Los Angeles Clippers

Did Steve Ballmer make the worst investment in human history when he paid...wait for it...two billion dollars for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers?

They've currently got; Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook and James Harden and they still cannot win games. 

Shut the franchise down.

Phoenix Suns through to 2021 NBA Finals

The Phoenix Suns have defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 4-2 and are through to the 2021 NBA Finals. Maybe feel a little but sorry for Steve Balmer who paid $2 billion for the Clippers. They've never made an NBA Finals. Probably, they never will. Hmm...nah, no sympathy from me.

NBA Finals Loom

In the Western Conference we have the LA Clippers and Phoenix Suns facing off, while in the east the Milwaukee Bucks will face either the Philadelphia 76ers or Atlanta Hawks. 

I'm sticking my neck out and predicting the championship will go to the Eastern Conference this year. That's because all remaining teams from the east look stronger than either the Clippers or Suns. Add to that, neither team from the west has ever won an NBA crown, while the Clippers have never even been to a finals. 

If the Clippers manage to pull it off, it must propel Kawhi Leonard to all-time great contention as he'd already pulled the Toronto Raptors up from nowhere. However, toward the end of the series with the Utah Jazz he suffered an injury and may miss early games against the Suns as well. Can the Clippers do it without him?

Of the remaining teams, my personal favourite would be Atlanta. Their one championship came in 1958. That's a long time between drinks. Remember the recent Al Horford era? Everyone got so excited when they had such a good 2015 regular season, but then they just crashed against Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals. If they beat the 76ers in game seven tomorrow, they have the chance to go to the Eastern Conference finals again and get the chance to erase that memory.

NBA: Clippers Massive Choke

I've said it many times; the Los Angeles Clippers will never win a championship. They don't know how to win, the club lacks the right culture. With all its talent, how could they give up a 3-1 series lead and lose in game 7 to the Denver Nuggets. It is just incredible how they clutch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Mind you, the Nuggets played good team tactics, never allowing the Clippers easy looks. More often than not a Nuggets player contested shots and if they didn't, the Clippers shooter was probably in his secondary spot anyway. This told in the end, the Clippers looked awful.

Have a look at this highlights reel of the fourth quarter, it shows just how bad the Clippers were, and how organised the Nuggets were as well:

NBA Season 2019/20

Last season my picks were 50/50 at best. This year I've got no idea which team will emerge at the top. They're all so close, all looking good, and there has been so many big moves of top players between teams.

Having said that, I like the look of the Denver Nuggets, and the Milwaukee Bucks. Of course I always support the Houston Rockets but I'm not convinced they can get the most out of Russell Westbrook. He's just too much of a ball hog.

The Los Angeles Lakers can never be discounted either, they've got a powerful lineup.

Teams that will disappoint? Maybe the Los Angeles Clippers, they've never won a title, old habits are hard to break. The Brooklyn Nets won't be a real force until Kevin Durant is back from injury, so their fans will have to wait until 2020/21.

Surprises? Not so much of a surprise really; the Philadelphia 76ers, look for them to be the main challenger to the Bucks in the east. Oh and the Toronto Raptors, even without Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors may surprise once again.

Summary:

Looking Good;

Denver Nuggets
Milwaukee Bucks

Don't Discount;

Los Angeles Lakers
Houston Rockets

Disappointing;

Los Angeles Clippers
Brooklyn Nets

Surprises;

Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors.