The Los Angeles Clippers have had about as much success as the Buffalo Braves as they have had playing second fiddle to the Lakers in Los Angeles. Will Ferrell is probably the only Hollywood star to get excited and reminisce about the 2006 postseason series when the Clippers took the Phoenix Suns to seven games before losing in the second round in the Western Conference. Ferrell is an offbeat star though, and that would revel in being the only celebrity with Clippers playoff tickets to the Staple Center.
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The Clippers have been constantly building to a postseason tease. They have years when the talent they have accumulated come through, like in 1992, 1993, or 1997, but those years generally end in a first round exit and are followed by a disappointing year created by an inopportune injury or a free agent raid on the talented players who took the team to the playoffs in the first place. The effect can be seen as each season the Lakers out sell the Clippers in the sale of tickets for the regular season because of the realization of playoff hopes.
The Clippers started the offseason by stealing Baron Davis away from the Warriors, thinking that the combination of Davis and Elton Brand could break through the playoff barrier in the Western Conference. Then the hope for playoff tickets was swept away as Brand went east to the 76ers. Then the Warriors enacted revenge and took Corey Maggette. Now the Clippers are in a similar situation as last season. They are a one star team with tons of potential and athletic talent that they are waiting to develop.
That potential includes Chris Kaman, Al Thorton, and Eric Gordon. Kaman is a double-double machine now in the post. Thorton proved that he is more than just a ‘tweener and can be a small forward. Gordon is the latest rookie unknown. Gordon will not start at 2 Guard. Instead the veteran scoring burst known as Cuttino Mobley will try to energize the court. The Clippers tried to salvage the hopes for playoff tickets by obtaining Marcus Camby to add some defense in the post and Jason Williams for backup for the oft-injured Baron Davis. Like every season, the Clippers have incredible talent and if the players can become a cohesive unit then they can be playing in the postseason.