The Blake Show - Lob City

As of today, the Clippers are the best team in the NBA.

This is not my opinion but a fact. With the league’s best  record of 24-6 and currently riding a franchise record winning streak of 16 straight games the Clippers appear to be unstoppable.

Naysayers will understandably rush to check the Clippers’ schedule in hopes of derailing the “Lob City”  train with accusations of an easy schedule. Sadly they will be forced to find another way to stop this machine as wins against playoff bound teams such as the Grizzlies, Lakers, Spurs, Trail Blazers, Atlanta, Miami, Denver and Boston prove otherwise.

How did this happen you ask?

It all started with Blake Griffin getting drafted to the Clippers with the 1st overall pick in 2009 but who had to sit out his first year due to injury. The Clippers went 29-53 that season and finished outside the playoffs in the 12th spot near the bottom of the Western Conference. Griffin would be cleared to play in 2010-11 and shocked the world with his athletic dunks turning him into an instant All-Star and a household name around the world. That still wouldn’t be enough as the Clippers finished the year with only 3 more wins at 32-50 and even lower than the previous year at the 13th spot in the West to end the season.

As phenomenal as Blake was, he would need help and it came in the form of Chris Paul.

In several confusing hours that perhaps could only be explained with the help of X-Files FBI agent Fox Mulder, Chris Paul became a Los Angeles Clipper. The Clippers finished the 2011-12 season in 5th place with a 40-26 record, beat the Grizzlies in a 7 game 1st round playoff series but came up short getting swept in 4 games against the Spurs in the 2nd round.

With that we come full circle. The Clippers’ run and gun style known as “Lob City” are the new kings of L.A. even though 5 All-Stars make up the Los Angeles Lakers’ starting lineup. To be fair, the Clippers bench is riddled with talent and arguably the best 12 man roster in the NBA. The Clippers bench plays just as intense as the starters and are capable of closing out games giving the stars a well deserved breather keeping their legs rested for the next game.

All this to say the Clippers deserve to be where they are and are have had fun getting here. They’re not only destined to make noise in the playoffs but if they can avoid their Kryptonite (Grizzlies and Spurs) who slow the pace of the game essentially shutting down “Lob City”, they could be headed to the NBA Finals. With a team history of no Division Titles, Conference Titles or Championships since the team was founded in 1970, even naysayers have to admit it would be fun to watch history made one lob at a time.

Lob City Rises

NBA Seasons:
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2008-2009 : 14th (19-63)
2009-2010 : 12th (29-53)
2010-2011 : 13th (32-50) Enter Blake Griffin
2011-2012 : 5th (40-26) Enter Chris Paul

Time to Talk New York Knicks

If there is one thing that has remained constant over the years in the NBA, it is the labels that certain teams are awarded at the start of the season or that are carried over from years prior.

Since Lebron took his talents to South Beach, the Heat have been ‘favored to win’. Since Kobe got back on track with Pau Gasol, the Lakers have always been ‘a team you should never count out’. The Spurs have been ‘old reliable’ for the last 5 years and the Nuggets are ‘a team on the rise.’ Last, but not least, we cannot forget new additions such as the ‘likely to come out of the West’ Thunder and the Derrick Rose led ‘Heat killer’ Chicago Bulls.

With all eyes on the 2012 Championship Heat and The Avengers, also known as the Lakers, little else has been talked about. Shame on all of us.

The only team that has been historically bombarded with attention whether expected to do well or not with no label ever sticking, are the New York Knicks.

We all know the stories that the Knicks and Madison Square Garden can conjure up even during a terrible season. We also know what types of headlines they can create with a successful one. To be fair, Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudamire are regulars on the All-Star Ballot; add to that last year’s Linsanity and everyone and their grandparents were talking about the Knicks. With a 2012 1st round playoff loss to the Heat, an injured Amar’e Stoudamire and a trade that sent Jeremy Lin to Houston, this season started with little hype outside the matchup with the NBA’s new darlings the Brooklyn Nets. Still, no label.

The number one story that we as basketball fans should be talking about to start this 2012-13 NBA season is the undefeated 6-0 New York Knicks. Beating the Heat by 20 points barely registered on the NBA Richter Scale. That win was followed up with a 16 and 22 point win in back to back games versus the 76ers. Again, not a blip on the radar. The Knicks didn’t mind one bit. They went on to beat the 2011 NBA Champions Dallas Mavericks by 10 points, took 3 days off and then did the same to the Orlando Magic. As if all that was not enough, they defeated the ‘old reliable’ San Antonio Spurs 104-100 last night in an impressive comeback victory.

With point averages like Carmelo’s 26, J.R. Smith’s 18, Raymond Felton’s 14 and Tyson Chandler’s 10, scoring has not been a problem. Throw in about 20 assists per game and 42% 3-point shooting, you have your answer as to why they are so good offensively. On the other hand, 30 of their 39 total rebounds per game are coming from the defensive end. Add to that an average of 9 steals and it paints a clear picture as to why only 1 team has come within 5 points when the buzzer goes off.

So what label should the Knicks get for starting the season so well and having the best record in the league? How about the ‘team with the best record in the NBA’ and leave it at that. I hate labels.

(Photo from streetball.com)