By David Pincus
November 21, 2005
[email protected]
[title] Boats tend to sink, so keep your eye on the Clippers

The Lakers started off 3-1, so they must be a playoff team. As of today
they're 4-6, and their postseason chances are dubious to say the least. Keep
that in mind when thinking about the seemingly playoff-bound LA Clippers.
Now, you're going to see a lot of people on TV try to rectify their
"mistake" of miscalculating the Clippers by saying they are indeed as good
as their record portrays. Do not listen to them, time will change and soon
so will their opinions.
First, the combined 10 records of the 10 teams they've played against
are 41-54. When San Antonio and Dallas come a knocking, we'll see how the
Clippers fare. 2 games vs. the Hawks, a match-up with the Lakers; tougher
opponents than that are coming.
A team blowing their record completely isn't unheard of in the NBA.
In fact, it's happened as recently as the 01-02 season with the Milwaukee
Bucks. Through 39 games, the Bucks were 26-13, ? game back of the New Jersey
Nets. The Detroit Pistons were an unimpressive 19-20 at that point. Then,
the Bucks blew it. They finished 15-28, somehow allowing both Indiana and
Toronto to both squeeze in the playoffs while missing it altogether
themselves. Detroit finished a Nuggets-like 31-12, just 2 games behind New
Jersey when it was all over. The Bucks finished 6-16 to cap of the 01-02
year.
The moral of that story was that things change in the NBA, and nobody
is accurate predicting things that haven't happened. The 21st century has
already served LA Clipper chokes to us. In that familiar 01-02 season the
Clipps were 36-33, right in the middle of the playoff race. They finished
3-10. How about last year- when they were 23-23 only to lose their next 8
games.
There's a reason they've only made the playoffs 3 times in their 26+
years of existence: They are the Clippers! This team has a legacy of losing
and choking. For all I know this team could make the playoffs, but rest
assured only as high as the 8th seed. The day the Clippers deserve and get
the benefit of the doubt is the day the Natalie Holloway story isn't on Live
and Direct with Rita Cosby. It ain't happening.