| Like so many Los Angeles natives, growing up I | | | | Braves. They were later moved to San Diego and |
| was conditioned to love the Los Angeles Lakers | | | | changed their name to San Diego Chargers in |
| and the Los Angeles Dodgers first and foremost, | | | | 1974 and then finally settled in Los Angeles in |
| followed by the Los Angeles Kings and the | | | | 1984. The Clippers are an enigma in that they |
| Anaheim Angels, and then on to our college | | | | have never won a Division Title, a Conference |
| teams the UCLA Bruins and yes, and even | | | | Title, or an NBA Championship, making them the |
| Trojans. But never as a kid growing up do I recall | | | | oldest NBA team to never appear in the NBA |
| hearing much about the underdog Clippers. The | | | | Finals. It must however be noted that the Clippers |
| team shares the STAPLES Center as their | | | | have advanced to the playoffs four times since |
| home-court with last years NBA Champions and | | | | their arrival in Los Angeles, most recently their |
| yet still we know so little of them. I mean, for | | | | incredible 2006 season, and it is widely believed by |
| heavens sake, I work for a company that is an | | | | fans and critics alike that the Clippers have not |
| official sponsor for the Clippers, and even went to | | | | quite seen a pool of talent like they have now. |
| a 2008 Dodgers Playoffs game sharing a bus with | | | | In the 2005 and 2006 season the Clippers posted |
| Clippers guard Eric Gordon and a few other | | | | better records than the Los Angeles Lakers and |
| players, but still I didn't really give them much | | | | in 2006 they won the first round of the Playoffs |
| thought. | | | | for the second time in the teams' history; the last |
| Well, after the Los Angeles Lakers- Los Angeles | | | | of which had been as the Buffalo Braves. The |
| Clippers game in 2009, marking the first game of | | | | Clippers' performance in the 2006 playoffs earned |
| the 2009 season for the Los Angeles Clippers, | | | | their General Manager Elgin Baylor the NBA |
| something about their performance caught my | | | | Executive of the Year Award. Since their |
| eye. They lost to the best team in the NBA by | | | | astounding 2006 year, in the 2007 season the |
| just seven points. Though so far their record is | | | | Clippers final record was 23 wins to 59 losses and |
| 1-4, I wanted to learn more about the Clippers. | | | | in 2008 they won 18 games to sixty-three losses. |
| For one, out of all thirty NBA teams, the Clippers | | | | So as a new Clippers fan, one has to ask, why |
| rank 23rd on the payroll at $58,871,653; | | | | the sudden change in luck over the last two |
| compared to home-court brothers the Lakers, | | | | season and how will the Clippers bounce back this |
| who are the highest pay rolled team in the NBA | | | | year and escape the shadow of their mega-star |
| at $91,377,313. It seems for the Clippers to lose | | | | brother the Los Angeles Lakers? It is comforting |
| their first game of the year against last year's | | | | to know that even the Lakers are not |
| number one team by just seven points; well they | | | | undefeated this early into the season. I cannot |
| are a noteworthy underdog to say the least. | | | | wait to learn more about the Clippers roster and |
| The Clippers were founded in 1970 as the Buffalo | | | | what each player is made of. |