Oh, the good old classic game of "What if". What if the Clippers wouldn't have blown a 19 point lead to the Houston Rockets in game six at Staples Center? What if the Clippers would have actually realized there was a game being played on Sunday, May 17, in Houston? Well according to Davis, the "What if" is the Clippers would have been playing in the NBA finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
So I know what you non-Clippers fans are thinking. There is no way the Clippers could have won a 7 game series against the Warriors, and maybe you are right. But lets just say, the Clippers definitely would have put up a better fight. Remember, the last team to eliminate the Warriors from the playoffs was just one year prior, during the worst stretch of media attention in the history of the franchise. Also, both teams were pretty much the same, with only change being some of the role players.
The biggest difference in the Clippers over the Rockets is the fact that the Clippers could actually play some tough defense against the Splash Brothers. Chris Paul has always been an above average defender, and Matt Barnes has never been one to back down from an opponent. Heck, even JJ Redick is underrated as a defender. Behind those three starters would have been Austin Rivers, who's biggest contribution to the team was his defense. On the other hand, the Rockets were missing their best guard defender in Patrick Beverly, and instead had to rely on the limited defense of Jason Terry and Pablo Prigoni, and as for James Harden, well, let's just say he is no JJ Redick on defense. Yes, they did have Corey Brewer, but there is no way he had a chance guarding both Steph Curry and Klay Thompson at the same time.
On top of that, Blake Griffin was playing some of the best basketball of his professional career, averaging 25.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game, while shooting 52%. Even the great defense of Draymond Green would have struggled against playoff Blake.
Ultimately, the Warriors might have still won the Western Conference Finals. They were the best team in the NBA all season, and had bested the Clippers during the regular season, winning 3 of the 4 games, with an average score of 106 - 102. The series would have definitely gone 6 or 7 games, and been one of the best series of all time.
What if?