Identifying the 10 greatest teams in franchise history isn't an easy task with the Los Angeles Clippers, despite years of success with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
Including the Buffalo and San Diego years, the Clippers have had 54 different teams to choose from for this list. But with no title teams to plant at the top of the list, the criteria for “greatest team” becomes6 a little more important to flesh out.
With that said, the criteria for these rankings are as follows: peak performance, overall roster talent, and how close they got to a title.
Without further ado, the 10 greatest teams in Clippers franchise history:
10. 2018-19 Clippers – “The Bridge”
Starters: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Patrick Beverley, Tobias Harris, Danilo Gallinari, Marcin Gortat
Key Reserves: Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Landry Shamet, Avery Bradley
The 2018-19 Clippers bridged the gap between two of the franchise's most successful eras: The “Lob City” era with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan, and the “213” era with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
The final results of this team — an 8th-seed and first-round exit — don't nearly tell the whole story. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year, as the Clippers traded Blake Griffin to Detroit before the season…and then moved leading scorer Tobias Harris to Philadelphia at the deadline.
But this group, led by the dynamic bench duo of Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell, shocked the league by rattling off 48 wins despite not having any true stars on the roster.
The Clippers shocked everyone again in the playoffs, pulling off one of the most incredible comebacks in NBA history by rallying from 31 points down to beat the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the first round. While the Warriors would go on to win the series, the scrappy Clippers established themselves as a franchise committed to winning at a critical juncture.
Just a few months later, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George would become Clippers, kicking off a brand new era. That probably doesn't happen without the 2018-19 Clippers playing way over their heads.
9. 2011-12 Clippers – “Lockout Lob City”
Starters: Chris Paul, Randy Foye, Caron Butler, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan
Key Reserves: Chauncey Billups, Mo Williams, Nick Young, Kenyon Martin, Reggie Evans
The NBA Lockout pushed the debut of Lob City to Christmas day, and what a present it was. Chris Paul immediately established himself as the leader of the new-look Clippers, developing a connection with Blake Griffin that would elevate the franchise to heights previously unseen.
The Clippers had been fun before, and they had been good before, but they had never felt as important to the league as they did this season. Blake Griffin quickly blossomed into a star alongside Paul, pushing the team to the kind of sustainable relevance that had eluded the franchise in the past.
The Lob City era would end up providing Clippers fans with the full gamut of emotions, and this team set the tone for that. The 27-point comeback playoff win in Game 1 of LAC's first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies remains one of the most memorable moments in franchise history.
The 2011-12 Clippers would fall to the Spurs in the second round, but this was a successful shortened season unburdened by any real expectations.
8. 1974-75 Buffalo Braves – “The Buffalo Bobs”
Starters: Bob McAdoo, Randy Smith, Jim McMillan, Gar Heard, Ernie DiGregorio
Key Reserves: Jack Marin, Ken Charles
The 1974-75 Buffalo Braves won 49 games, a record that wouldn't be topped by another Clippers team for the next 37 seasons.
This season was also the only time a member of the franchise would win MVP, as 23-year-old center Bob McAdoo won the award while averaging 34.5 points and 14.1 rebounds a game.
Led by McAdoo and coached by Dr. Jack Ramsay, the Braves took the Washington Bullets to a seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but couldn't pull off the win. The Bullets eventually went to the NBA Finals, losing to the Golden State Warriors.
McAdoo would only play for the Braves one more full season, but he still holds multiple franchise records (along with teammate Randy Smith) all these years later.
No Clippers player has ever been as dominant as McAdoo was this season.
7. 2012-13 Clippers – “The Tribe Called Bench”
Starters: Chris Paul, Willie Green, Caron Butler, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan
Key Reserves: Chauncey Billups, Jamal Crawford, Eric Bledsoe, Matt Barnes, Lamar Odom
While the 2012-13 Clippers aren't the greatest team in franchise history, this was by far the deepest team. The Clippers were led by a second unit affectionately known as “a tribe called bench” that was able to swing multiple games in LAC's favor. So many of the Lob City-era Clippers teams were bogged down by statuesque veterans filling out roster spots, but this group had a near-perfect mix of athleticism and playmaking off the bench.
