Los Angeles Clippers: 5 Reasons Behind Early Struggles

1. Mental Weakness

You know how some stereotypes are actually based on truth? Well, “the Los Angeles Clippers are chokers” and “the Los Angeles Clippers are the biggest whiners in the NBA” are unfortunate narratives that often get blown out of proportion…but they’re also based on factual evidence.

Watch a Clippers game sometime and notice how many times Blake Griffin throws his hands up in exasperation or blankly stares at a referee after a disagreeable call.

Count how many times Chris Paul barks at someone, how often a group of Clippers swarms an official or how many times the camera pans to an incredulous Doc Rivers doing his best to make sure everyone KNOWS the world is out to get him and his team.

From the continuous arguing of calls (which has never led to an official changing his mind in the history of the NBA, by the way) to the constant whining, it’s amazing this team can even concentrate on basketball enough to string scoring runs together.

To be honest, the Clippers’ inability to dismiss bad calls and move on to the next play visible affects their performance. When the Warriors started to build momentum in their 23-point comeback, the Clippers began to look shaken, and when calls started going against them, they completely unraveled.

When the whistles aren’t blowing in their favor, the Clippers’ ability to protect a lead completely diminishes.

Chris Paul is one of the greatest point guards the league has ever seen, and Blake Griffin is one of the best secondary MVP candidates outside of Stephen Curry. But when the fourth quarter comes about, this team looks as mentally weak as the Philadelphia 76ers.

What else can we say with CP3 goes silent after starting the Dubs game off with 18 first quarter points, or when Griffin finishes with exactly ONE first quarter point after putting up 26 through the first three quarters? Or how about against the Phoenix Suns, when a Clippers team playing without Paul and Redick watched Griffin argue his way to two first half technical fouls and an ejection?

You can see this team’s weak resolve throughout the roster. They look like a team that’s completely going through the motions, a team that’s not having any fun despite managing to keep Jordan around over the summer. Over the last nine games, it’s been hard to shake the image of what the Warriors did to CP3’s face and this team’s confidence in general:

“Chris Paul is a choker” is an old and tired narrative, but I’m not sure there’s been a player in NBA history who’s consistently fallen short so memorably and horrifically. Griffin is a god among mere mortals through the first three quarters, but he still struggles to step up when the lights are at their brightest.

But it really starts with Doc Rivers, whose famous “ubuntu” mentality has slowly but surely turned into “the world is out to get us.” You can see it in his combative responses to the tougher media questions, you can see it on his players’ faces when adversity rears its ugly head and you can see it in Josh Smith’s profanity-laced rant with a Clippers coach after the loss to the Raptors.

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Simply put, the Los Angeles Clippers are team with all the talent in the world, but none of the heart, willpower or chemistry that it takes to win a championship. Until they stop worrying about officials, fourth quarter nerves and the public’s perception of them, the Clippers will never be able to step out of the shadow that’s hovered over this franchise for decades.