Los Angeles Clippers As The 3rd Seed?

ByBrenton Lillie|

Jan 11, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews (2) heads down court after a three point basket in the second half of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Trailblazers won 104-96. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

While the Los Angeles Clippers lost the battle, a 98-93 overtime defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers, they might still win the war.

During the Trail Blazers’ game against the Dallas Mavericks the next night, Wesley Matthews of the Trail Blazers tore his Achilles tendon in his left foot, and will miss the rest of the season. That is a devastating blow to a Portland team currently in the third seed in the Western Conference. Just listen to Matthews talking to reporters after the game:

“It’s disbelief, you know?” he told reporters after an MRI confirmed the rupture. “I’m sitting up there in that tube having an MRI, and I don’t hear noise, I don’t feel my Achilles, I’m just … . I can’t believe I’m up there while my team’s battling. I just haven’t processed all of it yet.”

They still have a half-game lead over the Houston Rockets, and a two-game lead over the Clippers, but Matthews has been an integral part of their success and it is unlikely that they can persevere through yet another injury.

Matthews is a floor spacer, hitting almost 39% from behind the arc, and close to 45% overall. While the recent trade Portland made to acquire Arron Afflalo will certainly help, the other Portland Starters sounded disheartened by the news.

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“It’s tough, man. He’s the heart and soul of this team; he brings a lot to this team,” LaMarcus Aldridge said. “I’ve played with him seven, eight years now, so not having him out there is going to be tough.”

Damian Lillard, starting point guard for Portland also remarked on the situation:

“Wes plays harder than anybody on our team. It’s hard for our team to think about not having him out there because of everything he brings to this team and the person that he is.”

Clearly the team is bummed, and given how tight the Western Conference playoff seeding is, even a small blip could be enough to change the fortunes of a franchise.

Meanwhile, the Clippers have gotten good news from their own injured star, Blake Griffin. Griffin has been out due to elbow surgery for a little while now, but head coach Doc Rivers seems optimistic that Griffin is near a return. From NBA.com:

“He’s going full-tilt now and that’s good,” Rivers said. “I’m not even sure what that means not being there, but I know he’s working out and that’s all you can hope for right now. So that’s a good sign.”

One team is hit with a horrible injury, another gets a superstar back. That certainly seems to me like news that could shift the teams two games in the standings.

At this point, Los Angeles is clearly gearing up for another playoff run, and if the team can make it into the top three, then perhaps there is a chance this year they can make it deeper than ever before.

Oklahoma City is not the threat it was year, and Portland is clearly suffering now as well. The path to the conference finals is wide open for the Clippers, if they can seize the opportunity.

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