Los Angeles Clippers: Lob City Is Looking More Like Sob City

Champions rebound after tough losses.

Champions compete in every game, in every quarter.

Champions are more team than individuals.

These Los Angeles Clippers aren't champions.

Hold off on those parade plans down Figueroa. Press pause on that long run into the playoffs. Hey Lakers, sorry, Los Angeles is still your town.

The Clippers just aren't ready. Not even close.

The San Antonio Spurs handed the team an old-fashioned beat-down. Champions would respond with a win streak. That's what the Lakers did after being punked by the Sacramento Kings; the Clippers, they lost by 13.

One quarter. That was the total number of quarters the Clippers competed in against the Spurs. The team never really looking interested after the first quarter.

Against the Chicago Bulls, they looked engaged for the first three quarters, but must have had 10:30 p.m. reservations because they took the final quarter off.

While the Bulls passed the ball with precision and took what was available, the Clippers seemed to stand around and took what they could as the shot clock winded down. Chris Paul seemed more interested in upstaging Derrick Rose than leading his team to a win. He didn't upstage the reigning MVP and his team didn't win. 

No Los Angeles, the Clippers aren't champions.

The bandwagon is emptying, the home crowd is cheering for the other team and Clipper defense is what the late, great Chick Hearn would have called "Matador."

Next up for the team, the 3-0 Trail Blazers.  A 1-2 record to start the season isn't troublesome, the way they lost is. A 1-3 season, however, might be enough to clip the Clippers and short circuit Lob City.

We were told this team would compete. That CP3 came here to win. The Clippers were penciled into the fourth spot in the West. This was a team with championship potential.

Not yet. Not even close.