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Perhaps NBA fans should have known that the Lob City experiment in Los Angeles was doomed from the very beginning. After all, the only reason that Chris Paul ended up with the Clippers was because the NBA and then-commissioner David Stern — who owned the Hornets at the time — blocked a deal that would have sent Paul to the other L.A. team, the Lakers.
Paul's arrival in Los Angeles prior to the 2011-12 season seemed to signal a new era for the Clippers, who just two years prior had drafted Blake Griffin with the no. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
Alongside fellow youngster DeAndre Jordan and veterans like Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups, Paul and Griffin and co. seemed ready to make a push for the playoffs while exciting their new fan base with highlight-reel alley-oops and slam dunks.
Yet while Paul, Griffin and Jordan would dazzle the crowds with their high-flying antics and Jamal Crawford got plenty of oohs and ahhs with his handles, the Lob City Clippers simply fizzled out.
For all the hype surrounding the team, Paul and Griffin struggled to stay healthy, and the Clippers never made a single appearance in the Western Conference Finals, including a monumental collapse in the 2015 Western Conference Semifinals against the Houston Rockets in which the Clippers blew a 3-1 lead.
Between the injuries and the choke jobs, the Lob City Clippers had arguably one of the most disappointing runs in NBA history.
By comparison, the current Clippers — who are almost totally devoid of star power — have become the darlings of the league.
Grittiness
From the head coach on down to the last man on the roster, the Clippers' identity as a gritty team is evident. Doc Rivers was a member of Pat Riley's New York Knicks teams in the early '90s, and his demanding head coaching style evokes the days when he stood alongside the likes of Patrick Ewing, Anthony Mason and Charles Oakley.
Rivers nearly got into a scuffle with Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen back in March, which resulted in the first simultaneous ejection of head coaches in NBA history.
Of course, at the heart of this team identity is point guard Patrick Beverley. From trolling the Lakers endlessly to harassing the likes of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, Beverely's hard-nosed, agitating style epitomizes this team of grinders.
Despite lacking a typical “superstar,” the trio of Lou Williams, Danilo Gallinari and Montrezl Harrell are as productive a group as any in the NBA.
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Williams has continued to be one of the best sixth men in the NBA, but has taken his game to new heights in the playoffs. Through the first five games of their series against the Golden State Warriors, Williams is averaging over 24 points and nearly eight assists, including a pair of 30-point, 10-assist games to key both Clippers victories.
Meanwhile, Gallinari is perhaps one of the most underrated wings in the league. He averaged 19.8 points on a career-high 43 percent shooting from beyond the arc, while also adding over six boards and nearly three assists per game.
As an undersized frontcourt player, Harrell has been tremendous in the pick-and-roll, and his 23.4 PER was the best of any Clipper.
This combination of scrappy personas and overlooked contributors is far preferable to an underachieving team whose superstars fail to stay healthy.
Life after Tobias Harris
These Clippers did have a star earlier this season, with Tobias Harris in the midst of a breakout season. But Harris had rejected an extension offer this past summer, and the Clippers jettisoned him to the Sixers given his impending free-agent status.
The pieces that Los Angeles got in return have been turned into potential diamonds in the rough. Rookie Landry Shamet has spaced the floor and added some toughness, and the Clippers would flip Mike Muscala for Ivica Zubac, a young center who has also flashed his potential throughout this season.
Common thought held that the Clippers were merely hoping to add a few more young pieces in order to attract a max free agent this summer. A playoff berth seemed out of the question. Instead, the Clippers went 18-9 without Harris, including a stretch in early March where they won 11 of 12.
Their ability to succeed without a star has been the hallmark of this Clippers team, which is something that does not seem to suit an organization owned by a technological titan (Steve Ballmer) and in one of the largest markets in the country. And yet, it suits this roster tremendously.
Can David beat Goliath?
The cherry on top of an already rewarding season for the Clippers would be an improbable comeback against the top-seeded Warriors.
Los Angeles faces an uphill battle against one of the premier dynasties in NBA history, but as has been the case all season, they have scraped and clawed to stay alive. And in the process, they have won the hearts of NBA fans around the country.
