The Los Angeles Clippers are known as a team that chokes. They finished last season with a 56-26 record and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, and they beat the San Antonio Spurs in the postseason. The Clippers were up 3-1 against the Houston Rockets and in commanding position. Then the team failed to close the series and ended up going home early.
This year, the Clippers are 53-29 and enter the postseason as the fourth-best team in the conference. They are flying under the radar with Blake Griffin missing significant time this season. The team is looking to shed the choker label and possibly surprise everybody. This year, the Clippers will shock the masses in the 2016 NBA playoffs.
The Clippers haven’t beaten the Golden State Warriors this season, but they have come close to doing so. With the exception of the Mar 23 game, all the games against the Warriors have been decided by seven points or less. The Clippers also have the most recent postseason series win over the Warriors (a 4-3 series win in the 2013-14 postseason). The Clippers have a legitimate shot at beating any team in the conference which should give them confidence.
Chris Paul has also been playing more aggressively this season. He is taking the most shots per game he has ever taken with the Clippers (15.1). Head coach Doc Rivers has wanted Paul to be more aggressive, and the point guard has responded since Griffin missed significant time.
DeAndre Jordan is still a liability from the free-throw line, but he is also still a force around the rim. J.J. Redick has the second-best three-point shooting percentage in the league (47.5 percent), and Jamal Crawford has helped the bench become somewhat reliable. All of the Clippers’ weaknesses have been addressed, and the only thing left for the team is to prove that they have changed. And the best place to prove that is in the playoffs.
