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How Far Have The Los Angeles Clippers Come?

By Brenton Lillie

January 16, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) grabs a rebound against the defense of Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 16, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) grabs a rebound against the defense of Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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It was not that long ago that the Los Angeles Clippers missing the playoffs felt like an unlikely, but realistic scenario. The play at the small forward position was atrocious, and people were openly questioning whether starting forward Matt Barnes should even be on the team.

In fact, it got so bad that I wrote an article that was published here at HoopsHabit about whether Andrei Kirilenko would be an upgrade starting for Los Angeles. Andrei Kirilenko!

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The spacing was poor, the three point shooting was bad, and the team had trouble scoring in the early parts of this season. Head coach Doc Rivers‘ ability to coach basketball at an NBA level was being questioned.

Even as far into the season as the All-Star break, right after Austin Rivers was acquired in a controversial trade and the Clippers announced that superstar forward Blake Griffin would be out indefinitely due to emergency elbow surgery, people wondered if this team was anything other than first round fodder.

Now the team is in fifth place in the Western Conference, and with the injury to Wesley Matthews of the Portland Trail Blazers, a top four spot might be up for grabs.

More than that, though, is how much better the team is playing. The team that could not hit a three pointer is now third in the NBA in three point percentage at better than 37 percent as a team. Matt Barnes is hitting 38 percent of his threes and playing excellent defense.

Overall, the Clippers are second in the association in field goal percentage, 47 percent, and points per game, 105.9. Meanwhile, opponents who were killing this team from long distance early in the year are now making a near-league average 34.8 percent of shots behind the arc.

Every early statistic that screamed “small sample size” has improved, and even the injury to Griffin ended up being a positive as DeAndre Jordan posted ridiculous numbers that has Doc Rivers calling for him to be the Defensive Player of the Year.

While that might be going too far, there is no question that Jordan has earned a big payday come this summer, and that the Clippers might be wise to keep him at all costs.

Even the much maligned trade for Austin Rivers has not hurt the Clippers, as he has actually played a little bit better under his father. His shooting percentage has improved from around 38 percent to better than 40 percent in just a few weeks with the team.

There is reason to believe that this team might be even better come playoff time. Of the last 15 games, only six come against teams over .500 for the season, while a whopping eight, or half, come against lottery bound squads just playing out the string.

That includes games against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Los Angeles Lakers (twice!), the Denver Nuggets (twice!), the New York Knicks, and the Boston Celtics.

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    • With the Western Conference so tightly bunched, the Clippers could easily move up one or two spots, beating out either Portland or Houston, or both, for a top three or four seed.

    That would give Los Angeles the home court in the first round, would set up an interesting second round against either the Memphis Grizzlies (currently second in the West) or Golden State Warriors (leading the West).

    Given how the Clippers have played recently, they should have a decent chance to pull the upset, and they are certainly being considered dark horse title contenders.

    Basically, no matter how unlikable the team may be, there is no denying that they have progressed through the year and are now much better. This team has gone from borderline playoff team to legitimate contender.

    It is unknown exactly how that happened, whether the locker room malcontents were shipped out, or if DeAndre Jordan’s improved play has made the difference. Regardless, this is now a team to be feared in the West playoffs, and Doc Rivers deserves most of the credit for the turnaround.

    Next: Other Teams Still Hate The Clippers

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