5 reasons the Los Angeles Clippers are for real
By John Buhler
3. Undeniable sense of urgency
The Clippers have taken a page out of the 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks’ book of ‘Don’t Break Up the Band!”. Teams capable of winning 55+ games annually are nothing to take lightly. Los Angeles has been an upper echelon team in the NBA since J.J. Redick’s arrival and DeAndre Jordan’s ascension.
While the Clippers’ core four is as good as anybody’s in basketball, there is an undeniable sense of urgency with this team. Members of this team have honestly realized that this could be the group’s last year of playing together. Los Angeles could be losing a ton of important players in 2017 NBA free agency.
The Clippers have four unrestricted free agents, most notably Redick. Los Angeles also has four players on its roster with player options for 2017-18, most notably Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.
This organization realizes the championship window with this corps is fleeting and finite. There may not be a tomorrow that will look as bright as what the Clippers are putting on the floor today.
They know exactly who they are, what they need to do to win, and have come to the harsh reality this could be the Clippers’ last hurrah with this group. There may be better teams in the NBA than the Clippers this season, but no team is thriving in win-now mode quite like Los Angeles.