I'm not one to usually listen to the expert takes on the Clippers' chances year after year...  This year, we've all heard the same 5 things from these guys that barely know anything about the Clippers:

1) Blake Griffin will be great (always prefaced with "if he can stay healthy")

2) Baron Davis' play controls the destiny of the team (always prefaced by "if he wants to play hard")

3) Chris Kaman is a very good player and a former all-star (always noted that he was an "injury replacement")

4) Eric Gordon is a good player (they always mention his USA Basketball exploits, and him being undersized)

5) The bench, coach, owner, environment, attitude all are sub-par

I usually brush these things off and remain my optimistic self.   Maybe it's the 1-7 preseason that didnt sit well with me or the way they lost that last Sacramento game.  It's that QUEASY feeling you get when the team was up 18 and gives up the lead later in the game. 

I still get that same feeling that we dont haven anyone to help FINISH those close games that cause us, as fans, the most heartache.  3 or 4 of those close losses vault you from a nice 10-7 start to a 7-10 start...    10 winnable games that are "blown" can determine your playoff chances in the tough west.

I just dont see that killer attitude or more importantly, the mental toughness to grind out those games.  I hope that BG's ability to make game winning plays by getting tough rebounds are equally as important as a guy's ability to make a game winning shot... because right now, we got nobody that scares the opponents in that regard.

Ok....I'm rambling--

In short-- I dont feel as optimistic today as i did 3 weeks ago.. am I alone?