After dancing with disaster time and again, the Los Angeles Clippers are looking to make that all-important leap from good to great.
Their last two campaigns ended in heartbreak and disappointment. During the 2014 playoffs, Chris Paul fumbled away what would've been a Game 5 win in Oklahoma City before the Thunder secured a spot in the Western Conference Finals in Game 6.
This past spring, the Clippers were almost over the proverbial hump. They survived a classic first-round series against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs by the skin of their teeth and seemed to have a trip to the third round, opposite their rival Golden State Warriors, in the bag.