Why Chris Paul and Blake Griffin Will Lead the Los Angeles Clippers to Glory

This season, All-Star teammates Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have done much more than just coin the moniker “Lob City.”

With a 19-10 record, the Los Angeles Clippers currently sit atop the Pacific Division, and are threatening to take a divisional crown that has belonged to their Staples Center co-tenants for the past four years.

Paul’s arrival from New Orleans has not only translated into more wins, but also makes the Clippers a more attractive team than the Lakers.

After the Chinese Basketball Association season ended, free agents Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith were allowed to sign with any team they pleased.

Both players were only seriously considering contending teams and each had Los Angeles as a preferred destination.

While Smith ended up signing with New York on Friday, he had openly shunned the Lakers by claiming the Knicks and Clippers as his top two choices.

Martin’s signing had a similar sentiment. Instead of choosing the Lakers or taking his talents to South Beach, he decided to get on the Clip Ship.

This is huge for an organization that has spent the majority of their existence being known as “LA’s other team.”

Along with season averages of 18.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 2.33 steals, CP3 has given the Clippers the star-power needed to compete in the multiple aspects of Hollywood. His presence has a magnetic effect on the organization, and within the city.

As a basketball fan, if you were to tell me that the Clippers don’t interest you anymore than they did last year, I would call you a “liar” with no hesitation.

The buzz and electricity that the Clippers are generating are all due to the residual effect of Paul’s acquisition—one that cannot be measured in his $16.4 million salary.

By pairing Paul with their former first-overall selection, the Clippers have positioned themselves for optimal return on their investments.

Without Paul, the “Blake Show” had a stellar rookie year, but has raised his shooting percentage from 50.6 up to 53.2 this season.

While Griffin develops a reliable post-move and learns the nuances of the game, Paul will continue to feed him the ball close to the basket, and where he can succeed. 

This will shorten the time it takes Griffin’s skills to match his superior athleticism—and the sooner that happens, the better.

With only 2.5 games separating the fifth and 11^th seeds in the Western Conference playoff race, there is no telling what might happen between now and the end of the regular season.

Like any team, especially one that is young and can still improve on team chemistry; the Clippers are not immune to a drought.

Even with their early season success, the CP3 show only has 24 games of experience with his new team, and is still adjusting to the two point-guard blueprint that head coach Vinny Del Negro is employing.

Part of this scheme speaks about the team’s lack of a true shooting guard, while the other part magnifies Paul’s versatility.

Paul missed a stretch of five games that saw Los Angeles go 3-2—including a January 17^th 108-79 road loss to the Utah Jazz. Without his All-Star teammate, Griffin managed only 10 points on 12 shots.

Two weeks later, the Clippers found themselves in Salt Lake City once again—only this time with a healthy Paul. 

By making Griffin look like an MVP, Paul was able to solidify his own case.

Aside from scoring 34 points on 15-of-24 shooting, he also distributed 11 assists. His leadership and experience changed what was a 29-point defeat into a 107-105 victory.

The main beneficiary of Paul’s return was…you guessed it, Blake Griffin.

Thanks to Paul’s dribble penetration, the defense was forced to step up and collapse more often. 

This allowed the young forward to score 21 more points on only 10 more shot attempts than in their previous meeting.

While the individual successes of each player aren’t completely reliant on the other, this proves that there is an obvious correlation.

No matter how you break it down, or how opponents guard the All-Stars, there is no denying their potential and excitement.

When the back lines of defenses are slow to commit to Paul during his drives, it is usually because of the highlight threat that Griffin poses. When the defenses do rotate on time, it's usually those same back lines that end up in Griffin’s highlights.

This small sample size of success has put the league on notice.

With Paul being only 26 years old and Griffin, 22, it is inevitable that the Clippers will take over Los Angeles, then the playoffs and ultimately win a championship.