I'm having a hard time processing what just happened with the Clippers. They kicked-off their Grammy road trip with a nice win over a pesky Utah Jazz bunch on Wednesday before a Southwest Division back-to-back that took them through New Orleans and San Antonio on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
For some reason (perhaps a long Thursday night on Bourbon Street?), they showed up Friday and lost to a Pelicans team sans Anthony Davis on Friday night. The Pels are a solid bunch, but without Davis they're close to nothing. Then, the next night, they had a showdown with the well-rested Spurs, who hadn't played since Wednesday. Of course, somehow, L.A. went into San Antonio and thrashed the defending champs. Ok, then!
So, a 2-1 start to an eight-game road swing is dandy. Next, their travels take them to the frosty northeast where they'll meet-up with the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night. The Nets have seen better days. They're just 2-8 in their last 10 games, and are battling it out in a sad race for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot with Charlotte and Detroit. Currently ninth, Brooklyn is a game-and-a-half behind the Hornets.
Given their roster makeup and the fact that they're millions over the salary cap, the fact that the Nets are currently 10 games under .500 and have a snowball's chance in hell of winning a championship this season makes them a pretty depressing operation all around. Their owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, purchased the team back in 2012 yet is already reportedly interested in selling. Their first-year head coach, Lionel Hollins, is already apparently in hot water and may not even make it through the rest of the season at the helm. The actual roster is chock-full of overpriced veterans, with the only truly appealing youngster being Mason Plumlee. Good times!
These two teams were set to do battle just a couple of weeks ago in Los Angeles, but the Nets apparently decided against showing up. The Clippers crushed the Nets 128-84 that night in a game that was over before it even started. It's really not even worth analyzing. Brooklyn, who had played the night before (and won!), looked completely gassed and disinterested from the tip.
Very quietly, LAC has climbed all the way up to the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference, well within striking distance of the two-seeded Grizzlies. The Clips sit just 2.5 back of Memphis with three head-to-head matchups remaining before the end of the regular season. Though it's prrrrrrrobably worth noting that the Clippers are also tied with the Rockets for the 3-seed, and are just 5.5 games in front of San Antonio for the 7-seed. Let's not get too ahead of ourselves here.
This is a game the Clippers had better not overlook, especially given the way they played when seemingly overlooking the Davis-less Pelicans four days ago. The road trip only gets tougher from here. They'll have a couple of days off before a tough back-to-back takes them through Cleveland and Toronto on Thursday and Friday. Then, the Clippers head south to OKC to take on a desperate Thunder team on Sunday afternoon (afternoon games are always difficult, even if the Thunder are playing terribly) before another game in Dallas on Monday. They'll wrap up the road trip with a game against the Rockets before heading into the All-Star break.
The Nets are awful, but we've seen the Clippers drop games to awful teams before. Tip-off is set for 4:30 PT. Let's not blow this, Clippos.
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