The Los Angeles Clippers were up by 20 points in the first quarter against the Toronto Raptors Friday night. They had lost two in a row -- including an embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers the night before -- and appeared set on halting their skid.
Without Blake Griffin, could the Clippers slip out of the playoffs?
The Los Angeles Clippers’ star power forward is out and they’re facing a brutal stretch in their schedule. Could the Clippers miss the playoffs?
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Then it all fell apart. They were outscored by 31 points over the final three frames in another embarrassing loss. It was their first three-game losing streak of the season. It seemed they had hit rock bottom.
And then they lost Blake Griffin for at least four to six weeks, and quite possibly longer, because of a staph infection in his right elbow that requires surgery.
Now, the Clippers are heading into one of the most difficult stretches of their schedule. It’s very possible they could find themselves on the playoff bubble before Griffin returns to the lineup.
Los Angeles Losing
After Sunday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Clippers are 33-19, which tied them for seventh in the Western Conference with the San Antonio Spurs. The Phoenix Suns are four games back in the eighth and final playoff spot, with the Thunder and the New Orleans Pelicans nipping at their heels.
The Clippers seem safe at first glance, but their upcoming schedule is brutal. Eleven of their next 15 games are against teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. And of those 11 games against playoff teams, 10 would be against teams from the West. They face both the Houston Rockets and the Memphis Grizzlies twice. The road isn’t easy, especially for a team that has struggled as of late.
The Clippers must at least tread water with the Thunder and Pelicans now playing well. If they can’t and go something like 4-11 in those games, the Pelicans can steal their spot by going 10-5 and the Thunder can by going 11-4. That may be doable for both of those teams.
Even with the recent slump, the Clippers have one of the best offenses in the league. Their offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) of 110.4 is tied with the Golden State Warriors for best in the league.
Losing Griffin, however, has a big impact on their ability to score. The Clippers’ offensive rating bumps up to 114 when Griffin is on the court this season. It drops to 100.3 when he’s off it. Without Griffin, the team’s leading scorer, the Clippers are losing 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 35.3 minutes per game.
Aside from the big numbers, Grifins' big play abilities will be sorely missed. Not only can he defy gravity, he makes DeAndre Jordan a much more valuable player. Griffin has almost as many assists to Jordan as Chris Paul does. This season, Griffin has assisted on 51 of Jordan's buckets. Chris Paul has 58 as of Feb. 8, according to NBA.com's stats page. Of Paul's 9.5 assists per game, four of them go to Griffin.
Now, the Clippers are entering the toughest stretch of their schedule having lost four in a row and five of their last six. It’s gut check time for Doc Rivers’ team. If they can make it out alive, they’ll be ready for anything once the playoffs come around. They just have to get there first.
See More:
