Curses run deep. They fester in bloodlines, foundations and scorched Earth and are lamented in prose, lyric and declaration. From Shakespeare to Dostoevsky, curses are part of the canon of human creativity. After the Boston Crimson Sox broke theirs in 2004 and LeBron James introduced a championship to Cleveland in 2016, there stays only one cursed franchise: The Los Angeles Clippers.
Since transferring from San Diego to Los Angeles in 1984, the Clippers’ existence has been questioned. Why the hell would a metropolis that has the storied Lakers want just a little brother? From only one playoff collection of their first 20 seasons to being owned by the devilish Donald Sterling to the worst profitable proportion within the NBA between 1981 and 2014, there’s sufficient to imagine in a hex.
Once they had been referred to as the Buffalo Braves within the Seventies and led by the legendary Dr. Jack Ramsay, they made the playoffs for 3 seasons straight. Ramsay was a star within the making, turning his growth group into severe contenders. However each curse has an origin. Then-owner Paul Snyder fired Ramsay regardless of his success and elevated assistant coach Tates Locke. In his new position, Locke fumbled the reins so badly, the group by no means recovered, lacking the playoffs for the subsequent 15 years. And Ramsey? He was employed by the Portland Trailblazers and received the NBA championship in simply his first season with the group. That was the beginning of the curse, and the specter continued to stain the franchise via the group’s principally downs, and few ups. Ask any Clippers followers about Derek Smith blowing out his knee eleven video games into the 1986 season. Or the group taking Michael Olowokandi over Mike Bibby, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce and Antawn Jamison in 1998. What about Josh Smith and Corey Brewer draining threes in Recreation 6 of a 2015 playoff recreation, dropping a 3-1 lead? Or when franchise cornerstones Chris Paul and Blake Griffin each went down within the 2016 Western Convention Semifinals?
However in 2014, an unlikely saint named V. Stiviano unraveled all Sterling owned, releasing damning recordings of his racism, leading to his banishment. Enter Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO, who bought the Clippers and instantly went to work reversing their cursed legacy. This being the Clips, nothing could be straightforward. In 2019, Kawhi Leonard was a top-three participant within the NBA, and after profitable his second championship in Toronto, he wished to return residence to L.A. to play out his prime. However he used his greatness to leverage the Clips to make a doubtful commerce for Paul George from the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, the place he had simply re-signed on a long-term deal. George would price the Clippers their future draft capital and rising teenager Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. For the primary time within the group’s historical past, they had been a reliable contender with two superstars of their prime.
5 seasons later, the Clippers have only one convention finals to indicate for his or her mega-trade, whereas SGA has develop into an MVP candidate in OKC. The curse has continued, as Leonard and George have suffered season-altering accidents since arriving in Hollywood. This season, although, each have remained wholesome. Moreover, they’re clicking for the primary time since uniting, with the roster lastly stabilized with hungry veterans and a top-tier coach in Ty Lue. Leonard and George at the moment are 32 and 33, respectively, on the tail-end of their prime, and the Clips have the second-oldest median age at 29. That veteran presence consists of the 2 former MVPs the group added in Russell Westbrook and James Harden, who’re each previous their prime however efficient.
Westbrook broke his hand final week and is predicted to be out indefinitely, however the harm ought to enable him to return for the playoffs. Positive, the information units the stage for a brand new chapter within the franchise’s long-cursed tome. However the Clips don’t dwell or die by Westbrook, however slightly George and Leonard, whose well being determines their competition. As they’re each close to the top of their dominance and the West is as extensive open as ever, this season is the make-or-break for his or her first championship.
If the Clips don’t win all of it this season, the long run is as darkish as ever. The group doesn’t maintain management of a first-round decide till 2030, with their capital going out within the OKC deal for George and final yr’s Harden commerce with Philadelphia. There isn’t a younger Clipper with star potential on the roster. Terrance Mann, their youngest core member at 27, has taken a step again this season. Bones Hyland has barely reformed as an erratic gunning guard and can fill in for Westbrook because the bench spark. Heart Ivica Zubbac is underrated as a paint menace and inside defender, however faces beasts like Nikola Jokić, Chet Holmgren, Rudy Gobert and Domantas Sabonis within the West. That leaves creaky knees and high-mileage guys like Harden, Daniel Theis and Mason Plumlee filling key reserve roles. Sixth Man of the Yr candidate Norman Powell continues to be environment friendly in restricted minutes, however might be a menace come playoff time. Who can overlook his 42 factors in Recreation 3 of the primary spherical versus the Phoenix Suns final season as Leonard watched on after tearing the meniscus in his proper knee? Cursed, certainly.
All of it comes all the way down to Paul and Kawhi
Clearly, all the things hinges on George’s and Leonard’s well being. The Clippers are 3-10 within the playoffs with out Leonard and George within the lineup. Fortunately, they’ve a coach who is without doubt one of the finest at adjusting to rotations. Lue would be the finest Western Convention coach as soon as the playoffs begin, nevertheless it’s a star league. When wholesome, Leonard has been spectacular this season, averaging 24.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and three.7 APG. George has been equally spectacular, averaging 22 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and three.6 APG. Each wings had been named All-Stars this season and have solely missed a mixed 10 video games (5 video games every). The Nuggets are nonetheless the NBA commonplace as defending champs, however with the Golden State Warriors dynasty and LeBron James’ dominance coming to an finish, the Thunder, Sacramento Kings, and Minnesota Timberwolves playoff neophytes, and the Dallas Mavericks, Suns, and New Orleans Pelicans dealing with roster inequality and accidents, the convention is extensive open. If the Clippers keep wholesome, there isn’t a motive to imagine they’ll’t win all of it.
The 2019-20 season was purported to be the yr for the Clippers as they held the second-best document within the West earlier than COVID hit. Contained in the Orlando bubble and up 3-1 within the convention semis, the Clippers choked away the lead. The explanation? George himself admitted to battling despair within the remoted surroundings. What began as championship aspirations turned a heartbreaking collapse.
Within the 12 seasons between 2011 and 2023, the LA Clippers made the NBA playoffs 10 instances. It’s simply been the most effective stretch in franchise historical past. They’re presently fourth within the West, whereas the Lakers struggle for Play-In seeding. The strain is on the Clippers as one of many 5 groups to by no means make the NBA Finals (courting again to their origins in Buffalo and San Diego). As followers attempt to put two blown 3-1 leads within the playoffs behind them, all consideration is on Leonard and George. Because the duo arrived in L.A., they’ve been one of many favorites to win all of it, however accidents have reduce these goals brief. The Lakers’ historic dynasty proves Staples Heart isn’t constructed on prime of a burial floor. If the Clippers’ curse is actual, no voodoo, cleaning, or prayer will flip the tide. The Clippers don’t want a savior to stroll via the tunnel. They’ve the items. They simply want just a little luck. That in itself could be a primary for the franchise, and sufficient to reverse their fortunes in essentially the most profound means.
