He dribbles the ball quickly but gracefully down the court. Skimming the paint, Chris Paul, the newly acquired Clippers point guard, lobs the ball, and in the blink of an eye Clippers center DeAndre Jordan grabs the basketball and jams it violently through the hoop. Several minutes later, veteran guard Chauncey Billups tosses the ball effortlessly off the backboard, and the giant King of LA, power forward Blake Griffin, finishes the alley-oop with a dunk so brutal that it seems as if the entire backboard is going to crash down with him.
I rub my eyes in disbelief. I look up at the TV screen. Chris Paul is still running around making plays in his red Clippers Jersey. Chauncey Billups is still chucking up 3s with ease in a Clippers Jersey. Star shooter Caron Butler is hitting nothing-but-net from downtown in a Clippers Jersey. In the first Staples Center preseason NBA 2011-2012 game, the Los Angeles Lakers are struggling not against the rival Celtics, not against the 2011 Champion Mavericks, not against the talented Chicago Bulls; they are fighting an uphill battle against their sister team, the former laughingstock of the NBA, the Los Angeles Clippers.
Everyone who knows about the Clippers knows of its incredibly terrible history of disappointing first round draft picks, continual double-digit losses, and consistently horrible regular season records. And the failure of the Clippers has always been enlarged by the contrasting success of the Lakers.
But this season seems to be taking a turn. This season will be something new, something different, something unexpected, for the Clips and perhaps even for the NBA. Last year the hype was about the “Big Three” in South Beach. This year, it’s all about the talent in the City of Angels. What is that you say? The Los Angeles Lakers? Actually, I was talking about the Clippers. Let me say it again: the Clippers.
I apologize for being redundant. But with a stacked first team and a fairly strong bench (with backup guard Mo Williams) I can’t help but emphasize that the Clips may have done it right this time. And with Lamar Odom heading to Dallas, Kobe Bryant facing divorce, Derek Fisher aging and unable to practice much for the past few months due to his heavy involvement with the National Basketball Players Association, and Pau Gasol in an awkward position knowing he was going to be traded for Chris Paul, the Lakers are in a shaky situation, compelling many former “Lakers fans” to hop aboard the Clippers bandwagon.
Last season, the Clippers did not have an impressive record. Still, they improved substantially due to the return and surprisingly outstanding performance of 2009 first round draft pick Blake Griffin. But the Clippers were missing several pieces to the puzzle. Now, with the former New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul teaming up with Griffin, supplemented by Billups, Jordan, and Butler on the starting lineup, the Clippers puzzle seems to be finally solved.
To all the big teams out there, watch out–Los Angeles is coming for you. But this year they are not coming in purple and gold. This year they are coming in red white and blue.