Ranking the LA Clippers' top 5 sides of the 21st century
Heading into the 2021-22 NBA campaign, the LA Clippers are one of the title favorites - provided Kawhi Leonard can return from his ACL injury prior to the playoffs and that his teammates make it there. Last season, Ty Lue's team finished fourth in the West and made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in the franchise's history.
That is somewhat surprising, given the caliber of LA Clippers teams that have gone before, particularly in the 21st century. In this article, we will take a look back over the past 21 years to see which Clippers sides were the best, with a particular focus on the 'Lob City' era as well as their current crop of stars.
Ranking the LA Clippers' best sides of the 21st century
#5 2012-13 (56-26, First-round of playoffs)
Although they would lose in the first round of the playoffs to the Memphis Grizzlies, who had finished on the same regular season record as them, the LA Clippers were still extremely fun to watch in the 2012-13 campaign. It was also the beginning of a three-year run when the franchise won over 55 games each season.
They ranked ninth overall for points per game and it was the first time since the 1974-75 season that the franchise had swept the LA Lakers. Their success was fueled by Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, who came into their primes to lead the team in scoring. Paul also led the NBA in steals per game and was enjoying his new lob partner, pulling off some spectacular plays at the rim.
Griffin's thirst for athletic dunks was also aided by Jamal Crawford, the team's sixth man who provided 16.5 points per game off the bench. No dunk by Griffin will top DeAndre Jordan's posterization of Brandon Knight that season, though. His mean completion of a Chris Paul lob is still one of the fiercest dunks in NBA history and was the epitome of how the LA Clippers had become one of the most-exciting teams in the league.
#4 2019-20 (49-23, Conference semifinals)
The LA Clippers loaded up prior to the 2019-20 campaign. After the era of 'Lob City' had ended, the franchise finished 10th and 8th in the West in consecutive seasons.
However, their fortunes were turned back around with the signings of two NBA superstars in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Together, the pair would propel the Clippers back into title contention and help them to their highest ever finish in the Western conference (2nd).
Finishing just behind their city rivals, the Clippers were one of the most feared sides on both ends of the floor with the second-best offensive efficiency and the sixth-strongest defense.
Going into the playoffs, the hope for neutral NBA fans was that we would see an All-LA Conference Finals matchup. However, that was not the case. After making tough work of the Dallas Mavericks, the Clippers threw away a 3-1 series lead to the Denver Nuggets. Losing in this way and failing to live up to expectations had become unwanted traits of the franchise and ultimately cost Doc Rivers his job, bringing an end to an era of Clippers basketball.