For the sixth year in a row the Los Angeles Clippers have taken their leave of the playoffs before the conference finals. Extenuating circumstances plagued the team the last two seasons with injuries to Paul and Griffin coming at inconvenient points in both series, robbing the team of true closure, but in a grand sense it’s difficult not to see the lack of postseason accomplishment as an indictment of this team’s core and the way the roster has been constructed around them. It was impressive how the Clippers forced this series to seven games, but as I mentioned in the previous recap game 6 fel ..read more

It’s a testament to these Clippers that, for as much of a slog as this series has become, they’ve still found ways to succeed. Since Blake Griffin’s injury and Gobert’s return, Utah has wrested control over how these games are going to be played–slow, ugly, and with a lot of flailing. This mostly plays to the Jazz’s favor, they’re the slowest team in the league and as we’ve seen from the late game heroics of one Isolation Johnson, they know how to squeeze out points at the very end of that shot clock. On the other end they make you work, every open look feels like a fleeting miracle. And yet ..read more

It was fitting that Joe Johnson a.k.a Iso Joe a.k.a Joe Jesus hit the jumper over Luc Mbah a Moute’s outstretched arm to essentially seal it. Johnson, a former star whose game remains unchanged despite the ravages of time even as his impactful minutes on the court have slowly decreased, is the kind of role player the Clippers and Doc River have routinely failed to find. It was especially significant in a game where the Clips, sans-Blake Griffin, were desperate for anyone capable of creating their own shot outside of Chris Paul. This series, however it ends, will be defined in part by the absen ..read more

It took one full game and another three days to stew on it, but it feels as though the Los Angeles Clippers have manifested the idea that the Utah Jazz have a 7-1, 245 lb. hole in the epicenter of their defense as the Clippers shot 33 times at the rim and made 27 of them–a 24-point difference from Game 1. De’Andre Jordan was a monster, posting 18 points and 15 rebounds with seven “where’s your big at?” dunks, and Blake Griffin chipped in another 24 points with 15 of his 21 shots coming in the restricted area. While Jordan and Griffin made the majority of the highlight plays, it was Chris Paul ..read more

Thursday and Saturday’s games saw the Clippers build, lose and then regain sizable leads against the Suns and the Lakers respectively. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin led the way in both games posting impressive numbers and the Clips offense as a whole has looked strong in the three games following last Sunday’s dispiriting loss to the Kings. That said, the defense has remained bad and has been on a progressive slide downward since the halcyon days of November and December. The bench, which surprised early on with its apparent defensive fortitude, has reverted back to reflect the collective defen ..read more

At least the Clippers keep their inconsistency rather predictable. Impressive win versus a potential first round opponent? Here’s as horrendous a loss as you will see this season the next day. On Wednesday, the Clippers handled a Wizards team with the ninth best net rating in the league with the ease of a confident team. Today against the Suns, who know? That said, this game was a strong response to Sunday’s loss to Sacramento. The Wizards, coming off a a tougher game than Washington would have preferred against the Lakers last night, were not ready for a pissed off Clippers team. Los Angeles ..read more

(Photo by Jacob Gonzalez / Los Angeles Clippers) Through a tumultuous couple of weeks that saw confidence in the Clipper’s chances to advance beyond the first round plummet, Saturday’s impressive performance against the Jazz served as an encouraging sign of things to come. As things stand right now, the Clippers are a half game back from Utah and the four seed, however with this victory have secured a tie breaker over the Jazz. Oklahoma City is still lurking in the background, 1.5 games behind the Clippers, with a tie breaker over both Utah and the Clips. It’s safe to assume that the six seed ..read more

Early on in the season, Kevin Garnett was seen at the Clippers training facility working with Blake Griffin on positioning in the post. The videos showed an instruction of using the body to back a defender deep below the basket. That’s not exactly what has been reflected in recent games. Once again, a Clippers game comes down to a late game possession down by one. And once again, as Blake turns and posts some fifteen-plus feet from the basket, the result does not work out in the team’s favor. To put this wholly on Blake would be unfair, and credit the Mavericks defense for the blitzing and dou ..read more