Los Angeles Clippers (1984-Present)

Historical Moments:
1984/85: As the Clippers arrived in Los Angeles they would make a major trade sending up and coming players Terry Cummings, Rickey Pierce, and Craig Hodges to the Milwaukee Bucks for Marques Johnson, Junior Bridgeman, Harvey Catchings, and cash, who were all past their prime. After splitting the first 2 games on the road the Clippers played their first game at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, which had been discarded by the Lakers as outdated in 1967, and since been used by USC on November 1st beating the New York Knicks by 2 points. Through the first 6 weeks the Clippers played .500 basketball. However, their season began to sink with a 6-game losing streak in December. By early March the Clippers were out of the playoff race with a record of 22-39 when Coach Jim Lyman was fired and replaced by Don Chaney. Under Chaney the Clippers would not do much better finishing in 5th place with a dreadful 31-51 record.

1985/86: The Clippers would get off to a fast start winning their first 5 games. However, just as quickly they returned to their losing ways losing their next 8. Along the way the Clippers lost Derek Smith to a knee injury. The Clippers would go on to lose 50 games for the 5th year in a row with a record of 32-50. Following the season the Clippers would hire former Lakers star and Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor as head of basketball operations.

1986/87: In his first draft Elgin Baylor was without a first rounder as the 2 players selected in later rounds played a total of 6 minutes on the season. The Clippers would split their first 6 games but it was all down hill from heir as the Clippers sank to new depths in a season full of prolonged losing streaks the Clippers would finish dead last with a hideous 12-70 record.

1987/88: Under new Coach Gene Shue the Clippers would not much better finishing in last place again with a league worst record of 17-65. Despite the continued losing Michael Cage gave Clippers fans reason to be proud as he pulled down 30 rebounds in the final gave of the season to capture the rebounding title. However, following the season the Clippers would trade Cage to the Seattle Supersonics for Gary Grant and a 1989 draft pick.

1988/89: After winning the draft lottery the Clippers select NCAA Tournament hero Danny Manning who single handily led the University of Kansas to a National Title. However, Manning would go down 26 games into the season with a knee injury as the Clippers continued to struggle losing 50 games for the 8 straight year and 60 for the 3rd as they again sank into last in the Pacific with an awful 21-61 record, which was only slightly better then the 2 expansion teams.

1989/90: With the 2nd overall pick in the draft the Clippers select Danny Ferry out of Duke. However, Ferry would never join the Clippers signing with a team in Italy. This would force General Manager Elgin Baylor into trading his draft rights to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ron Harper, a pair of first-round draft choices, and a second-round pick. The Clippers were approaching .500 at 16-19 when the injury bug bit them again as Ron Harper who averaged 23.0 ppg went down to a knee injury. The Clippers would go on to lose 50 again while finishing in 6th place at 30-52.

1990/91: Finishing near the bottom of the NBA continued to leave the Clippers with high draft choices as they selected Bo Kimble and Loy Vaught in the first round. Through the first 6 weeks the young Clippers were sailing around .500. However, the Clippers would struggle the rest of the way topping 50 losses for the 10th year in a row while finishing in 6th place with a 31-51 record, as Benoit Benjamin is traded to the Seattle Supersonics for Olden Polynice midway through the season.

1991/92: The Clippers would get off to a strong start with Danny Manning and Ron Harper were healthy and leading a young Clippers team to a 14-10 start. However, the Clippers would struggle over the next few weeks sliding back below .500 with a 22-25 record as Coach Mike Schuler is fired and replaced by Larry Brown who only a few weeks earlier had resigned as coach of the San Antonio Spurs. Under Brown the Clippers would play their best basketball in years winning 23 of their final 35 games to finish with a 45-37, which ended a string of 13 straight losing seasons and got them into the postseason for the first time in 16 years when they were still known as the Buffalo Braves. In the playoffs the Clippers would get off to a slow start dropping the first 2 games on the road to the Utah Jazz. After taking Game 3 at home the Clippers had their trip to the playoff ruined by the Rodney King riots that forced a delay to Game 4, which would eventually be, moved o Anaheim. However, the Clippers would still force a 5th game with a win in Game 4. The Clipper would go on to lose Game 5 on the road, but appeared to be sailing in the right direction.

