Last Ride For Lob City?
The Lob City era of the Los Angeles Clippers enters year 6, and unfortunately, despite the Clippers acquiring all star point guard Chris Paul, their playoff success has been meager, never making it past the second round.
They were swept by the Spurs in 2012, lost in six against the Grizzlies in 2013, lost in six against the Thunder in 2014, blew a 3-1 lead against the Rockets in 2015, and lost in six against the Blazers this past year (though the late injuries to Blake Griffin and Chris Paul played a big role).
The Clippers look like a formidable adversary on paper, but they seem to collapse in the most important moments, especially on defense, and one could wonder if this will be the last run for the Lob City if the Clippers can’t reach prominence this year.
Both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, the two stalwarts of Lob City, are unrestricted free agents next summer, and if they fall short again in the playoffs, the Clippers may believe that it’s better to explore moving either one in a trade and move in a different direction seeing as how it is a formula that doesn’t work.
Early reports in the summer actually had the Thunder pursuing Blake Griffin for next summer. Both men are primed to attract lots of suitors, and Clippers management knows this. In addition, the Clippers haven’t made any major changes in the offseason to tilt the balance of power in the Western Conference.
And there’s nothing to suggest right now, barring an unforeseen action that would make the Clippers a threat to the upper echelon in the Western Conference, that the days of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul playing together aren’t numbered.