Los Angeles Clippers: 15 players who defined Lob City

Nick Young is one of the NBA’s most entertaining personalities, combining his goofball nature with an irrational confidence on the court. He has been at the center of many unique stories, from his hijinks on the Washington Wizards with JaVale McGee to destroying the Los Angeles Lakers’ chemistry thanks to an incident with former teammate D’Angelo Russell. Yet, it’s easy to forget that Young spent time on Los Angeles’ other team as well.

Young played just 33 total games on the Clippers, on the surface not enough to make this list. But ‘Swaggy P’ makes it into the top-15 not because of his accolades as a Clipper, but his part in one of the great moments in “Lob City” history: the comeback against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The opening round of the 2012 Western Conference playoffs pitted the “Lob City” Clippers against the Grizzlies. This was the first postseason for Chris Paul in Los Angeles, and the Grizzlies were one of the league’s darlings soon to adopt a nickname of their own: “Grit N’ Grind”.

Memphis leapt out to a commanding lead, ahead by as many as 20 points in the first quarter and 19 at the half. The lead ballooned again in the third quarter to 27 points, and with eight minutes to go in the game, the Clippers were behind by 24 points. Then, the magic of “Lob City” happened.

Young was a crucial part of the comeback win, the Clippers outscoring the Grizzlies 28-3 over the final eight minutes. Young shot 6-for-9 from the field for 19 points in his 24 minutes. In a 60-second stretch during the run, Young hit three 3-pointers from nearly the same spot on the floor, fed on the break from Paul. In a game the Clippers won by one point, Young was +28.

Young moved on after the season to the Philadelphia 76ers. While his goofy antics never had much of an impact in “Lob City”, his smooth stroke was critical to the Clippers winning their playoff debut after a six-year drought. For that, Young gets a place on the defining players of the “Lob City” era.