Don’t look now, but there’s a new alpha dog in La La Land. No we’re not talking about Dwight Howard, Zack Greinke or Josh Hamilton. Even though the Lakers, Dodgers and Angels are generally the buzz-worthy teams in Tinseltown, this season it seems that the Clippers have become the belle of the Hollywood ball.
The Lakers have remained in the headlines after acquiring perennial all-stars Howard and Steve Nash, firing coach Mike Brown after five games, flirting with Phil Jackson and ultimately bringing Mike D’Antoni and his chuck-it-as-fast-as-you-can offense to Los Angeles. The drastic coaching change coupled with injuries by Nash and Pau Gasol have left the Lakers in disarray. Considering their superstar-laden starting lineup (when healthy), nobody expected Kobe Bryant and Co. would be playing .500 ball going into Christmas.
Meanwhile, owner Donald Sterling has turned his red-headed stepchild squad into a deep, exciting team with serious postseason potential. Chris Paul, aka CP3, is steering the Clippers into uncharted waters. Paul and his team have amassed a franchise record 14-game winning streak and now own the best record in the league. Paul’s brilliance at the point guard position has helped Blake Griffin continue to mature into one of the most exciting and dominant players in the league. More importantly, the Clippers are getting contributions everywhere, including their bench, which looks like the best in the league. Jamal Crawford, Eric Bledsoe, Matt Barnes and Lamar Odom could all be starters on lesser teams. They make a powerful punch as a second unit on the left side of the Staples Center.
Of course, that’s all without the services of seasoned vets Chauncey Billups and Grant Hill, both of whom are due to return from injury any day. While adding players to a well-oiled machine might be cringe-worthy in some scenarios (see Amare Stoudamire and the New York Knicks), that doesn’t seem to be the case with the Clips considering that Billups and Hill are two of the smartest and most unselfish players in the league. The two should add much-needed veteran leadership to a young, athletic team.
The Clippers seem to be a nearly perfectly-balanced team from top to bottom. CP3 may be the best pure point guard in the NBA. He and Billups are rock solid and make great decisions with the ball. Griffin provides rebounding and is almost unstoppable in getting to the rim. Jordan is an excellent shot deterrent and solid rebounder. Crawford and Caron Butler can be devastating from deep. Odom has lost weight and gained confidence after an abysmal season in Dallas and is an all-around utility man. Finally Bledsoe and Barnes make it tough for opponents to score.
Furthermore, fans in L.A. are finally starting to buy in. Clippers games are sold out on the regular. The “other” team in Los Angeles is finally getting some love. Paul’s acquisition has seemingly changed the fortune of the franchise. While the aging Lakers struggle to get it together in time be the strong playoff contender everyone expects, the Clippers are in a strange, new position. Instead of hoping to play spoiler to one of the “real” contenders, the young and hip team hopes to stay healthy and become the new fresh face of L.A., perennial title aspirations and all.
