The maiden voyage of this new look Clippers squad left a bevy of highlights and a lot of enduring moments. Here are the nominees:
Chauncey Billups hits a game winning three v. Dallas (01-18-2012)
At the time, this was the third game without Chris Paul (who had strained his hamstring two games prior v. Lakers). This shot settled a jittery Clippers squad that had been run out of Utah the night before.
Blake Griffin dunks on Kendrick Perkins (01-30-2012)
Eerily familiar to his Mosgov dunk the year prior, Blake also broke Twitter with this dunk.
DeAndre Jordan alley-oop from Mo Williams (02-04-2012)
DeAndre and Mo get into the highlight business where a lob to DeAndre was the ONLY option aside from a turnover. This also set the tone for the six-game Grammy road trip.
Blake Griffin tip putback dunk on Pau Gasol (04-04-2012)
We forget this now, but this dunk came after the Lakers had four offensive rebounds on their first possession. It seemed like just a great dunk, but it also wiped out the manhandling the Clippers had just received.
Blake explodes on Pau Gasol (04-12-2012)
How are these dunks worth more than two points? Blake dunks on Gasol(2pts). Foye gets the offensive rebound after the Blake missed free throw and scores (4pts). Kobe gets an offensive foul. Chris Paul finds DeAndre for an easy bucket (6pts). Lakers timeout. Blake’s dunk caused 6 points and 1 turnover.
Chris Paul: Prestidigitator (03-31-2012)
“I’ve had it explained to me and I still don’t get it. I would fall on my face if I tried that.” – DJ Foster
Blake dunks over Serge Ibaka (04-11-2012)
Nick Collison should watch out because it seems like Blake is working his way down the Thunder frontcourt roster.
Chris Paul game winner @OKC (04-11-2012)
The Clippers knew Paul would shoot it. The Thunder knew Paul would shoot it. And yet he still scored over ALL FIVE of the Thunder. Not only that, it began the rumblings that maybe ‘Lob City’ was an awkward matchup for the Thunder.
The Winner:
Four 3-pointers in 55 seconds v. OKC (01-30-2012)
Three different players scored with Chris Paul running the show. This sequence perfectly encapsulated the ideal of teamwork and selflessness that could be achieved by this team. On top of that, the barrage announced to the league’s best that the Clippers were no longer an underling but a peer.
See you soon, Memphis
