In the closing seconds of a Game 2 loss to Dallas, amid the sullen faces on the Los Angeles sidelines you could almost see the ghostly visages of Clippers past. Of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, the core of Lob City, a freewheeling, rim-running team that won the franchise’s first two division titles and averaged 54.6 wins per season between 2013 and but had just two postseason series victories to show for it. Of Elton Brand, Corey Maggette and Sam Cassell, Clippers stars of the early aughts whose seasons routinely ended before the playoffs. Of Terry Cummings, Michael Cage and Danny Manning, leaders of ’80s L.
The Clippers Are Battling the Jazz—and Their Own Cursed History
