Clippers are dark horse to win 2017 NBA title, says Jason Terry

According to Jason Terry, the Los Angeles Clippers could “easily win 60-plus games” next season, and are a dark horse to win the NBA championship.

The Los Angeles Clippers making the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history may not be such a long shot next season. After a heartbreaking playoff exit with season-ending injuries to Chris Paul and Blake Griffin within moments of Game 4 against Portland this year, a healthier, consistent season will be the goal. Except for the additions of rookies Brice Johnson and Diamond Stone, accompanied by veteran’s minimum acquisitions of Marreese Speights, Brandon Bass and Raymond Felton, almost the exact same group is coming back for another run.

Of course, along with everyone else, their team still pales in comparison to the Kevin Durant-led Golden State Warriors. It’s generally the case when a team with that much existing talent adds one of the best scorers we’ve ever seen grace a basketball court.

That being said, the Clippers could still surprise the NBA and its fans by stealing the 2nd seed in the West next season.

Jason Terry believes they may even go further than that, saying in an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio that they could easily win 60-plus games and be a dark horse in the West next season:

"“The Clippers can easily win 60-plus games and be the No. 1 or 2 seed and win the NBA championship…The best thing that could have happened to the Clippers and the rest of the Western Conference is Kevin Durant going to Golden State. There’s no pressure on those teams.”"

60 wins may have been attainable last season. If Griffin wasn’t held to just 35 games in the regular season due to injury, their total of 53 wins — thanks to Paul and DeAndre Jordan‘s dominance with improved defense — could have easily been higher.

Saying they’ll easily hit 60 when their bench is still not at an elite level and this new group will need to find its rhythm (hopefully supported by a fully healthy Blake) is a little hasty. But, with Griffin ideally around for the entire regular season, an extra seven games with the return of the team’s leading superstar scorer isn’t out of the question.

As Terry added, though, the Clippers can never be completely off the radar, given their immense level of talent with the Big 3:

"“The Clippers will never quite be that dark horse because of those big three they have with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. But they won’t be as high on the radar as Golden State, as San Antonio when we get ready to kick this thing off. All the attention is going to be on Kevin Durant. That’s where the attention is going to be at, that’s where the focus is at. That’s what’s going to allow the Clippers to fly under the radar, which they need to be”."

The real thing to take away from Terry’s interview is his comment that the Clippers could take the 1st seed and perhaps go on to win the NBA championship.

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Seeing as the Warriors just assembled the best offensive starting lineup in NBA history, featuring some of the best shooters we’ve seen, placing another team above the core that won 73 games and added Durant is rather hard to do.

They could easily slip back from the 70 mark without the pressure of trying to break the win record again, but the high sixties seems like a guarantee if they’re healthy. The same, however, can’t be said so confidently about the Clippers.

Next season will be an exciting one after such a seismic shift in the NBA. Durant heading to the Warriors, a driven Russell Westbrook left in Oklahoma City, and the reigning King and champion LeBron James provide us with plenty of narratives to pay attention to. One that could be overlooked is the Clippers’ chances out West, to possibly take the 2nd seed, make the Conference Finals, and push the Warriors harder than any other team in the West.

After losing Tim Duncan‘s defense and adding the likes of Pau Gasol and David Lee, limited speed, frontcourt versatility, and weak protection of the paint are obvious issues for the Spurs, despite the likelihood of them earning a top-three seed with ease.

Next: Does Doc's future in LA depend on keeping Blake?

Terry’s confident comments about the Clippers, while over the top at this stage, aren’t totally without reason.