Welcome to the Morning Shootaround, where every weekday you’ll get a fresh, topical column from one of SI.com’s NBA writers: Howard Beck on Mondays, Chris Mannix on Tuesdays, Michael Pina on Wednesdays, Chris Herring on Thursdays and Rohan Nadkarni on Fridays.
It’s hard not to compare the 2020–21 Clippers with last season’s colossal disappointment. When you watch them now—the first group in franchise history to make the conference finals after two straight 0–2 series comebacks (and possibly a third on the way)—there are several new faces, a new head coach and, outwardly, a resilient confidence that appears to have washed away any intrapersonal conflicts that festered until they collapsed against the Nuggets.