0 30 Dec 10 Los Angeles Clippers Playoff Preview: What Might Have Been 发帖者 Johnny Depp | 时间： 02:22

With the regular season winding down and the playoffs around the corner, it's time to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Clippers as they prepare for what should be a long playoff run. The Clippers started this season with high expectations and did nothing to disappoint. Like his team, Blake Griffin did nothing to disappoint. The mocking taunts when the Clippers took him first in the draft were silenced by the favorite to win the ROY award in his first pro game. Nothing like a 28/15 game to silence your critics. Sure, he hit a rookie slump during the middle of the season and he failed to get calls early on, but look at him now. The power forward finished the year on a tear averaging 23 and 12 over his last 10 games, the Clips winning all but one.Griffin will finish the Washington Redskins jersey
season healthy and primed to showcase his talent on a national level again, this time in the NBA playoffs. Where are the taunts of a "Clipper Curse" now? In addition to how seamlessly Griffin fit in with the team from Los Angeles, the Clippers have to point to the evolution of Baron Davis as a key to this season.The player who willed his eighth-seeded Warriors to a victory over the then No. 1-seeded Mavericks was back.Davis showed a keen ability to shoot when needed and to dish as needed. He played the point in a way L.A. hasn't seen since the days of Magic Johnson. Eric Gordon had some big scoring games and looked great holding up that Slam Dunk trophy while wearing a Clipper jersey. The revitalization of this once perennial doormat was in full bloom at that moment. We all know now, of course, that the real transformation occurred about a month earlier. The Clippers were winning, Staples was rocking and the team was playing well. Los Angeles, however, wasn't convinced. The city has been fooled by the Clippers before. They needed to see something substantial and the Clippers delivered. Jan. 15 was the day all Clipper fans can point to as the official coming out party of the team that now rules L.A.It was on that day that the Clippers met the Lakers in what was a Laker home game. With the Clippers enjoying success to start the year the crowd had a substantial Clipper-feel to it. Something rarely seen at Laker home games. In years past a Clipper home game against the purple-and-gold felt like an away game for the Clips. The chants were pro Lakers, the cheering came for the visiting team and the stands were peppered with yellow jerseys. This time, Clipper fans began to repay the favor. It wasn't a rush of Clipper support, but it was enough to catch the attention of both teams. "Yeah, we all noticed it today. Clipper Nation was here tonight and I think it helped them, energized them" was how Kobe Bryant put it just after the game. The energy in the stadium was palpable from the the opening tip. This had the feel of a playoff game, in fact, it was more.This had the feel of a battle, a battle for respect, a battle for the hearts and minds of Los Angeles. This was more than a game and everyone watching understood that. Every rebound was fought for, every loose ball was chased; this was a game neither team wanted to lose.It was the Lakers, however, who seemed to have the game in hand. In a game that saw 23 lead changes it was Kobe Bryant who took over in the fourth.That ridiculous shot by Bryant with 4.3 seconds left with Marcus Camby all over him was amazing and left the Clippers with a three-point deficit.Bryant, aware of the significance of Reebok Arizona Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald Realtree camo Jersey
the shot, jumped up, pulled his jersey to expose his heart; that was the dagger. Then, things changed in Los Angeles. It's funny how you can look back and pinpoint the exact moment. With 4.3 seconds left on the clock, this was a Laker town, all it took for the shift to occur was 4.3 measly seconds. Incredible. You know how it went, but I love reliving it. The ball came in to Davis. He didn't hesitate, driving past Derek Fisher as if his shoes were glued to the floor.The Lakers collapsed, they weren't going to let an easy layup and a foul tie this game. In hindsight, they should have given Davis the layup."I concur, it was a bit of a mental mistake by our squad," Phil Jackson said later. Instead, the teams competitive nature took over and with four Lakers converging on him, Davis made that amazing one-bounce pass to Rasual Butler. How did that pass get there? How did he see Butler? Who knows, but the rest is L.A. history. Butler calmly picks up the ball, checks his feet to make sure he is behind the 3-point line and sets up to make his smooth-as-silk shot.The Clippers' modern-day Jamaal Wilkes doesn't hesitate even as Lamar Odom races towards him. The shot is released, Odom charges, barrels into Butler, the crowd goes absolutely quiet. So quiet you could hear the swish as the basket drops in, followed by the blow of the referees whistle, then the final buzzer. Everyone was stunned. With apologies to Jack Buck and his amazing call of Kirk Gibson's home run against Dennis Eckersley, everyone, from the players, to the fans felt the same way, "I can't believe what I just saw."The NBA has seen possible four-point plays before, but never in this type of game, never to win a game on a last second shot, never to capture a city.That shot was beyond huge. All that was left was to ice Butler which the Lakers did with the last time-out. He hits the free throw, the Clippers somehow pull off a victory, He misses, its on to overtime.Remember the end of Rocky I where Apollo Reebok Baltimore Ravens #5 Joe Flacco Realtree camo Jersey
Creed is clutching Rocky as the final bell is rung? "Ain't gonna be no rematch." Rocky's reply, "I don't want one."Sure, both teams would have hit the floor for the extra time, but neither wanted to. They had given there all in this amazing battle. No player in the history of the game has ever come to the line with more on the line than Butler. The game, the city, respect for his team.It all came down to one shot. He walked there alone. Just before he shot, Davis walked up to him and whispered something in his ear. The pair laughed, it seemed to settle everyone, including Butler.What did Davis say? "I ain't telling" he bristled as he walked away. "That will stay a Clipper secret forever". Whatever it was, it had its desired effect. With the Lakers and all of L.A. watching, Butler hit the free throw. The Clippers won. The party lasted much longer than normal for an NBA game. All the more shocking when this was, technically, a road game for the Clippers. That 104-103 victory was the catalyst, the turning point. The Clippers used to it push to an NBA-best 15-game winning streak. The Lakers, well, could never regroup. With word today that Kobe Bryant will officially opt out of his Laker deal at season's end, it seems to mark the end of an era for the once-proud franchise.There is little doubt then that Phil Jackson will not return and although the likelihood of convincing Mike Krzyzewski to leave Duke to lead this team next season is slim, all the more so now that the Lakers will be Kobe-less, they will no doubt find someone to lead them. The new coach, however, will not have a team that Laker fans are used to. The Artest mid-season trade for Caron Butler was more of a flop than the Artest experiment was, with Butler going down in his second Reebok Baltimore Ravens #27 Ray Rice Realtree camo Jersey
game with a career ending knee injury. The Lakers find themselves with an injury prone center, a soft power forward and little else as they limp to the end of season. Its sad really. Clipper fans refuse to gloat, however. The Lakers had a good run, but this is a Clipper town now. A great run in the playoffs, which is well within reach, will make Clipper Nation more than a catch-phrase, it will make it a USA reality!A Clipper fan can dream, can't he?