1992/93: Prior to the start of the season the Clippers would make a blockbuster trade sending Doc Rivers, Bo Kimble, and Charles Smith to the New York Knicks, while receiving Mark Jackson and Stanley Roberts in a 3-team deal that also included the Orlando Magic. The Clippers would get off to a solid start and sailed into February with a winning record, as Danny Manning became the first Clippers to make the All-Star team in 7 years. The Clippers would go on to finish the season with a 41-41 record making the playoffs for the 2nd straight season. In the playoffs the Clippers would battle the Houston Rockets alternating wins through 5 games before the Clippers season was ended with an 84-80 loss in Game 5 at Houston. Following the season the Clippers would allow Coach Larry Brown to leave, and take a similar job with the Indiana Pacers, despite being the only skipper to get the Clippers into the playoffs.

1993/94: Under new Coach Bob Weiss the Clippers would sink back to the bottom of the Pacific Division posting a horrible 27-55 record. Along the way the Clippers would trade Danny Manning to the Atlanta Hawks for Dominique Wilkins, fearing they would not be able to resign Manning following the season. However, Wilkins himself a free agent would leave following the season leaving the Clippers with nothing again. Ron Harper would join Wilkins in the free agency exodus.

1994/95: Already without Ron Harper and Dominique Wilkins the Clippers would lose Stanley Roberts and Elmore Spencer to injuries as the Clippers sank before even leaving the harbor losing their first 16 games on the way to an awful season of 17-65 in which the Clippers finished in last place again. In another puzzling move the Clippers would trade the draft rights to Antonio McDyess and guard Randy Woods to the Denver Nuggets for Rodney Rogers and the draft rights to Brent Barry.

1995/96: With the addition of Brian Williams and the continued development of Loy Vaught the Clippers showed some improvement despite continuing to float in last place with a record of 29-53, as the team played without Stanley Roberts, Pooh Richardson, Malik Sealy and Rodney Rogers for long stretches during the season. The highlight of the season would come during the All-Star break when Brent Barry the son of NBA Hall of Famer proved White Men Can Jump by winning the Slam Dun Contest when he took off from the free throw line and completed a gravity-defying dunk.

1996/97: With loss of Brian Williams to Free Agency the Clippers were expected to sink to the bottom of the NBA again. However with the continued solid play of Loy Vaught the team managed to slip into the playoffs despite a less then stellar 34-48 record as the Clippers took advantage of several contenders collapsing down the stretch. However, in the playoffs the Clippers would show quickly hey did not belong as they are swept in 3 straight games by the Utah Jazz.

1997/98: With Loy Vaught going down early in the season to back injury the Clippers, who surprised everyone the year before by making the playoffs surprise no one by sinking back to the bottom of the Pacific Division with a wretched 17-65 record. Following the season the Clippers would fire Coach Bill Fitch who had moved into 2nd on the all-time wins list during the season. Finishing in last place the Clippers would win the draft lottery. However, they stunned everyone including their fans by selecting Michael Olowokandi, who was considered by most to be a project with the top pick.

1998/99: The start of the season was delayed by a 4-month lockout that cut the season down to 50 games. However, the Clippers still managed to lose 40 games, finishing in last place again with an awful 9-41 record.

1999/00: The Clippers would step future into the shadow of the Lakers as they moved into the Staples Center with their more successful NBA counterparts. This move was made despite success the Clippers had while playing occasional games at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim. While the Lakers were on the way to the NBA title the Clippers sank to the bottom of the Pacific again with a league worse 15-67. Rookie Lamar Odom would provide a bright spot as he averaged a solid 16.6 ppg.

2000/01: Lamar Odom would have a strong second season leading the Clippers in scoring and rebounding as the Clippers doubled their previous season's win total finishing in 6th place with a 31-51 record.

2001/02: With the acquisition of Elton Brand and the continued improvement of Quentin Richardson and Michael Olowokandi the Clippers played competitive basketball through most of the first half holding a 25-26 record at the All-Star Break, despite losing Lamar Odom to a knee injury. The Clippers would continue their solid play in the 2nd half climbing 3 games above .500 on March 23rd. However, in a tough Western Conference the Clippers would not be factor in the playoff race, as they posted 39-43 record finishing 5 games out of the last playoff spot.

2002/03: With the acquisition of Andre Miller from the Cleveland Cavaliers there was a sense of optimism surrounding the Clippers for the first time in years. However Miller never gelled into the Clippers system as their young players many of whom were in contract years appeared more concerned with stats for Free Agency then with winning games for the Clippers, which created tension in the locker room all year. With all the Clippers playing as individuals the team fell apart early and sank back to the bottom of the Pacific Division. As the season wore on Coach Alvin Gentry would be dismissed as the Clippers season turned into a complete and total disaster as they finished in last place with a terrible record of 27-55. Following the season it would be abandoned ship as the penny pinching Clippers were unable to resign Andre Miller, Michael Olowkandi, and Lamar Odom a restricted free agent that actually publicly begged the Clippers not to match the deal he signed with the Miami Heat.

