Clippers Basketball – Bringing Back Showtime But Not a Title

Brad Abraham March 19, 2013 Basketball, Sight & Sound, Sports

LeBron James’ February might rank as one of the greatest displays of basketball of all time. Kevin Durant is on track to join the elite 50-40-90 Club (50% Field Goal Percentage, 40% 3pt and 90% from the charity stripe). Kobe Bryant continues to defy age with a stellar season as he singlehandedly wills a misfiring Lakers squad into the playoffs. Right now, the NBA is flush with compelling narratives and exciting teams but no squad is as thrilling as the L.A Clippers.

The Clippers won’t win the title this year as they have too rely too heavily on the brilliance of Chris Paul to survive a potential seven game series against Oklahoma but rest assured they will dominate the inevitable Season 2012/13 Highlights DVD.

In the past two weeks, superstar Blake Griffin and centre DeAndre Jordan have unleashed two slam dunks of such devastation and power that you couldn’t help but flinch. Griffin’s latest effort against New York off an alley oop from CP3 woke up a customarily lethargic L.A crowd. Having been to the Staples Center, earlier this year to see the Clippers play, it’s hard to argue against the common slur that Los Angeles fans are a shallow bunch. Even with the Clippers delivering thrilling entertainment, many fans could barely pull their eyes away from the phones long enough to pay attention.

Although Griffin’s New York tour de force would usually catapult to the top of any highlight list, it feels like a distant second in comparison to DeAndre Jordan’s vicious piledriver against Detroit.

The sheer violence of the dunk as Jordan crushed a hapless Brandon Knight was thrilling. All that was missing a police officer to run on to the court and draw a chalk outline around Knight’s carcass. Jordan himself couldn’t help but cringe as he saw the replay.

Then there’s Griffin’s pregame warm up through the legs dunk that had Jeff Van Gundy nodding his approval in stunned awe.

And of course let’s not forget the dunk that kickstarted this recent barrage – Jamal Crawford’s through the legs alley oop to a charging Blake.

Jordan’s assault on the rim and Brandon Knight probably gets the nod as the pick of the bunch but it’s not an easy choice.

The Clippers may be the league’s flat track bullies- they haven’t beaten a Western Conference playoff team since January – but at least commentator Ralph Lawler and his screams of “Slaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam Dunk!” and “Oh me! Oh My!” are on track to become the soundtrack to a generation of hoops fans worldwide.