Playoff Seeding
Everything comes down to their production in the playoffs, and their production in the playoffs has a lot to do with seeding. The LA Clippers have been sitting uncomfortably in the Western Conference’s four spot for the majority of the season, which is ideally not where they want to be come playoff time. If they get stuck in the four-five zone, they will presumably meet with the Golden State Warriors in the second round, which will up their chances of another dreaded second round exit.
Being in a six-seven seed come playoff time means a much easier couple of series, and the Clippers wouldn’t have to see the Warriors until the Conference Finals. With the Houston Rockets pretty much locked in the third seed, the Clippers’ only way out is down. Doing so would cost them home court, but it would be worth it.
More from Clippers News
- Grade the trade: Clippers shockingly land Trae Young in wild proposal
- 3 of the most overpaid players on the LA Clippers’ roster
- How will the LA Clippers fare in the in-season tournament?
- Why the LA Clippers should steer clear of recent gold medalist waiver
- LA Clippers 2023-24 full 82-game schedule
Obviously, no team in the league is going to intentionally play bad in an attempt to manually construct seeding. Though it may be a clever idea, it’s not in any professional athlete’s blood to intentionally play bad for any reason. All you can do as a fan is make predictions and hope for the best. Though there very much is a possibility that the Clippers could drop to a six or seven seed soon, they may be too much of a good team to stay there, especially with the return of Blake and Chris.
On the other hand, you also have to depend on Oklahoma City, Memphis, and Utah to play well so at least two of those teams advance ahead of them in positioning. All three of those teams have their own problems they’re dealing with, which makes it extremely hard to predict outcomes.
Despite all of that, you can’t deny the fact that aiming for a lower seed will make the playoffs much smoother. But alas, it’s trade season. Fans want to trade for more talent, but doing so will only juxtapose wanting to be a six or seven seed. Bringing in more talent will definitely not help the Clippers dip down in the playoff race, and finishing in the top three is virtually out of reach at this point.
Many fans don’t mind staying in the four-five zone and giving Golden State a run for their money in the second round. And that may be where the Clippers end up after all. But making trades in the meantime may be too much of a gamble.