The Los Angeles Clippers‘ season is over. On Sunday afternoon, Los Angeles lost to the Utah Jazz, 104-91. This gave the Jazz a 4-3 series victory and meant that the Clippers made basketball history. With the loss, L.A. became the first NBA team to blow a series lead in the postseason five years in a row, according to ESPN.
The Clippers are the first team in NBA history to blow a series lead in five straight postseasons. pic.twitter.com/erZVz2RXRP
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 30, 2017
Now, once this gets broken down, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Two of these losses – 2014 and this year – were one-game leads, so it’s not like the Clippers boasted a decisive edge and choked it away or anything like that. Plus there are the injuries that have cost the team in a big way. Blake Griffin‘s last two years ended due to postseason injuries, plus he was hurt in the 2013 series against the Grizzlies.
Additionally Chris Paul got hurt and wasn’t able to play in the final few games of the 2016 playoffs.
You can argue that the Clippers have been disappointments over the last five years, sure. For example, they haven’t exactly put together a roster that can handle losing any of Paul, Griffin, or DeAndre Jordan for an extended period of time (although to be fair, there aren’t many teams that could lose players of their caliber and be fine).
It’s possible that Griffin and Paul leave the team this offseason. If that happens, the Lob City Clippers may be remembered as one of the more disappointing teams in league history depending on who you ask. History will ultimately decide whether or not that’s fair.
