If you told the Los Angeles Clippers before the season started that they’d have no Kawhi Leonard, lose Paul George for an extended period, miss several others at different times — often simultaneously — due to illness and injury, and still be in with a shot of making the playoffs, I think they’d have taken it. In the face of all kinds of mitigating circumstances, this squad can be pretty pleased with where they’re at, or at the very least proud of how much heart and fight they’ve shown.
This season has been a strange one for franchises up and down the league, and the Western Conference is now starting to take shape after the halfway point.