The Los Angeles Clippers have experienced a troubled existence to say the least. Off the court shenanigans aside, success on the court has also constantly eluded the city’s red-headed stepchild. 

They once called Buffalo home, then San Diego, before finally planting roots in Los Angeles in 1984. Many big names have donned the blue jersey, whether it was Bob McAdoo in Buffalo, Bill Walton in San Diego, or any of the following that have passed through L.A in the 2010s: Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard…

Regardless of the fact that none of these stars brought the Clippers a championship, the latter group have brought legitimacy to a previously irrelevant franchise. Before 2012, the Clippers had won exactly 1 playoff series dating back to their days in San Diego. 

They were, quite frankly, a joke. 

But for a fleeting moment, they were on the right track. They stepped off the island of misfit toys. They looked weirdly… competent. 

This is the story of the 2006 Los Angeles Clippers. 

A rare moment of genius brings a budding star to Los Angeles

Elgin Baylor is quite remarkable in that not only is he one of the best players, but also one of the worst general managers in NBA history. In fact, the Lakers legend was so poor during his 22-year stint with the Clippers you’d think at any moment he’d Clark Kent-style rip off his shirt to reveal a purple and gold jersey.

But after being gifted the #2 overall pick in 2001, Baylor displayed a rare moment of shrewdness by selecting and trading Tyson Chandler to the Chicago Bulls for Elton Brand. 

Brand had been one of the few bright spots of a hapless Bulls team still trying to find their feet after Jerry Krause took a wrecking ball to their dynasty of the 1990s by averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds in both of his first seasons in Chicago. Unfortunately, this did not lead the Bulls to the playoffs, or even out of the basement of the Eastern Conference. 

And while Chandler would eventually develop into one of the better defensive players of his era, culminating in his winning of the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2012, he would never quite develop much beyond a rim-runner offensively. 

With Brand now leading the Clippers, they showed improvement, almost achieving a .500 record in ‘01-’02. And despite his scoring average dipping to a nick above 18 points per game, Brand even made his first All-Star appearance, becoming the Clippers’ first representative at the game since 1994. 

One way ticket to the middle of nowhere? 

Unfortunately for the Clippers, as often seemed to be the case in this era, they took one step forward and two steps back when they took Chris Wilcox of the National Championship-winning Maryland Terrapins with the 8th overall pick in the 2002 draft, overlooking both Amar’e Stoudemire and Caron Butler who were taken with the following two selections. 

To make matters worse, they slumped in the following season to a 27-55 record, bad enough to land the 6th overall pick in the 2003, but not quite lucky enough to land in the top 5 and have the opportunity to draft one of Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade (though given we’re talking about the Clippers, they probably would’ve ended up with Darko Milicic). 

The 2003 off-season could’ve been a disaster for the Clippers, as both Lamar Odom and Brand approached restricted free agency. The notoriously stingy Donald Sterling splurged to match Miami’s 6-year, $82 million offer to Brand (by far the largest contract he had agreed to pay at this point). On the other hand, Odom would eventually land in South Florida.

Meanwhile in the coaching department, the Clippers would make another move when Mike Dunleavy became head coach. 

After ending his playing career as a player-assistant coach with Milwakuee Bucks, Dunleavy stepped straight into the fire by replacing the departing Pat Riley as head coach of the Lakers, even guiding them to the Finals in his first season where they were defeated by the Chicago Bulls. More recently, he had been at the helm of a formidable Portland squad that had come within a couple minutes of making the Finals in 2000. 

Dunleavy got the Clippers heading in the right direction once again, though they were still a non-factor in the grand scheme of things, posting records of 28-54 and 37-45 in ‘04 and ‘05 respectively. This did mean two things, however. One, they finished with a better record than the Lakers in ‘05 for the first time in over a decade, and two, that the Clippers would once again have an opportunity to draft some of the most promising talent entering the league.

The Clippers had had a number of players audition for the lead guard spot in recent years. In ‘03 they had high hopes for “The Professor” Andre Miller, but he left after just 1 season. The following year, they had thought that Marko Jaric might have been able to step up and fill those shoes, but he would become more famous for his dating life and a lopsided trade for a key piece of the ‘06 squad than anything he did on the court. 

