

The Los Angeles Clippers, not the Lakers, have positioned themselves to be the premier destination for superstars this summer. Ballmer has proven to be a competent owner with winning as his top priority (something that cannot be said of the Knicks’ James Dolan or even the Lakers’ Jeanie Buss). Their team chemistry and tenacity is the polar opposite of the soap-opera Lakers. The Clippers are one superstar away from becoming serious championship contenders.

The Clippers are only a matter of days from a first-round playoff exit, but that will likely be the last one for the foreseeable future. Los Angeles has the locker room and conviction of a future championship contender, reminiscent of the pre-Kerr Warriors. Ironically, it was the Clippers whose first round victory over the Warriors in 2014 pushed Golden State to move on from Mark Jackson, unlocking a dynasty. Five years later, another first-round series between the Clippers and Warriors could prove to be the dawn of another NBA juggernaut – this time in Los Angeles.

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Posted inBasketball NBA
Tagsgolden state warriors kawhi leonard los angeles clippers los angles lakers steve ballmer

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