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We have arrived at the second round of the All-Time Favorite Clipper bracket, and the matchups are getting interesting. Before we move ahead, let’s look back at what happened in round one. (Access a printable bracket here.)
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First of all, apologies for having Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles face each other in the first round — there can be no clearer indication of the objectivity of the ranking system than to have two beloved fan favorites (and podcast co-hosts!) square off so early in the process. It stings to lose Miles after one round of voting, but we’ll always have The Perfect Score, Darius.
The first round had 26 favorites win and six upsets. The most dominant victory was earned by Eric Bledsoe, who received 98 percent of the votes against 2002 first-round pick Melvin Ely. Bledsoe was one of eight players to garner at least 90 percent of the vote in the opening session, along with Bob McAdoo, Kawhi Leonard, Elton Brand, Loy Vaught, Terry Cummings, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Eric Gordon.
The closest margin of victory came in the Legends 3 vs. 14 matchup, as Gary Grant edged Swen Nater by two votes to secure the upset. It was a somewhat shocking defeat for the Dutch center, who played six seasons for the Buffalo Braves and San Diego Clippers and led the league in rebounding (15.0 per game) in 1979-80, making Nater the only player ever to win the rebounding title in both the NBA and the ABA. Maybe it was Grant’s cameo in Miracle Beach that resonated with Clipper fans.
From a personal perspective, I’m sad to see Derek Smith and Eric Piatkowski go. And even though Boban Marjanovic never really stood a chance against Sam Cassell, everything is a little worse without Boban involved.
On to round two!
Stars
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There wasn’t too much drama in round one of the Stars region, other than Lou Williams upsetting World B. Free, but the stakes have risen. McAdoo, the only player in franchise history to win an MVP, goes up against the Clipper with the best chance of being the team’s first Finals MVP in Leonard. Williams/Brand and Chris Paul/Danny Manning are also compelling, but the main event here is Blake Griffin against DeAndre Jordan.
The pair played 7.5 seasons together with the Clippers. They’re friends, and their tenures with the team are inseparable. Griffin was better, but Jordan was more durable. Griffin started off as the highlight machine, but Jordan may have had the best dunk of all over Brandon Knight. In terms of overall impact, the clear winner is Griffin. But this is favorite Clipper, so we’ll see how it goes.
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Stars Second Round
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30%
1. Bob McAdoo
(30 votes) -
69%
8. Kawhi Leonard
(67 votes)
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Stars Second Round
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82%
5. Blake Griffin
(80 votes) -
17%
4. DeAndre Jordan
(17 votes)
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Stars Second Round
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53%
11. Lou Williams
(56 votes) -
46%
3. Elton Brand
(48 votes)
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Stars Second Round
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22%
7. Danny Manning
(22 votes) -
77%
2. Chris Paul
(75 votes)
Legends
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Bill Walton had no trouble dispatching Derek Smith in the first round — Michael Cage could be tougher competition. One of the greatest rebounders in Clippers history, Cage was certainly more productive than Walton in a Clippers uniform. Then again, Walton did this. Seriously, if you haven’t watched Ralph Lawler’s final regular season game with Walton as his color commentator (4/10/19 against the Utah Jazz), there is no time like the present.
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Legends Second Round
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32%
1. Charles Smith
(30 votes) -
67%
8. Ron Harper
(61 votes)
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Legends Second Round
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36%
5. Michael Cage
(34 votes) -
63%
13. Bill Walton
(59 votes)
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Legends Second Round
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74%
6. Loy Vaught
(65 votes) -
25%
14. Gary Grant
(22 votes)
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Legends Second Round
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47%
7. Bo Outlaw
(42 votes) -
52%
2. Terry Cummings
(46 votes)
The Ones That Got Away
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Gordon vs. Bledsoe is the featured event in this section. One was traded for Chris Paul, and the other was moved because the Clippers already had a point guard in Chris Paul. They’ve both excelled outside of Los Angeles, fulfilling the promise they had when they started their careers with the Clippers, but who is more loved by his original fanbase?
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The Ones That Got Away Second Round
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36%
1. Brent Barry
(34 votes) -
63%
9. Shaun Livingston
(59 votes)
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The Ones That Got Away Second Round
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91%
5. Quentin Richardson
(83 votes) -
8%
4. Chris Wilcox
(8 votes)
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The Ones That Got Away Second Round
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7%
6. Al-Farouq Aminu
(7 votes) -
92%
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
(88 votes)
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The Ones That Got Away Second Round
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43%
7. Eric Gordon
(40 votes) -
56%
2. Eric Bledsoe
(53 votes)
The Best of the Rest
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There’s a lot to love in the final region of the bracket. Montrezl Harrell faces off against a sixth man microwave scorer who isn’t Lou Williams. J.J. Redick and Luc Mbah a Moute are perhaps the most diametrically opposed players of any matchup, each specialists on opposite ends of the court for the Clippers. Matt Barnes and Sam Cassell are two of the most prolific trash talkers to ever play for this franchise. And Baron Davis and Corey Maggette both participated in the dunk contest as Clippers, though in very different ways. (Interestingly, all five Clippers to enter the dunk contest remain alive in this bracket. Long live the dunk contest.)
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The Best of the Rest Second Round
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47%
1. Montrezl Harrell
(45 votes) -
52%
8. Jamal Crawford
(49 votes)
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The Best of the Rest Second Round
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89%
5. J.J. Redick
(84 votes) -
10%
13. Luc Mbah a Moute
(10 votes)
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The Best of the Rest Second Round
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25%
6. Matt Barnes
(23 votes) -
74%
3. Sam Cassell
(68 votes)
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The Best of the Rest Second Round
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28%
10. Baron Davis
(26 votes) -
71%
2. Corey Maggette
(65 votes)
Voting for the second round will last for two days. Let us know in the comments what you’re looking forward to in this round or if you’re surprised by any of the results from the first vote, and be sure to share with all the Clippers fans in your life.