National Perception of the Clippers

Around the Association, there’s plenty of people talking about the Clippers, here are some clippings worth looking at:

(1) ESPN True Hoops Podcast - They talk about the Clippers at beginning for the first ten minutes-plus and discuss how real the Clippers are, the implications, and about the team overall (the defense specifically, specific play of some guys, and where the team can improve). I disagree with David Thorpe’s assessment of how valuable (or lack of it) that Luc Ricahrd Mbah Moute is, but it is clear that people around the country are taking notice of the Clippers.

(2) FoxSports - Their newly released power rankings put the Clippers ahead of the Warriors (but still behind the Cavs...) and their rationale is laid out here by Dieter Kurtenbach. The rationale is nothing new exactly - the Clippers’ defense is newsworthy and making the national media reassess them.

(3) NBA.com - Not everyone is ready to jump on-board the stats and hype though. Fran Blinebury recognizes the Clippers are doing well, but just reiterates the Clippers’ past four seasons of regular season success and playoff disappointment. While this may be unfair and done without context, it does remind us that people remain skeptical and the ultimate judgment remains the playoffs. There was pretty much never a question that the Clippers would make the playoffs and until then, everything comes with an asterisk.