The LA Clippers finally earned some much deserved recognition, topping NBA.com’s power rankings this week.
The LA Clippers’ win on Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets propelled them into first in the NBA.com power rankings. In a combined effort, the Clippers are on a four game winning streak, dethroning the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks prior to the win against the Nets.
Finally, the league is beginning to take notice on what the Clippers have put together; a team which is the opposite of individualistic, they want to win as a team. Currently the Clippers are sitting at a strong 10-5 record in the fourth spot of the Western Conference.
Needless to say, the Clippers have been playing well all season. Their top spot has them above top-tier NBA teams including the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and the underachieving Lakers.
It has been a joy to watch the Clippers come together. After all the trades made in the past two years, they are finally playing peak Clipper basketball. Jerry West has a plan and we must learn to trust it. Each Clipper has the trust of a friend, player, coach and teammate. This is what makes this roster special. There has been no internal conflict to expose yet; they are all in unison to create their own outcome, an outcome of winning, making the playoffs and advancing.
The team has illustrated straight vigor this season, with impressive radiant performances from Danilo Gallinari and Montrezl Harrell infiltrating the league with their passionate play. Danilo has averaged 19.6 points already this season. In Saturday’s game, he elucidated his efficiency shooting 64% on field goals against Brooklyn.
Montrezl Harrell is special, this season he has broken out of his shell. In his breakout season, Harrell has been averaging 14.6 points. Explosively attacking every night, Harrell is a skilled athletic center who’s impact on the Clippers this year has been uncanny.
In addition, Tobias Harris is the most consistently underrated player in the NBA. He is averaging 20.7 points this season already, a very skilled scorer to say the least. Harris is a star, he is at 51% shooting from the field this season, a walking bucket.
The Clippers closer, Lou Williams is the nightmare of top level teams. When Lou Williams steps onto the court he is a guaranteed fourth quarter Mona Lisa. Averaging a total of 19.1 points a game off of the bench, Lou Williams is making his case for sixth man of the year again.
With an optimistic owner in Steve Ballmer, hopes of this organization reaching the highest tier are unfolding. There is an ultimate plan this year, to show what we can bring to the table in order to attract a top free agent in the 2019 off-season.
The Clippers will most definitely target Kawhi Leonard as their main focus this off-season but Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler all remain on the table. As Clipper fans, we certainly would be content with Tobias Harris signing a deal with the Clippers, even if it only leaves one max free agent spot open. He has been that inspiring. I mean, who wouldn’t take a Kawhi-Harris back-court with a defensive powerhouse backing them up.
The Clippers look to improve their winning streak in their easier future schedule. They play the Atlanta Hawks today (November 19th) and Wizards tomorrow, then proceed to challenge the Grizzlies on Friday.