“They’re the best team we’ve played all season.” — Scott Brooks, Thunder Head Coach
The term “best team” and “Clippers” have never really been synonymous. Maybe we’ve said the Clippers are the best team at allowing half court shots at the buzzer (because we all know that’s true) but to hear “best team” and Clippers together is as much of a shock to the system as seeing Chris Paul in a Clippers uniform for the first time was. It’s still difficult to wrap your mind around it.
Let’s go back a bit.
Before Kendrick Perkins was sacrificed to the gods, the Clippers found themselves in a tight ballgame against the Thunder towards the end of the second half. Even though they had played near perfect basketball to that point, the Clippers saw their once seemingly insurmountable lead dwindle from 16 to 6. With all the momentum on their side, the league’s top team in the standings was looking like they’d go into the locker room thrilled to be where they were.
They almost made it.