After an impressive 2-1 week let’s see where NBA media members place the 43-20 Clippers among the 30 teams in the NBA.
ESPN
Last week: 3, This Week: 3
Notes: “Ahead of Sunday’s game against the Lakers, many players tried to downplay the matchup as “just another game.” Obviously, it wasn’t; that much was clear in the first five minutes. But that doesn’t mean you should overreact to the outcome. Going in, the Clippers were 10-0 at full strength. That lineup is what they’ve been working toward. That doesn’t mean just getting Paul George back; it means getting him back to a high level. Sunday’s game was a positive sign in that direction”
Sports Illustrated
Last week: 3, This week: 3
Notes: “The Clippers couldn’t contain LeBron James and the Lakers on Sunday, but they should be encouraged by Paul George’s performance. Kawhi Leonard’s sidekick tallied 31 points on 16 shots at the Staples Center, continuing to find his rhythm amid a shaky 2019-20. The Clippers will be far more formidable for James and Co. if George is at the peak of his powers in May.”
Bleacher Report
Last week: 5, This week: 2
Notes: “The more looks we get at the full-strength Clippers, the harder it is to find weaknesses.
Capable of fielding massive lineups with switchable wings and the 6’9″ Paul George at shooting guard or shrinking into like-sized small-ball units, the Clips can transform like few other teams. Add to that a second unit bolstered by a motivated Reggie Jackson (whose ball-handling frees up Lou Williams to hunt buckets even more single-mindedly) and a reserve corps good enough to compete with plenty of opposing starters, and there’s just no letup in this group.
L.A. hammered the small-ball Rockets on Thursday to hit 10-0 with its full rotation, but it wasn’t up to the challenge presented by the focused Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, falling 112-103 to end a six-game winning streak. Paul George was brilliant against the Lakers, scoring 31 points on 16 field-goal attempts. If the Clips could have gotten him a few more second-half looks (ideally at the expense of Marcus Morris Sr., who was 0-of-9 from the floor), the result could have been different.
A win over the Lakers might even have earned the Clippers the top spot this week. Still, with the Bucks looking vulnerable for the first time all year and with convincing wins over the Nuggets, Sixers, Thunder and Rockets in the last two weeks, the Clips’ recent resume is excellent.
They’ll have to settle for No. 2.
CBS Sports
Last week: 4, This week: 3
Notes: “Despite the high-profile loss to the Lakers in one of the best played games of the season, the Clippers are clearly starting to click. Now it’s just up to Doc Rivers to find the right combinations with his incredibly deep and (for now) healthy roster. A silver lining to the Lakers loss is that Paul George had a breakout offensive game after struggling following his return from his latest injury.”
Yahoo Sports
Last Week: 3, This week: 2
Notes: “The Lakers loss notwithstanding, the Clippers are starting to show signs of gearing up for what looks to be a long playoff run.”
The Athletic
Last week: 3, This week: 2
Notes: “Did the expectations change? I think they remained the exact same, even after the Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson and Joakim Noah acquisitions.
Maybe Jackson or Noah will actually contribute in the playoffs. Maybe Morris won’t think he’s the number one option on this team. Regardless, I don’t believe anything has changed for the Clippers and their expectations this season. They’re in a title or bust mentality, just like a couple of other teams. Giving up the haul they gave up to bring in Paul George, which also meant bringing in Kawhi Leonard, immediately made this a “win championships now” mode for the Clips.
Why this ranking? Even though they fell to the Lakers on Sunday, this was a really good week for the Clippers. Wins over Oklahoma City and Houston were huge. They’re 10-1 on the season when they’re at full strength and that one loss happened against the Lakers.”
