Can Los Angeles Clippers Survive Award Show Season?
The Los Angeles Clippers currently sit in sixth place in the Western Conference, a spot they have held for a majority of the season. However, the easy part of the schedule is behind them and looking forward, it will be a bumpy ride.
With award show season coming around, the Clippers have to embark on their beloved eight-game, 12-day road trip as their home, Staples Center, plays host to Hollywood’s elite.
There are plenty of advantages to living in Los Angeles. Winter weather is mostly non-existent. The cool factor for free agents is off the scale. However, the downside is that Staples is a place to be for more than just basketball.
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/22/2015.
Sweet mercy! Look at that upcoming schedule. That is a 17-game span where the Clippers play four games against teams not currently in the playoffs, with one of those being against the Oklahoma City Thunder, whom everyone still expects to finish in the top eight.
To top it off, 12 of the 17 games are on the road, and there is only one home game against a team currently with a losing record, the Denver Nuggets. And three times during this stretch, Los Angeles has to play back-to-back games.
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
What Could Happen During This Stretch?
There is a realistic chance that come March 2, the Clippers will be in ninth or 10th place in the West. Oklahoma City is all-in on making the playoffs this year and taking another shot at winning a title. They are not a typical playoff hopeful, given the injury situation early in the season. NBA writers across the U.S. expect them in the playoffs.
After that, you have the reigning NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, a team known for making second-half runs, right below the Clippers. The Spurs just got back arguably their best player in Kawhi Leonard, and you can be sure they will be looking to move up the standings.
Below them are the Phoenix Suns, a team that has found its groove and has won eight of its last 10 games, and a team that added a few complimentary pieces to its roster. They are desperate to hang onto a playoff spot after coming so close the last two years. That is a hungry team, and the Clippers better watch their back.
New Orleans is another hungry team, with MVP candidate Anthony Davis leading the way, this is a squad that might not have the firepower to get past the other teams in the Western Conference standings, but if a team falters, they would be happy to take advantage.
So if Los Angeles goes, say, 7-10 during this stretch, which would be commendable given the circumstances, its easy to see the Thunder overtake them in the standings. Especially given Oklahoma City’s ridiculously soft upcoming schedule. Would you rather play the Timberwolves, Knicks, Magic, and Pelicans, or face that gauntlet staring the Clippers in the face?
Can They Recover in March?
Should the worst happen, and the Clippers find themselves out of the playoff standings on March 2, the schedule does ease up. In April, the Clippers close out the season playing four of their last seven games against the Lakers and the Nuggets, teams that will be long out of it and planning their summer vacations.
So it is very possible that Los Angeles could fall out of the top eight, and then squeeze back in down the stretch. However, is that we are shooting for here? Did the Clippers envision a Herculean struggle in April to clasp onto the final playoff spot, ready to face the buzz saw of Oracle Arena in the first round?
If the Clippers are serious contenders, they have to find a way to go 10-7 or better over this crazy stretch. That would cement their playoff spot and give them a chance to move upward in the standings come March and April.
There are signs that the Grizzlies and Trail Blazers are wearing down. It is still possible, if unlikely, that Los Angeles could find itself in the top four when the playoffs start.
They just have to maintain focus and play their best basketball over this next stretch.