Very few Clippers teams ran hotter than this one, as LAC went undefeated during the entire month of December and finished with a then-franchise record of 56 wins. The scoring was incredibly balanced and the Clippers willingly played at any style or pace.
What made this team dominant in the regular season ultimately doomed them in the playoffs, however. The Clippers never really developed an identity or found the best lineup combinations, which was exposed by the “Grit and Grind” Memphis Grizzlies in Vinny Del Negro's final season as head coach.
6. 2019-20 Clippers – “The Bursted Bubble”
Starters: Patrick Beverley, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Marcus Morris, Ivica Zubac
Key Reserves: Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Landry Shamet, Mo Harkless
The highly-anticipated battle for Los Angeles appeared to be all set. The 2019-20 Clippers and the Lakers had established themselves as the two clear favorites in the Western Conference, and all eyes were on a potential playoff matchup. Then Covid-19 put a halt to it all.
When the league resumed months later in the bubble in Orlando, the Clippers still looked capable of winning a title. After defeating Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, the Clippers built a 3-1 series lead over the Denver Nuggets…before everything fell apart.
The Nuggets rallied from 15 points down in the fourth quarter of Game 5 and 19 points down in the third quarter of Game 6 to eventually take the series, effectively ending the Doc Rivers era in Los Angeles.
In retrospect, this team might have represented the Clippers' best shot at a title, as both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were fully healthy at the same time. That hasn't happened since.
Who knows what would happen if the games weren't pushed back and played in the bubble? Patrick Beverley has an idea.
We was until bubble hit @PatBevPod https://t.co/U0WO46frlO
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) July 31, 2023
5. 1991-92 Clippers – “The Riot Squad”
Starters: Ron Harper, Gary Grant, Danny Manning, Ken Norman, Olden Polynice
Key Reserves: Doc Rivers, Charles Smith, Loy Vaught
After seven seasons in Los Angeles without a playoff team, the 1991-92 Clippers became the first playoff team after a midseason coaching change sparked the team's success. The Clippers finished the year 23-12 under Larry Brown, drawing John Stockton, Karl Malone, and the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs.
After going down 2-0 in the five-game series, the Clippers won Game 3 at home to stay alive. But the very next day, the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles forced Game 4 to move south to Anaheim, where the Clippers evened the series behind Danny Manning's 33 points and 11 fourth-quarter points from Doc Rivers to seal the win.
The deciding Game 5 matchup ended in one of the most heartbreaking ways imaginable: a blown fourth-quarter lead, a random role player doing most of the damage (David Benoit), Danny Manning picking up a phantom 6th foul, and an unimaginable shooting slump at the worst possible time (2-for-22 in the final period). Final score: Jazz 98, Clippers 89.
There's no question that this was one of the most well-rounded Clippers teams in history, and Larry Brown was a verifiable wizard. If Game 5 doesn't break in the worst possible way, the Clippers easily could have met the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals.
4. 2005-06 Clippers – “The On Brand Team”
Starters: Sam Cassell, Cuttino Mobley, Quinton Ross, Elton Brand, Chris Kaman
Key Reserves: Corey Maggette, Shaun Livingston
Nestled in between 18 seasons of losing records was this oasis of a Clippers team that defended and perfected an old-school style of basketball under head coach Mike Dunleavy.
Behind a dominant season from Elton Brand and the veteran stewardship of Sam Cassell, the 2005-06 Clippers team took on Steve Nash and the “Seven Seconds or Less” Phoenix Suns in a Western Conference Semifinals clash of styles that produced an incredible series of basketball.
Stop me if you've heard this one before: the tipping point of the series came when the Clippers couldn't hold onto a late lead because a role player caught fire.