That’s why with the 4th pick in the 2004 draft the Clippers chose Shaun Livingston. Livingston would play on the ‘06 squad, and go on to have a long and successful career, especially with the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately though, he would never reach his projected potential, mainly due to suffering one of the most devastating injuries ever on an NBA court in February 2007. In hindsight, the Clippers might have been better off by selecting the more NBA-ready Luol Deng, or even Livingston’s future teammate in Golden State, Andre Iguodala. By the same token, given it’s the Clippers, we should be thankful that they didn’t select Rafael Araujo. 

With Brand, a talented scorer in Corey Maggette and 2004-2005’s Most Improved Player Bobby Simmons leading the way, the Clippers had improved, but were now in a position where they were still a way off the playoffs, but not quite one of the league’s bottom feeders. 

This prevented them from acquiring another top selection, but instead the 12th pick in 2005. And while I will give Baylor some grace by admitting that the middle of the first round of the 2005 draft was as much of a crapshoot as any (Orlando selected Fran Vasquez 11th overall and he didn’t play a single game for Orlando or anyone else in the NBA for Christ’s sake!), he did manage to select someone who would only play in 34 NBA games (Yaroslav Korolev). 

A masterstroke trade brings together the ‘06 core

Draft day blunders aside, Baylor probably had his best offseason in charge of the Clippers in the summer of ‘06. Although it would turn out that they had bungled the ‘05 draft (to some degree), the Clippers would not only acquire some veteran leadership, but veterans that could actually still play. 

They were dealt a gut punch early July when Bobby Simmons decided to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks for approximately 5 years and $47 million.

In unlikely fashion though, the Clippers responded by signing the soon-to-be 30-year-old, Cuttino Mobley to a 5-year, $42 million contract in what was surely their biggest free agency move in decades. Mobley had played admirably in his first 6 seasons with the Houston Rockets, and to demonstrate his value, just a year earlier he had been included as one of the main pieces (along with Steve Francis) in a blockbuster trade for Tracy McGrady. 

However it was in August that Baylor made his finest move, swapping Jaric and Lionel Chalmers for Sam Cassell and a 2012 first round pick. 

Yes, Cassell was approaching his 36th birthday, and at that age, father time can hit you like a truck. But in 2004, Cassell had been named to his first All-Star game, as well as the All-NBA 2nd Team. As the Robin to Kevin Garnett’s Batman, Cassell and the Minnesota Timberwolves made it to that year’s Western Conference Finals. Whether or not you believe that Cassell’s ‘Big Balls’ celebration was the reason for his injury that led to him playing in just 4 hobbled games in that series or not, you can’t deny that had he been at 100%, there’s a strong possibility that the Wolves would’ve won that year’s championship. 

Of course had that happened, we might not be talking about Cassell, or this team 20 years later… 

‘04-’05 was a disaster for Minnesota, with Cassell playing in just 59 games and being unhappy at the team’s reluctance to reward him with a contract extension, Flip Saunders being fired mid-season, and the team missing the playoffs entirely. These events were the catalyst that led to Cassell’s arrival in L.A, and although I can’t say it was the right decision to part ways, it at least kind of made sense. 

What doesn’t make sense is not only Minnesota trading Cassell (and a future first round pick) for Marko Jaric, but in doing so agreeing to pay him $40 million. Yes, Cassell was old. Yes, he wanted a contract extension. But Cassell on one leg (or with non-big balls?) was still better than Jaric ever was or ever would be. True, Jaric had achieved career highs in ‘04-’05, but even his career season pales in comparison to Cassell’s resume. Not to mention by the time that the draft pick the Wolves traded conveyed, they were 8 years into a 12 year playoff drought. The Clippers would eventually trade that pick as part of a deal for Chris Paul.

All that aside, what’s important is that Baylor had finally found his point guard.

Stepping out of big brother’s shadow 

Baylor’s astute offseason moves meant that on opening night, the Clippers were trotting out a starting 5 of Sam Cassell, Cuttino Mobley, Quinton Ross, Elton Brand and Chris Kaman, and they were still waiting on Corey Maggette to return from a hamstring injury. This didn’t look like a championship squad, sure, but it was certainly the best that the Clippers had looked in years - maybe ever. 

Still, this is the Clippers, so no one seemed to give a rat’s ass about them.

They avoided mention in most season previews, but Bleacher Report did predict that they might be able to fight for an 8th seed - whoopie doo. What was impressive was Bill Simmons pencilling them in for 45-47 wins (the Clippers would finish with 47). 

The Clippers announced their intentions in that first game in Seattle, taking down last season’s surprise package Sonics 101-93. The story of the game was undoubtedly Cassell dropping 35 points and 11 assists in his Clippers debut. 

