The Los Angeles Clippers are based in the city of California and are part of the NBA’s Western Conference and Pacific Division. Their home center is Crypto.com Arena and they share it with the Los Angeles Lakers. The stadium has a seating capacity of 19000 spectators. The team was initially established as the Buffalo Braves in 1970 after which they saw a name change to San Diego Clippers in 1978.
The name of the team was finalized as Los Angeles Clippers in 1984. The franchise is owned by Steve Ballmer who is the former CEO of Microsoft. The Clippers have made great advancements in basketball under his ownership. The team has historically featured many star players on their roster such as Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan to name a few. The Clippers have emerged as title contenders over the past few years with the acquisition of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
How many times has the Los Angeles Clippers made the playoffs?
The Los Angeles Clippers have made it to the playoffs 17 times in their history. They reached the playoffs for the first time in 1973 as the Buffalo Braves. As the San Diego Clippers, the team failed to make it to the postseason even once. Under the name of Los Angeles Clippers, the team has made it to the post season 13 times. Most of the playoff appearances of the Los Angeles Clippers have been characterized by first or second round exits.
The Los Angeles Clippers have had several turning points in their history which has given rise to high expectations from the fans in seeing the team succeed. Most of these turning points were administrative decisions that led to building formidable rosters over the years. However, inconsistencies in the roster due to performance, injury and competition has denied the Clippers the chance to meet the expectations of fans and analysts.
In the 2023-24 NBA season, the Clippers are placed 4th in the Western Conference standings and are poised to secure a playoff berth. With a star studded roster headed by Kawhi Leaonard, James Harden and Paul George, the Clippers are expected to make a deep playoff run.
Los Angeles Clippers Playoff Record
The Los Angeles Clippers have a losing record in NBA playoff games. The team has played 142 games in the playoffs of which they have won 63 and lost 79 of them. This indicates that the Clippers have had a success rate of 44% in an NBA playoff game.
Over the past years, the Clippers are attempting to construct a roster that could bring the franchise a championship.
The team’s most memorable playoff games in Clippers’ history came against the Golden State Warriors in game 2 of the first round of the 2019 NBA playoffs. The Clippers covered a deficit of 31 points to stun the Warriors in a thrilling matchup. The game highlighted the Clippers ability to compete at a high level and sent out the message to opponents that they were not to be taken lightly. Ultimately, the Clippers lost the series against the Warriors, but game 2 remained the highlight of the series.
Number of conference championships won by Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are yet to win the Western Conference Finals. They have reached the Western Conference Finals just once in their 17 appearances in the playoffs but have failed to get past the Conference Finals. They reached the Western Conference Finals in the 2020-21 NBA season where they fought hard against the Phoenix Suns, eventually losing the series 2-4. The Suns at this point were being led by Devin Booker and Chris Paul while the Clippers were led by Kawhi Leaonard and Paul George. The Suns advanced to the finals, only to be defeated by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks.
Number of NBA championships won by Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers have not yet won an NBA Championship. However, since failing to make the postseason as the San Diego Clippers, the Los Angeles Clippers have made significant progress in the postseason. The closest that the Clippers have reached to the NBA Finals is the Western Conference Finals in the 2020-21 season where they were beaten by the Phoenix Suns. At this point of time, the Clippers were without their star player, Kawhi Leonard who had suffered an injury. Without Leonard, the Clippers had to rely only on Paul George to take the offensive burden and account for the defensive responsibilities. The absence of their key player, coupled with the Sun’s offensive abilities and chemistry, led to the Clippers being eliminated from title contention.
Los Angeles Clippers Last Playoff Appearance
The Los Angeles Clippers’ most recent playoff appearance was in the 2022-23 NBA season. They completed the regular season placed 5th on the Western Conference Standings. They faced off against the fourth placed Phoenix Suns, who had Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul on their roster. In addition the Suns had several role players to provide them with the depth needed for title contention.
The Clippers on the other hand, had Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook and Paul George on their roster. Inconsistencies in the availability of stars such as Leonard and George due to injury and the offensive power of Phoenix Suns led to the Clippers losing the series 1-4. The Clippers won the first game of the series behind Kawhi Leonard’s 38 point performance. However, they lost the next four games.
What is the biggest playoff series comeback in the Golden State Warriors history?
The Los Angeles Clippers have not known to have a major comeback series in their playoff history. However in 2019, in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Clippers played against the Golden State Warriors. In this game, the Clippers overcame a 31-point deficit to tie the series at 1-1 and make it one of the most exciting games in the season.
Another memorable playoff run was the Clippers’ matchup against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2019-2020 NBA playoffs. The series went back and forth until the fourth game where both teams were tied at two wins. The Clippers went on to win the next two games and advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs.
FAQs on Los Angeles Clippers Playoff History
A. The Los Angeles Clippers have never been to the NBA Finals. They are yet to win the Western Conference Championship.
A. The Los Angeles Clippers biggest rival is considered to be the Los Angeles Lakers. The rivalry stems from sharing the same city and arena and the fact that Los Angeles has always been deemed to be the city of the Lakers as opposed to that of the Clippers.
A. No, the Los Angeles Clippers have never won an NBA championship.
A. The Los Angeles Clippers have won 63 playoff games. They have lost 79 playoff games.
