The odds are stacked against the Clippers and the possibility of blowing up the team looms large... but is that such a bad thing?

Dame Lillard and C.J. McCollum combined for 49 points to lead the Blazers over the Clippers 108-98 on the road in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead in their first-round playoff series.

The Clippers forward reinjured his left quad and will not return in the playoffs. Chris Paul is also out indefinitely, so the Clippers won't have either of their two stars in the lineup anymore this season.

Not only does Paul's broken right hand deliver a death blow to the Clippers' title hopes, but there's a chance it ushers in the end of the Clippers as we know them.

The Los Angeles Clippers point guard left Game 4 in the third quarter and will likely miss extended time.

If the Blazers' two stars can continue to perform like they did on Game 3, Portland can dream big.

The Clippers are taking the ball out of Damian Lillard's and C.J. McCollum's hands and daring Portland's role players to beat them. So far, the strategy is paying off.

Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers continually ran shooting guard JJ Redick through a series of screens in Sunday's Game 1 victory over the Trail Blazers, leaving Portland guard CJ McCollum in the dust on a number of occasions.

When Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are locked in, no dynamic duo is more in tune with each other. If they continue to regain their chemistry, the Clippers will be tough to beat.