Showtime Returns to LA

Showtime Returns to LA

A couple years back, I despised everything the NBA had to offer from California. If the league was going to drop 4 teams, they would all be in the golden state. Not true anymore.

A couple years back, the Clippers were the butt of butt jokes even butts would take offense too. We know the story from there. Along came a strapping young lad from Oklahoma, bearing the number 32 on his jersey. Able to leap cars in a single bound.  Frequently tops the Sports Center “Top 10”. Blake Griffin made Clippers basketball exciting. Then, the superstar of Chris Paul was traded in from New Orleans. I remember that day very well. I remember seeing videos of Blake literally jumping in excitement shouting “Lob City!!! Lob City!!!” I remember the look on Chris Kaman’s face, holding up his new jersey, the newest member of the Hornets… Not very pleased… Sadder than a child who just dropped his candy bar, spilled his milk, and found out someone stole his puppy. But aside from the Hornets loss, excitement in the newly crowned Lob City was building. We all knew, the Clips were going to be good.

But did we see them being THIS good?

As of this moment, those other guys from LA that share the stadium with the all powerful Lakers currently lead the league, with a record of 22-6 (.786%), not to mention setting a franchise record 14 win streak. To add to that, they're doing so with style. I don’t need to remind anyone of the embarrassment one such Blake Griffin has provided to the likes of Kendrick Perkins and Pau Gasol (twice). On December 25 when the Clips beat the Denver Nuggets, the original “show time” Magic Johnson said show time is back! Not in Laker Land though.

With their winning ways this early in the season, the question is legitimate. How far can the Clippers go? Obviously the chemistry is amazing with this team. Everyone is involved, everyone is flying. It seems like no matter when you watch a game, you're going to see something amazing from someone.  They are just cozy and having a blast out their! So are they championship material? I’m going to go ahead and say yes. These guys could very well win some gold. Do I think it’s going to be this year? No. Honestly right now, I don’t have any good guesses as to who’s going to do it this time around. But this year, I’m going to say the Clips are going to make a very deep playoff run. Maybe conference finals. Being as young as they are, I just don’t see them making the finals yet. But I see them getting enough to get even hungrier.

If you have yet to see the Clippers play, do it. Buy a ticket. Buy a lower bowl ticket. Get as close to the action as you can. Last season I was fortunate enough to have this opportunity. My heart still rattles. Section 9, Row 23 is where we parked.  We originally had tickets for the nose bleeds, but with this being my wives first NBA game, go BIG. Made a deal with a guy on the corner (which I really don’t recommend, and happy it didn’t backfire) and got ourselves right behind the red guys bench (23 rows up mind you). You could actually read the jerseys, you could see the emotions. Tip-off, Clippers have first possession. So what’s the first thing they do? Paul lobs to Blake for the first two. My phrase of the night was “WHAT THE?!?!” I said that so much I annoyed myself! Funny thing about Blake is he really is one of the nicest guys I’ve seen play. He bumped into someone on the court, he would literally turn to them and apologize… Until he started going to the rim… Beast mode…

Really, seeing this Clippers squad needs to be on your bucket list. If you don’t have a bucket list, make one just for this purpose. Now is the perfect time to be a Clippers fan. Aside from my primary rants about the wonder that is Blake Griffin, his teammates are just as amazing to watch. It’s getting more  where you see a lot more on the top ten then Blake. You have to be a fool not to root for someone as fun to watch as these guys. Watch out for them. They're making waves, and they're only swelling.