Things could not be going better in Clipper Land right now. The team is on a record 11-game win streak, is in the midst of a cupcake portion of their schedule, and is finally getting some of the national media attention that they deserve. There’s a good chance they could be staring down a 13-game winning streak when they face the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center on Christmas Day. It’s a great time to be a Clipper fan.
Here are today’s Found Objects:
• If you haven’t seen our Holiday Giveaway Contest yet, go here first. Don’t worry, I won’t blame you.
• Blake Griffin is going back to 1999 in the third installment of his time-traveling commercials for Kia. This is the best one yet. Check it out:
• ESPN.com/Basketball Prospectus’ Bradford Doolittle examines if the Clippers are legit championship contenders in today’s PER Diem:
The Clippers won’t keep beating teams by 16 points per game, but there is every indication that they are in the race for the long haul, and are well-positioned to challenge the Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs and anyone else for supremacy in the Western Conference. Only a revival of Clippers-like luck can seemingly stand in their way, and you don’t even want to mention the two names of the players who, if they were hurt, would torpedo Los Angeles’ championship aspirations. Why jinx a long-suffering fan base?
Let’s face it: It’s a new day in L.A. Consider this: If — and likely when — the Clippers extend their streak by beating the Kings on Friday, they’ll have 20 wins on the season, and we’re still four days away from Christmas. The Clippers have been in Los Angeles for 29 years, and they’ve won fewer than 20 games in eight of those seasons.
The Clippers are good. Really good. Get used to it.
• ESPN Stats & Info takes a look at how the Clippers have become the second-best team in the West with their elite offense, defense and bench.
• Over at ESPN LA’s Clippers Report blog, Arash Markazi discusses how the Clippers’ chemistry has played an integral role in the team’s success.
• Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated dissects the Clippers’ bench and how potent it has been this season.
• Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register says that the dark days are over for Clippers’ fans.
• Helene Elliot of the Los Angeles Times says the Clippers have turned the town upside down and are thriving while the Lakers sink.
• Earlier in the week, I wrote about three of the keys to the Clippers’ maintained offensive efficiency this season over at ESPN LA.