They followed this by handily dispatching of the Atlanta Hawks before a double header against Minnesota. The first, at STAPLES Center may not have been the Cassell-Jaric showdown (Cassell in particular struggled, going 5-for-19 from the field), but was a nailbiter, the Clippers winning by 1 in overtime. Two days later in Minnesota, it wasn’t so close, Cassell (again) and Mobley both struggling, and the Clippers going down by 15 despite Brand’s 26 points.

With Maggette’s return the following night in Washington though, the Clippers surged, winning 6 of their next 7 games. Most notable during this stretch was perhaps the first meeting between the Clippers and the Lakers, led by the returning Phil Jackson. Lakers star Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 36 points, but the Clippers held him to just 12 makes from 35 attempts as they ran out 97-91 winners. 

Their momentum continued into December, splitting 2 games with Cleveland and the rapidly ascending Lebron James, as well as beating the eventual champions, the Miami Heat, who were missing Shaquille O’Neal. Brand continued his impressive start in this game, scoring 37 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and rejecting 6 shots. Unfortunately, after injuring his foot in the 3rd quarter in South Florida, Maggette would not play again until March. In his 13 games up to this point, Maggette had proved vital, averaging almost 22 points per game, including 30-point bombs against both Toronto and Minnesota. 

The omission of Maggette would be felt as 2005 drew to a close, as the Clippers not only won just 4 of their 11 games to finish the year, but only broke 100 points twice during this stretch (compared to 8 times during Maggette’s 13 game run). After Bryant dropped 50 in a revenge game which saw the game slip away from the Clippers in the final seconds, they slumped to a 17-14 record. 

Luckily, they were able to stop the skid by utterly destroying both Orlando and Seattle to kick off a massive run from January 10 to February 7 where they won 12 of their next 15 games. The veteran Cassell played like a man possessed during this stretch, scoring at least 20 points in 10 of these, including 27 points and 13 assists in an overtime win in Toronto. 

Meanwhile Brand would secure his second All-Star appearance after a now customary 25 against the Knicks on February 7.

What was concerning for the Clippers though, was their tendency to drop games to the truly elite. The only games they lost during this 15 game romp were against Dallas and Miami (who would make that year’s Finals), and the Phoenix Suns (who would eventually eliminate the Clippers from the playoffs). 

Even more concerning was the 7 game skid they suffered following a victory over the New York Knicks where they would lose 6. Other than a win over the Grizzlies (who would win 49 games that year), teams the Clippers lost to included Detroit, Houston (twice) and Dallas - all playoff teams.

Notably during this period, the team made a move at the forward spot when they swapped Chris Wilcox for Vladimir Radmanović of Seattle. Despite having not much in the way of depth in the frontcourt, Wilcox had been used sparingly by L.A. to this point (13.7 minutes per game across 47 contests). 

Meanwhile, ‘Vlad Rad’, who’s eccentric style both basketball and hair-wise I recently covered in my review of the ‘05 Sonics, was a completely different profile to Wilcox. While Wilcox would shoot almost exclusively within close range of the basket, Radmanović would shoot 5.3 of his 8.6 attempts in his 30 games with L.A. this season from 3-point range - and he would do this very efficiently (41.8%). 

Despite the addition of Vlad Rad, and eventually the return of Magettee in March, the Clippers were not able to pick up the momentum they had earlier in the season. They still remained with an above .500 record in their remaining 32 games, but only just, winning 17 games. 

Again, they struggled against playoff opposition, winning 9 of their remaining 20 contests post-All-Star break against teams of this group. However, it must be noted that despite Maggette clearly not being back at 100%, playing just 26.5 minutes per game, and averaging just 15 points in the 19 games he played during this stretch, when he did play, the Clippers went 12-7. 

Still, the end of the season wasn’t without big moments for the Clippers. First, they once again beat the Lakers despite 39 points from Bryant thanks to 32 from Brand, 22 from Mobley and 19 from new addition Radmanović. 

Then, on March 7, they defeated the defending champions, the San Antonio Spurs at STAPLES Center behind another 30-piece from Brand. 

They also got a couple of much-needed victories over Denver and Phoenix, the win against the Suns off the back of another stellar Brand performance (34 points, 15 rebounds). 

