LA Clippers: Should they be considered the team to beat in the West?
By Dalton Sell
LA Clippers’ guard Patrick Beverley recently shared his take on which team should be the title favorites, and the answer should not come as a surprise.
Throughout his NBA career, Patrick Beverly has never shied away from sharing his perspective, both far-fetched and reasonable. The LA Clippers’ guard recently shared another controversial opinion, this time regarding which franchise should be the NBA’s team to beat this season.
Making an appearance on the NBA’s official Instagram Live, Beverly gave his answer when asked if he believes the rivaling Los Angeles Lakers are the team to beat. To the surprise of no one, Beverley responded with,
“No. I mean that with absolutely no disrespect. Not only to the Lakers organization, but any organization.”
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Beverly has always placed his confidence on full display, and clearly was not going to choose the team’s biggest rival or anyone else for that matter. If he were to answer this question last season when the Clippers finished as the eighth seed, he likely would give the same answer and roll with his team over any other.
The offseason acquisitions of reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and one of last year’s league MVP finalists Paul George certainly helped Beverley’s case as the LA Clippers elevated to a new level this year as they constructed one of their most well-rounded teams ever.
From the final playoff spot last season to contending for the top seed this year, Beverley may have a point that the Clippers should be the team to beat. The Lakers owned a 5.5 game lead over the Clippers when the season suspended play because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but the three games in the season series between the two played out interestingly.
The Clippers edged the Lakers 2-1 in three games this season, with the fourth and final regular-season matchup postponed. The Lakers were still regarded as the Western Conference favorites because of their overall record, even though the Clippers had their number.
Still, while regular-season stature tends to disappear when the playoffs start, the Clippers’ health also played a significant factor in how their season played out. The team played only a handful of games with their full roster healthy, and still managed to make their way into second place in the West with less than a quarter of the season to go.
The team had finally started playing at full strength more consistently right before the league got suspended, and their immense depth proved incredible. The Clippers have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA, and when everyone is healthy, they arguably have a say in being the team to beat.
While the rest of this season currently remains in jeopardy, the LA Clippers will find themselves positioned to succeed if it does resume at some point. For a team that struggled with an astounding amount of injuries all season, a hiatus like this has worked in their favor as they look to get everyone at their best.
If the season does come back in the coming months, an already lethal LA Clippers will be well-rested and hopefully recovered for a deep postseason run. A Clippers versus Lakers Western Conference Finals was highly anticipated all season before the stoppage and hopefully comes to fruition sooner rather than later to prove who the real team to beat is in the West.