Last night, the San Antonio Spurs knocked off the Los Angeles Clippers 102-99, completing the Spurs 2nd consecutive sweep of this playoffs. Two thoughts come to mind right away: the Spurs are good. Like…really good. They aren’t the sexy pick, but they just get it done, and it seems like this core group of veterans has one more title run in them. The other thought is that the Clippers have a very bright future. This was Blake Griffin’s 2nd full year in the league, and the progress in his game has been nothing short of amazing. Coming into the NBA, Griffin was simply a highlight machine. He didn’t have a mid-range jumper, and his defense was suspect at best. His progression has truly been amazing, and last night, Griffin showed us one mroe times this year what he can do, when he flew from the paint over Tim Duncan for one more play of the day.

 

The Clippers are going to be dangerous next year. Give Chris Paul and Blake another year together and that will be downright scary.  They may need a better offensive big man, but I think DeAndre Jordan is talented enough to be a bigger threat with some work. They have some great veterans in Caron Butler and Mo Williams, and last but certainly not least, Chauncy Billups. It’s so hard to define how much he meant to this team. Were he healthy, they would have given the Spurs much more trouble. Here’s hoping he’s healthy going into next year.

What are your thoughts on the Clippers going into next year? And are the Spurs the favorite this year? Let us know in the comments!