Clippings: NBA fans don’t see the Clippers as favorites in the West

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged in Los Angeles Clippers fans, and fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts.

According to the most recent SB Nation Reacts survey, 81 percent of Clippers fans are confident the team is headed in the right direction. That’s down from 87 percent last week but up from 57 percent the week before.

It’s pretty shocking the number is still that low, considering the Clippers have been one of the hottest teams in basketball over the last month or so. They’ve won two games in a row and have won eight of their last 10 games. They had a slip up against the Magic and ran out of steam against the Nuggets, but have been playing their best basketball as of late.

As you can see by the graph though, Clippers’ fans confidence in this team has truly been a roller coaster all season.

The jump in confidence comes as fans and teams alike start to prepare for the postseason. That preparation and jockeying for position isn’t necessarily just shown by who has the best record.

According to NBA fans around the country, the Lakers have the best chance of the top Western Conference teams to reach the NBA Finals, with 30 percent of the vote. They edged out the Utah Jazz, with 27 percent, the Denver Nuggets 22 percent and the Clippers 15 percent.

Despite having the second best record in the West, the Phoenix Suns earned just seven percent.

These numbers are pretty shocking as well. The Jazz have been the clear-cut best team in the Western Conference this season, yet they’re not the favorite to reach the finals. The Lakers currently find themselves in the fifth spot of the standings. Meanwhile the Clippers, who as I mentioned earlier have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA, find themselves in fourth place.

There are fewer teams seemingly in contention, right now, in the Eastern Conference. And even among the conference’s best, one team stands above the rest in the minds’ of fans.

According to the survey, 74 percent of NBA fans think the Brooklyn Nets will win the Eastern Conference. Only 16 percent picked the Milwaukee Bucks and 10 percent for the Philadelphia 76ers.

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More news for Friday:

• Dan Favale ranked the best duos in the NBA. Where do Kawhi Leonard and Paul George fall?
• Rob Mahoney has an interesting theory for how contenders should use the regular season.
• The Athletic previews the 2021 free agency landscape leading off with this nugget:

While this league has certainly taught us to expect the unexpected, the truth is that Leonard is still widely, well, expected to re-sign with the Clippers. As it stands, that’s the word from Clippers sources and rival executives alike.

• George had some thoughts about the Suns after another LA/Phoenix matchup devolved into chippiness.
• The Clippers have an All-Star talent in DeMarcus Cousins on a 10-day contract. Frank Urbina examines the rarity of such an occurrence.