It was hard to tell what the Golden State Warriors enjoyed more last summer — hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy or waving it in the faces of the many critics who proclaimed their championship-winning days over.
Whichever it was, they’re going to get a chance to do it all again.
While the skepticism is not as strong as it was leading up to the Warriors’ defeat of the Boston Celtics last June for their fifth title in the last nine years — and first after a two-year absence from the postseason altogether — a healthy sampling of NBA scouts, GMs and coaches polled by FOX Sports had no trouble offering a host of reasons the Warriors will not be in this year’s Finals. And that’s not just because of their slow start, at 3-4 heading into Tuesday’s game in Miami.
The most popular reason: the Los Angeles Clippers, a team that has never won a conference title in its 53-year history. Granted, the Clippers have undergone a massive transformation since billionaire Steve Ballmer acquired them eight years ago. They now have star power in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, a championship-caliber head coach in Tyronn Lue and a sharp-shooting, physical, versatile roster. They’re already ahead of the Warriors this season in one respect: player payroll. The Clippers have the largest by a few hundred thousand over the Warriors, thanks to an astounding nine players making $10 million or more, led by both George and Leonard pulling in more than $42 million each.
Still, it’s hard for the average fan to wrap his or her head around seeing “Clippers” and “champions” in the same sentence, even with Ballmer’s largesse. There are, after all, the checkered injury histories of George and Leonard; George hasn’t played more than 54 games in any of the last three seasons, Leonard hasn’t played more than 57 and missed all of last season with a torn ACL. The belief in the Clippers around the league speaks to just how deep they are. They nearly went to the Finals two years ago after losing Leonard to that ACL tear, eventually falling in six games to the Phoenix Suns – an ill-timed injury that the normally reserved Leonard recently described to FOX Sports as “devastating.” Since then, they’ve added Norm Powell, Robert Covington and John Wall. A few injuries might actually help Lue keep everyone happy.
Although the Clippers have also opened the season a modest 2-4, no one appears swayed.
“I don’t think they care about the regular season,” an Eastern…
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