NBA Playoffs 2012: L.A. Clippers Will Wilt Under Postseason Pressure
Coming off a dominant 92-77 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Los Angeles Clippers have their fans optimistic for a reason. Their team outscored the Thunder 49-25 in a second half that just about everyone in Oklahoma would like to forget.
But before anyone begins placing bets, remember that this Clippers team remains untested in the postseason.
Despite an impressive regular-season run and a marked improvement over last season's 32-50 campaign, Los Angeles has proven absolutely nothing about its ability to succeed over the course of a seven-game series. Nor has it proven consistently dominant against the Western Conference elite (Monday's game notwithstanding).
The Clippers certainly have a chance to do so this year, but there are good reasons to believe they won't.
If you're not yet convinced that coach Vinny Del Negro is a liability, just wait until a first-round series against a team like the Memphis Grizzlies—a fairly probable scenario at the moment.
Del Negro isn't a bad coach by any means. He's done well with what he's been given, and he's overseen a transition in Los Angeles that was successful by any measure.
However, that doesn't mean this is the guy you want coaching when making adjustments and crucial decisions are at an all-time premium. He simply doesn't have the experience to hang with tested commodities like Gregg Popovich, Mike Brown or Scott Brooks.
He will also be faced with the challenge of running a team that—for all intents and purposes—is still pretty new. To be sure, Chris Paul and Caron Butler have acclimated to the system well in their first years, but more recent newcomers Kenyon Martin and Nick Young must quickly do the same.
Even if Del Negro comes through with flying colors, there's no guarantee Blake Griffin will do the same. A lot will be riding on the young man's shoulders, and he can expect teams to mercilessly put him on the line rather than give up dunks.
He'll also have to contend with formidable front lines and solid defenses in the Western Conference. For all his gaudy regular season production, it's hard to imagine Griffin at his best night in and night out against Memphis, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City or San Antonio.
Chris Paul will do his part, but will it be enough? The man can work magic, but he can't ensure Randy Foye and Caron Butler will strike consistently from long range. If they don't, the Clippers' margin for error becomes dangerously thin.
Foye is taking half of his shots from behind the arc and making less than 40 percent of his attempts from the field. He's become something of a one-trick pony for Los Angeles, and he'll have to stay hot for the duration of a series to give his team a chance.
For his part, Caron Butler is shooting just over 40 percent.
Again, these aren't terrible numbers, and the Clippers have managed to do pretty well with them. But it's still not clear that this team is efficient or consistent enough to succeed when the NBA's best defensive units turn things up a notch.
The Clippers will have a fighting chance against just about anyone—the question is just whether they'll be able to fight hard enough.
