Lou Williams, left, of the Clippers drives on Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors a few weeks ago at the Staples Center. The first place Clippers are the surprise team of the NBA.
At the beginning of the season of the season the Clippers were a mystery team. They had a lot of young players and two starters from last year were recovering from injuries from last season. They did not have any superstars but they had a few good players and a lot of role players. In today's NBA that's a recipe for disaster.
So far this season the Clippers have proved that they can win against some of the best teams in the league. At press time they were 13-6 which is good enough for first place in the Western Conference. They currently have the best record out of 15 teams in the conference. So much for superstars. The Clippers are winning with chemistry and talent, not talent and chemistry.
Right now their win total places them in the top six out of the 30 NBA teams. "The chemistry is great," said Clipper coach Doc Rivers after a recent win at the Staples Center. "We have good guys who accept their roles."
The young Clippers will be tested during the next week because they play their next four games on the road. Their next home game will be against the Miami Heat on Saturday, December 8, at 7:30 p.m.
Has the early season success surprised Rivers? "I am not surprised," said Rivers. "I have never had a team that exceeded my expectations. With this group you just prepare them and tell them to go play. We don't worry about who we are playing. We just go out there and play and if we do that we have a chance."
The Clippers may not have a superstar but they have three really good players in 6-9 forward Tobias Harris, 6-10 forward Danilo Gallinari and 6-1 guard Lou Williams. Those three players could be starters on any NBA team but the rest of the players on the team you might not recognize.
Some of the younger players on the team that are getting playing time and are producing are guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Sindarius Thornwell, Tyrone Wallace, and forward Montrezl Harrell.
"The chemistry is good on this team but it will continue to get better," said Harris. "We have a lot of options and we have a lot of guys who fill their roles. We have a lot of weapons. It's good to be able to go out there and play with your buddies. Every night we have to be at our best. That's what team basketball is all about."
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