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5 Greatest What-Ifs in LA Clippers History

By Seth Kimbrell

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 19: A view of the court at Staples Center during the game between the LA Clippers and the Houston Rockets on December 19, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 19: A view of the court at Staples Center during the game between the LA Clippers and the Houston Rockets on December 19, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LA Clippers, Blake Griffin
LA Clippers Josh Smith Blake Griffin (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /

After another day of no basketball, we look at five “what if?” questions that still haunt fans of the Clippers.

Ask any fan of the Los Angeles Clippers, and they’ll tell you: the Clippers have long been one of the greatest examples of a cursed NBA team. When you go through the history of the team, it’s eye-opening how many times the cards turned up 100% against the Clips.

With that in mind, let’s look at five of the most egregious examples of “what ifs” in the history of the team. I’m going to stick to realistic questions here. So while, yes, it would’ve been great if Kevin Durant came to the Clips, it doesn’t really seem like there was ever much of a chance of that happening.

5. Game 6 vs. Houston, 2014-15

Let’s go recent for number 5. This game is burned into the emotional psyche of Clippers fans.

You know the story. At the start of the 4th quarter, the Clippers were up 92-79. Harden got benched because he was 5-20. It looked like the Rockets had all but given up.

Then Josh Smith gets hot. Corey Brewer heats up. The Clippers can’t hit anything. Suddenly we look at the scoreboard and that deficit is narrowing. Before you know it, the Rockets have completed the unthinkable comeback.

In the 4th, the Clips were outscored 40-15. Josh Smith went 4-5 (3-4 from 3); Corey Brewer went 5-8(2-3 from 3). As a team in the fourth, the Rockets went 12-21 from the field.

Meanwhile, Chris Paul went 2-7, JJ Redick and Austin Rivers both went 1-2 and no other Clipper hit a shot. As a team, the Clips went 4-22, including 0-5 from Blake and 0-4 from Jamal Crawford.

This would be the closest the Lob City Clippers would ever get to a championship. For many Clippers fans, this is the “one that got away.” Blake was in the midst of his best playoffs ever, averaging 25.2/12.7/6.1 and performing like a top 3 player in the league. The potential Warriors vs. Clippers Conference Finals had fans of great NBA basketball salivating.

After this season, the Warriors took another step and went 73-9, then got Kevin Durant, effectively shutting the door on this chapter in Clippers’ history.

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