LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Clippers have maintained a holding pattern, both satisfying and distressing, over the last six seasons. They have reached the playoffs each year, a streak that ranks fourth in the N.B.A., yet they have not gone beyond the second round despite an enviable roster sprinkled with All-Stars present and past.
A 104-91 loss at home on Sunday, in Game 7 of their first-round series with the Utah Jazz, kept that pattern intact, while also foreshadowing extensive disruption for the franchise.
A convergence of contractual developments and creeping age could break up the band.