Clips Tie A Record But Can They Go All The Way?

The Los Angeles Clippers are heading to the playoffs and are riding high.

They have clinched the No. 3 seed and will likely be on cruise control between now and the playoffs.  One must assume that Doc Rivers will resting his starters in the Clippers final two games against the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers.

On top of clinching the No. 3 seed, the Clips also picked 57 wins, which ties the franchise’s record for season wins.

As of late, you would not be able to tell they are riding high.  They have racked up a pair of losses over the last four games against the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder, two teams that are also playoff bound.

Looking ahead, the Clippers will likely run into the Thunder in the second round of the playoffs.  They may have recently loss to Oklahoma City, but overall this season they are 2-2 against the Thunder.  The Clippers are also 2-2 against the San Antonio Spurs. They Spurs are the favorites to head into the conference finals, which means LA’s road to the championship likely runs through San Antonio.

Considering the Clippers have split against both those teams, they could be in store for a nail-biting road to the Championship, where it could be a toss up.  The Clippers are featured in the top ten in both defense and offense, which means that they should be able to hang with the best in the league. The odds though will not favor the Clippers.  Expect the Thunder, Spurs, Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers to top the future odds list.

The Clippers will not be the favorites to win the NBA Championship. They will have to overcome the odds. They can settle in knowing they are the best team in franchise history, given that they are likely to outdo or, at the least, tie the previous  best team in franchise history.  But is that good enough for the Clippers?