We could blame injuries, a lack of execution when it mattered the most, or simply the fact that the Portland Trail Blazers were the better team. But the final result will be the same: Los Angeles Clippers, once again, performed below expectations in the playoffs.
This disturbing trend has been the norm in recent years for the Clippers, even before the arrival of Doc Rivers as a head coach. Despite the fact that the team is now the one owning LA considering how awful the Lakers have been, their regular-season sucess hasn’t been translated to the postseason.
This first-round exit in 2016 only adds to a list of failures that also include being swept by the Spurs in 2012, two consecutive exits in the second round (2014 and 2015) and another first-round elimination back in 2013. They haven’t made it to the Conference Finals not even once in the last five years.
The real question here is: what will happen with the Clippers next season?
There’s uncertainity regarding the future of both Blake Griffin – who might be traded considering all his off-court issues these past two years – and Chris Paul who, unlike Griffin, might request a trade himself in order to play with a REAL title contender during what’s left of his prime years.
The team also needs to add depth on the bench next to Jamal Crawford, youth through the draft and a player capable of being a small forward at an adequate level. Paul, Griffin, Jordan and J.J. Redick form a decent starting lineup, but Rivers needs to find a piece who can complement them from the small forward role. Paul Pierce is simply not good enough to remain as a starter, and Jeff Green proved he’s not the long-term answer either.
To make things worse, the Clippers will pick late in the first round of the NBA Draft once again, so their hopes of landing a top talent with a pick that’s likely to be in the high 20s aren’t very high.
Doc Rivers needs answers, and he needs to find them now. Otherwise it might be too late for them to catch up with the rest of their rivals in the Western Conference.