(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Opening night for the Lakers and Clippers might have been a sneak preview of what we’ll come to see during Round One of the NBA playoffs where the top-seeded Lakers would face off against the eighth-seeded Clippers.
After winning the West by 10 games last year over second-place Denver, we all understand why I say the Lakers will represent the West’s top team. All the players from last years team now have valuable playoff experience, Andrew Bynum displayed big man dominance opening night and adding Ron Artest was the best off-season acquisition this year.
NBA commentator and five-time All Star Reggie Miller flirted with disaster stating during the game that the Lakers would begin the season 20-1. I don’t know if they will, but if they do come close, the Lakers will be flirting with the best regular season record of 72-10 set by the ’96 Bulls. Yet another incentive for Kobe.
But I really want to talk about the Los Angeles Clippers who fell hard to injury last year finishing the season 19-62.
If Baron Davis would have showed up opening night, shooting one of 10 with two points, the Clippers could have easily ruined Championship Ring night in Los Angeles. After struggling last season, it’s not the 10 percent shooting that worries me it is the inability to get to the line which tells me he is still trying to find his groove and not 100 percent.
The Clippers injury woes followed them into the beginning of the season with the heartbreaking news a day before opening night of a fractured patella in rookie Blake Griffin’s knee. Griffin is projected to come back mid-December and if the Clippers can weather the storm and play an injury-free season until then, they will be in the playoff hunt.
It will be a tough task for a Clipper team who is still young in experience and age.
The most underrated and most forgotten person on the Clippers is third year power forward Al Thornton, who was second in the NBA (behind Kevin Durant) last year in scoring among second year players averaging 16.8 points per game.
Eric Gordon is emerging as one of the better young shooting guards in the league with a team high 21 points opening night and with the addition of Blake Griffin the Clippers now have three young studs to help them move forward.
Speaking of going forward, The Clippers front court is potent with the athletic ability of forward Marcus Camby and big-body center Chris Kaman. Camby has averaged a double double in scoring and rebounding over his 14 year career, and in the past four seasons, not only has Kaman averaged double digits in scoring but during his most productive year in 2007 when Kaman was healthy he averaged a double double (15.7ppg, 12.7rpg). And after watching the gritty play of forward Craig Smith, I like the direction the front court is heading in.
The depth for the Clipper back court has been solidified with the additions of guards Sebastian Telfair from Minnesota and Rasual Butler from New Orleans. Each will give valuable minutes for Davis and Gordon.
The Clippers are a young team that will face many challenges due to their age and inexperience in the NBA, but if the Clippers have any shot of making the playoffs it will be from the play and leadership of 10th year player Baron Davis.
During his first season with the Clippers, Davis struggled will his second worst shooting percentage ever (.370) along with averaging right under 15 points per game, his worst scoring performance since his second year when he averaged 13.8 points per game.
This is a great opportunity for a comeback-breakout season for Baron Davis who has a good supporting cast of guys around him. It will be up to Davis and his competitive edge, which I think might be lacking right now, to decide whether the Clippers will reach the playoffs.
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