Are the Clips really contenders?

Before the Miami Heat went on a 27-game winning streak, the Los Angeles Clippers were one of the hottest teams in the league. Led by the strangely acquired Chris Paul, the Clippers started out the season looking like the team to beat. Their stellar young talent, as well as one of the strongest and deepest benches in the league, had them playing basketball like a team who could dethrone the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs as the top team in the west. Today, though, the Clippers are starting to look mortal.

In their game five loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Clippers saw their playoff hopes drastically change. With 5:39 left in the third quarter, Blake Griffin left the game for good. Griffin had previously rolled his ankle in practice that morning, and though he suited up and tried to play, he was not at his full potential. In fact, he looked out of place trying to mix it up with the bigs from Memphis. Without his uncanny athleticism, the undersized power forward was no match for the twin towers of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. The two combined for 46 of the teams 103 points.

While Griffin is a huge part of the Clippers emergence as a top team, the truth is the real change lies in the hands of CP3. Chris Paul, with one of his go-to options out, scored 35 points. The only other Clipper to score in double-digits was Jamal Crawford, who scored 15. Though I may have thought this series would be a walk in the park for the Clips it looks as though Memphis will be the team making it to the next round. Game six of the best of 7 series is set for Friday in Memphis. Will the Clips find an answer for defending the twin towers, or will Los Angeles see both their teams exit the playoffs in the first round?

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