With the chance to grab a 3-2 lead and head back to Los Angeles to close out the series, Phoenix Suns wing Raja Bell knocked down a heavily-contested corner three at the end of regulation to tie the game and force overtime, where the Suns eventually came out on top.
Brand and the Clippers never fully recovered from that shot. Shaun Livingston would suffer his devastating leg injury the next year, and shortly thereafter Brand would tear his Achilles tendon and leave in free agency to join the Philadelphia 76ers, sending the Clippers back into the dark ages for years to come.
But when it was good, it was great. Cassell's crafty mid-range scoring and suggestive dancing, Brand's lunchpail post-game, Cuttino Mobley's lefty floaters, and Chris Kaman doing Chris Kaman things provided Clippers fans with one of the best viewing experiences in team history.
3. 2020-21 Clippers – “The Kawhi-less Storm”
Starters: Reggie Jackson, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Nic Batum, Ivica Zubac
Key Reserves: Serge Ibaka, Patrick Beverley, Marcus Morris, Luke Kennard, Terrance Mann
The 2020-21 Clippers got closer to a championship than any team in the franchise's history, reaching the Western Conference Finals and giving the Phoenix Suns all they could handle in the process, despite being without Kawhi Leonard due to injury.
Playing the “what-if?” game with the Clippers can be an endless exercise, but it's fair to wonder if the Clippers could have gotten past the Suns had Kawhi Leonard not hurt his knee in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Utah Jazz.
Even without Kawhi Leonard, this Clippers squad still provided one of the best memories in franchise history, as Terrance Mann poured in 39 points in Game 6 to close out the top-seeded Jazz after being down 25 points at halftime.
2. 2014-15 Clippers – “The Era Enders”
Starters: Chris Paul, JJ Redick, Matt Barnes, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan
Key Reserves: Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers
While this Clippers team wasn't the deepest, you could argue the starters were collectively at their best during this season, recording a then franchise-best (and league-best) 112.4 Offensive Rating.
The 2014-15 Clippers blew through the regular season and took down the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in an epic seven-game battle in the first round of playoffs, ending San Antonio's championship run.
Paul exorcised his demons from the previous postseason, coming up clutch with a game-winner to put San Antonio away for good:
Paul's game-winning shot in front of the home crowd is the most iconic in Clippers' history.
Unfortunately, it ended up being an era-ending performance for the Spurs and the Clippers.
With a chance to close out the Houston Rockets in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals, the Clippers blew a fourth-quarter lead by allowing Josh Smith and Corey Brewer to combine for 29 points in the period, then dropped Game 7 to the Rockets as well.
After multiple gut-punch playoff exits, the Lob City Clippers never got back up off the mat from that one.
1. 2013-14 Clippers – “The One That Got Away”
Starters: Chris Paul, JJ Redick, Matt Barnes, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan
Key Reserves: Darren Collison, Jamal Crawford, Jared Dudley, Willie Green, Glen Davis
The 2013-14 Clippers had it all: a new head coach in Doc Rivers, the league's best-ranked offense, a fully unlocked DeAndre Jordan protecting the rim, and JJ Redick fitting in seamlessly next to Chris Paul. Maybe most importantly of all, Blake Griffin was also at his personal best, finishing third in MVP voting while demonstrating an expanded offensive arsenal as a playmaker with improved range. The Clippers had always previously been Chris Paul's team, but this is when Griffin made it a legitimate duo.
With Paul and Griffin both healthy for the postseason, there was plenty of reason to think this was the year. And with a 104-97 lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals, the Clippers looked primed to reach their first Western Conference Finals.
But then Chris Paul, inexplicably, melted down.
While the Clippers probably couldn't have touched a San Antonio Spurs team that was one of the best ever, the loss to the Thunder only foreshadowed more playoff implosions and the ultimate demise of the Lob City Clippers. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin would never strike the perfect balance like they did this season, and they'd never be fully healthy at the same time again.
This was Lob City at the peak of its powers, with stars and veteran role players all firing on the same page. Although it's far from a runaway, the 2013-14 Clippers were the greatest team in franchise history.
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