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Los Angeles Clippers: Team Facing Familiar Playoff Path

By Andrew C. Fisher

Mar 8, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) drives past Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) drives past Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s hard to believe it’s nearly been one year since the infamous Donald Sterling audio recording dropped. It was a story that lit up the Internet and rightly outraged people everywhere. There’s never a time and place for racial commentary like that. But the timing could not have been worse for the Los Angeles Clippers, who were smack dab in the middle of a playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.

The Clippers ultimately persevered to a series win over seven hard-fought games, but the Sterling distraction had no doubt taken its toll on the team. Oklahoma City finished off Los Angeles in six games the following round.

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Maybe OKC was just a better team. But it’s hard to say they got the Clippers at their absolute best following the Sterling fiasco.

Regardless, Doc Rivers’ team wasn’t expected to win a title last season. Looking back, it was clearly the Spurs’ year anyway. No team was stopping that locomotive.

So here we are nearly one full year later. And as much as things have changed, some things have stayed the same.

The Clippers are in position to possibly earn the No. 5 seed and a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. It’s a matchup that L.A. fans have to like. With Wesley Matthews out of action the Trail Blazers are far from 100 percent.

It’s a series the Clippers should win in five or six. However, the prize for such an impressive first-round win will likely be a date with the high-flying Warriors.

On the other hand L.A. could end up with the No. 6 spot, which is currently held by the San Antonio Spurs. Chris Paul and company would likely face Memphis in the 3 vs. 6 matchup, a team they’ve met in two of last three postseasons (1-1).

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    • It’s really a pick-your-poison situation. The road to the WCF could include Memphis and Houston, or it could entail stops in Portland and Golden State. Both have their pros and cons.

    Sure, the Clippers took care of Golden State a year ago. But just as nearly 365 days have put the Sterling fiasco in perspective, they’ve also improved the Warriors. If L.A. lands the No. 5 seed and takes care of business in round one, it won’t be setting up a date with the same Warriors team from 2014.

    Steve Kerr is proving to be a better coach than Mark Jackson, Stephen Curry is playing the best basketball of his career and the Warriors can simply score at will. They currently lead the NBA with an average of 109.7 PPG and a crazy good differential of plus-10.4.

    No one really wants to play Golden State. But whether or not it’s in the second or third round of the playoffs, if the Clippers are lucky enough to play the Warriors, it should at least mean they’ve done something right in 2015.

    As for which path to the WCF is truly better, it may just depend on who you ask.

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