los_angeles clippers history
los_angeles clippers history
Don't giggle: Los Angeles Clippers tickets are hotter than ever. The team has raced out to a surprising lead in the Western Conference, stating their claim as the new face of elite teams in the NBA. Behind the unlikely pairing of discontents Sam Cassell and Corey Maggette, two of the biggest gripers in the league, the Clippers have found harmony in unfamiliar territory: the winning column. Staples Center is used to running out of tickets for Kobe and company, but this is something new for the City of Angels. If Cassell and Maggette can continue to get along, and Elton Brand keeps playing like Elton Brand, the Clippers may be punching their tickets to the playoffs this year.
Playoff tickets have not been the norm for the Clippers. Started in
1978, the franchise stumbled through a disappointing season, as Bill
Walton succumbed to injuries in the team's only season in San Diego. The franchise was shut down, and the world would not see another Clippers team until 1983 in Los Angeles. One could say that a Clipper-less world would not have been history's biggest tragedy. When the new incarnation took shape, in the shadow of the 80's greatest franchise, they did more than stumbled out of the blocks. They took a bad start, and turned it into a way of life. When the best player on your team for the first 5 years was Michael Cage, you know you have problems.
Problems were frequent for the Clipper ticket holders in the 80's. Los Angeles was able to draft Danny Manning and Danny Ferry in 1988 and 1989 respectively, but neither All-American panned out in the NBA. Manning was hampered by injuries throughout his career, and Ferry flat-out refused to play for the NBA's worst franchise, opting for Italy instead.
In 1992 Larry Brown arrived midway through the season, and did the
Impossible. He made the Clippers a playoff team. Behind a healthy
Manning, and the high-flying Ron Harper, Brown was able to steer the Clipper's ship into a first round defeat to the Utah Jazz.
The Clippers were able to sell NBA Playoff tickets again in 1993, but Los
Angeles lost a hard-fought series to the Houston Rockets. Brown would leave the next year, and the Clippers never found another path the to the NBA postseason.
Since their last appearance, Clippers got to see the likes of Slam Dunk Contest Champion Brent Barry, enigmatic All-Star Lamar Odom, and a host of big lottery picks that turned into big stiffs in the NBA. But the future looks bright for the first time in a long time. Brand has established himself as one of the most consistent stars in the NBA, and there is no doubting Magette's raw talent. The two former Duke Blue Devil's know a thing or two about winning, and it's starting to rub off.
So get your Los Angeles Clipper tickets now. This team is young, and talented and explosive in more ways than one. They have taken the NBA by storm in 2005, and they show no signs of slowing down. Come to the Staples Center and take in the action first-hand.
