It definitely has been a weird season for not just the LA Clippers but the NBA as a whole. Every team is dealing with players missing time for numerous reasons, including injuries that seem to be happening at a higher rate possibly due to the constricted schedule.
In spite of those issues, the season keeps rolling and we can see the regular-season finish line.
With the Lakers’ loss last night, the LA Clippers have officially clinched a playoff spot.
It might have just been a formality – we have known the Clips would be a playoff team for some time – but getting the official confirmation that they are in the postseason is still great. Recently, we noted that the team was “officially” a contender per Phil Jackson’s 40 before 20 rule that all championship contenders must reach 40 wins before 20 losses.
The Clippers have punched their ticket to the 2021 NBA Playoffs! 🎟 pic.twitter.com/mAsYEKFBMq
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 3, 2021
It’s also a little fun footnote that the Clippers clinch came because of a Lakers loss. Granted, it doesn’t mean anything at all but is still a little funny.
Obviously, seeding is still completely up in the air. The Clippers dropped to fourth place after dropping their third straight game on Saturday at the hands of the Denver Nuggets who leapfrogged them. Denver does now hold the tiebreaker between the two teams after winning the season series but is only a half-game ahead of LA in the standings.
It seems unrealistic for the LA Clippers to drop below fourth place given the current standings. They would need to drop five of their last seven games just to tie the fifth place Mavericks in the loss column (28) right now. At the very least, the Clips will have home-court advantage in the first round.
There is still a lot of work to be done and the team shouldn’t rest and instead needs to work on getting everyone healthy and forming more chemistry within the roster. Making the playoffs is all good and well but not the ultimate goal.