NBA Playoffs 2012 Preview: Los Angeles Clippers

A year ago, it seemed absurd to think of a team to upstage the Miami Heat in terms of popularity. Popularity here not equating to likability. The same year saw the emergence of the next big thing, the superstar of the next decade, Blake Griffin. He single handedly made the Clippers a must watch feature on TV.

Highlight reels don’t always result in wins. Good as he is Blake Griffin could not do it all by himself. Neither could Chris Paul in New Orleans. Together they are making magic in LA. This season two of the best players in the game have teamed up and have helped turn around the misery which the Clippers were mired in for seemingly forever.

Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are well known and their games have been dissected in the links here. Taking a look at the rest of the Clippers:

The Clippers have a solid backup guard in the form of Mo Williams, who has lost a lot of weight in the last offseason and is playing a crucial role in keeping the Clippers in games through his scoring off the bench.

“You can’t guard me,” said Kevin Durant to Nick Young when the Clipper checked in. Nick Young (SG) has been a trade deadline acquisition for the Clippers from Washington Wizards. Nick is an iso scorer and he just had one of his best games as a Clipper against the OKC Thunder. Young exploded for 19 points vs the OKC Thunder and helped the Clippers beat one of the Western Conference title challengers.

Eric Bledsoe (PG) is a freakish athlete who can jump out of the gym and brings an unpredictable element to the otherwise steady guard lineup of the Clippers. He has range on his jumper and is an apt, often erratic playmaker. Under Chris Paul’s tutelage one can hope for steady improvements from the explosive guard.

As if the Clippers needed another big man who can hop over the rim, they acquired Kenyon Martin (PF) after his brief stint in China. K-Mart has experience of the Finals with the New Jersey Nets and is a tenacious defender who can man the paint and clean up the glass on both ends. He showed his worth recently in a close game getting a tip in and a block in the last minute versus the Nuggets to help the Clippers win 104-98.

Adding toughness to their frontline is Reggie Evans. The burly forward brings some gritty low post presence and is a dependable backup to Griffin and Jordan.

The Clippers looked to field one of the best backcourts in the NBA with the acquisition of Chauncey Billups and Chris Paul. Billups, unfortunately, is now out with a season ending ACL tear. The veteran has been a Finals MVP with the Pistons and his team had been a perennial contender in the East for many years. Off the court he can still have a positive and steadying influence on this young team and their playoff hopes.

One of the first acquisitions of this season for the Clippers, Caron Butler (SF) was sidelined through the Dallas Mavericks playoff run last year. His former team won the Championship and he got a ring but he didn’t get to contribute on court in the postseason. This season he’s been one of the bailout players for the Clippers on offense, getting buckets off long Js and powerful drives.

DeAndre Jordan is Blake Griffins bouncing pogo stick partner. In terms of size and athleticism, Jordan, Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee are three centers who stand alone in this league. DJ is one of the brightest prospects on the Clippers roster and although he’s been benched in the 4^th in favour of the veteran Kenyon Martin, the Clippers will need his shot blocking, rebounding and interior defense if they are to man their paint in the playoffs. His high flying finishes are just a bonus to this unique package.

Randy Foye (SG) has been a key part of the Clippers outside scoring. He is shooting 38.6% from the three point line and his hot streaky touch has been responsible for many of the Clippers surges throughout this season.

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This Clippers team will go as far as Blake Griffin and Chris Paul can carry them. This is the first postseason appearance of Blake Griffin and the national spotlight will be tuned on him. He has had to take a lot of hard fouls in this season and the feeling is that the trend will continue. He can’t be stopped with usual fouls and a blatant takedown seems like the only way to stop his interior rampage. Provided he remains healthy, the Clippers can really surprise many teams and naysayers who dismiss them as simply Lob City.