2003/04: With the Clippers starting from scratch again as they celebrated their 20th season in Los Angeles the team got off to a relatively good under new Coach Mike Dunleavy, as they held a 22-25 record on February 6th. However as the season wore on the young Clippers wore down and struggled badly as they won just 6 games after co-hosting the All-Star Game at Staples Center with the Lakers. The Clippers would slowly sink down the standings coming to rest once again at the bottom of the Pacific Division with a terrible 28-54 record. Following the season the Clippers would lose their best player Quentin Richardson to Free Agency as they tried a futile attempt to sign Kobe Bryant away from the Lakers who used the Clippers to get a better deal from the Lakers.

2004/05: With a young team with some promising talent led by Elton Brand the Clippers got off to a solid start posting a 9-6 record in November. However, December would bring winter and more struggles for the Clippers as they lost 7 of 8 in the middle of the month to erase their good start. Things would not get much better after the New Year as the Clippers never were a factor in the playoff chase. However, they would manage to finish with a better record then the Lakers finishing in 3rd place with a 37-45 record, while Bobby Simmons took home the first individual award in Clippers history winning recognition as the NBA's Most Improved Player. While Elton Brand continued to establish himself as a rising star with 20 ppg and 9.5 rpg.

2005/06: The Clippers who played well but made the playoffs the year before came out of the gate firing as they won their first three games on the way to a 14-5 start that had them in first place in December, as Elton Brand certified himself as a NBA star, while new additions Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley made important contributions right away. The Clippers would cool off and would stay in first place long, but their would be no sinking to the bottom of the Pacific Division this time around as the Clippers were for real and played solid basketball all season, as they made the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. In addition their 47-35 record was their best since leaving Buffalo, as they finished in second place. In the competitive Western Conference the Clippers would only manage the 6th seed, but due to having a better record then the Northwest Davison Champion Denver Nuggets, they would have home court advantage for the first time since moving to Los Angeles. In Game 1 a sold out Staples Center saw the Clippers edge the Nuggets 89-87 for the first playoff win in 13 years. Clippers fans would only have to wait two days for their next win as they got a 2-0 series lead with a 98-87 win. After losing Game 3 on the road the Clippers took a 3-1 series lead by using a balanced attack to beat the Nuggets on the road 100-86 as seven Clippers scored double digits. The balanced attack continued in Game 5 as three players went over 20 points as the Clippers won their first playoff series since they played in Buffalo, clinching the series in 5 games with a 101-83 win. In the second round a possible all Los Angeles series was short-circuited when the Lakers blew a 3-1 series lead to the Phoenix Suns, losing in seven games. Facing the Suns the Clippers went from B-feature to the main attraction in LA, as the team that once provided nothing but comic, had become a legitimate NBA contender. Game 1 in Phoenix would be a shootout as Elton Brand scored 40 points, but the Suns won 130-123. In Game 2 the Clips would rebound thanks in part to a monster game from the Clippers in the middle as the out rebounded the Suns 57-26, winning 122-97. Game 3 in the Staples Center would be another close one, but in the end the Suns were too much as Shawn Marion led the Suns to a 94-91 win. The Clippers would bounce back again to even the series as Brand scored 30 in a 114-107 victory. Elton Brand would have another strong game in Game 5 at Phoenix with 33 points and 15 boards, but the Clippers would lose in double overtime 125-118. Once again the Clippers would recover winning Game 6 by a score of 118-106 as Brand scored 30 again to force a decisive seventh game. However, not even a 36 point game from Elton Brand could help the Clippers win the series as the Suns won the closer 127-107.

2006/07: The Clippers first taste of playoff success had Clippers fans feeling they have never felt before, things like pride and optimism as they entered the new season. The Clippers success also go them better deals for Television and Radio, as expectations were high. The Clippers started well winning five of their first six games. However, problem arose quickly as they endured a five game losing streak in November and a six game losing streak in December slipping below .500. After Christmas the Clippers started to turn things around as they put together a solid 13-6 stretch through January to edge back over the break even mark. However, in February injuries would start to take their toll. as Shaun Livingston suffered a devastating knee injury during a 103-93 win over the Charlotte Bobcats, tearing all three ligaments in his left knee while dislocating the knee cap, after landing awkwardly while going up for a lay up. In March the Clippers would continue to struggle as their playoff hopes started to sink as they lost five in row to fall to 30-36. The Clippers would not give up as they made one more run to get close to .500 and into the playoffs, but in the end they would fall two games short with a record of 40-42.