PHOENIX —
The Clippers returned home from their final road trip of the season early Wednesday morning carrying with them both a prize and a challenge.
The prize is a top-five finish in the NBA’s Western Conference standings and the playoff berth that goes with it. That’s hardly a novel achievement though: the Clippers have finished in the top five in the conference 10 times in the last 13 years.
Which brings us to the challenge. Because for all that regular-season success, the Clippers have made it as far as the conference finals just once in franchise history.