Finally, on April 8, the Clippers secured their first post-season birth since 1997 after New Orelans were defeated by Dallas. And on April 14, a 101-97 victory (their 46th of the season) in Seattle meant that the Clippers had had their best season since 1975, when the franchise was still playing in Buffalo. They finished the regular season with a 47-35 record after travelling to Dallas to whoop a Dirk Nowitzki-less Mavericks. 

Although Brand was (rightly so) the star of the show, having by far his career best season with averages of 24.7 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game and being named to the All-NBA Second Team, the Clippers had finally put together a solid team around him as well. 

Now fully healthy, Cassell had a renaissance in Los Angeles, averaging 17.2 points and 6.3 assists per contest. 

Mobley also did his bit, chipping in with just shy of 15 points per game, and Kaman continued to improve, posting a near double-double (11.9 points, 9.6 rebounds). 

This meant that even without their second leading scorer in Maggette for more than half of the season, the Clippers were firmly in the playoffs - and Maggette would indeed return for the postseason. 

Even though they had the 5th best record in the Western Conference that season, divisional rules meant that the Clippers were bumped to the 6th seed, though this may have actually been a better result for the Clippers. Had the standings been based on their record, they would’ve matched up against the 49-33 Memphis Grizzlies (who you can read about here). Instead, L.A. would play against the winners of the comparatively-poor Northwest Division, the 44-38 Denver Nuggets. 

The Nuggets were heavily reliant on a 3rd year Carmelo Anthony, who had just finished 8th in the league in scoring (26.5 points per game) and would eventually be named to the All-NBA Third Team. However, they had rounded out their lineup with some solid veterans, namely former Clipper Andre Miller, and rugged defensive players in the frontcourt in Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby. 

Clippers break new ground, Brand goes nuclear in Arizona

Game 1 in Los Angeles was the most tense all series, the Clippers leading for the vast majority of it before Andre Miller tied the game at 87 apiece with just over a minute left. A pair of Radmanović free throws technically secured the game, but Brand also came up with a huge block on Anthony, who would miss 3 consecutive baskets leading to the Clippers holding on for a 89-87 victory. 

Game 2 was a lot more comfortable, with the Clippers leading by 23 points early in the 4th quarter. A late Denver rally brought the final score back to 98-87, but it was never really in doubt, as Mobley led all scorers with 21 points. The story of the game perhaps, was the absence of Kenyon Martin in the 2nd half, who following a bust up with Coach George Karl would play no further part in the series. 

Despite his absence, however, the Nuggets took the first of 2 games at Pepsi Center, 94-87 behind Anthony’s 24 points. Unfortunately for Denver, game 4 put the Clippers within a single victory of claiming the series, as despite Brand, Cassell and Mobley’s struggles, Maggette came off the bench to lead all scorers with 19 as they won 100-86. 

In the series-deciding game 5, Maggette was instrumental once again, tying Brand’s 23 points to lead all scorers, as the Clippers effectively ended the game early in the 4th quarter. 

It was a momentous occasion for the Clippers, having won their first playoff series since leaving Buffalo. 

But their opponents in the Western Conference Semifinals would prove to be much more difficult to beat.

Even with Amar’e Stoudemire missing practically the entire season, the Phoenix Suns had won 54 games. And for being the lynchpin of the ‘7 seconds or less’ Suns, Steve Nash would receive his 2nd of back-to-back MVP awards. He had led Phoenix past Bryant and the Lakers in the first round, whom many thought was more deserving of the award after bringing the Lakers back to the playoffs while averaging an incredible 35.4 points per game. 

Regardless of Nash winning MVP, I would be doing a disservice by not mentioning some of the key members of this brilliant Suns team. 

Shawn Marion, ‘The Matrix’ was incredible. His athleticism meant that despite being 6’7 he could play either the 3 or the 4, averaging just a shade under 22 points per game and a remarkable 11.8 rebounds, 2 steals and 1.7 blocks, making the All-NBA Third Team in ‘06. 

Another key piece on the Suns was Raja Bell. A staunch defensive player and excellent 3-point shooter (44.2% on 5.6 attempts per game in ‘06), Bell was often given the task of slowing down Byrant (and other top tier scorers around the league). 

Perhaps the most unique piece though was Boris Diaw, who had broken out to become winner of the Most Improved Player award. He was somewhat undersized compared to this era, though was not only an incredible athlete but also one of the smartest players in the league in terms of basketball IQ. In the 7 games against the Lakers, he averaged 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game. 

It would prove to be an incredible matchup.

Game 1 in Phoenix should’ve been known as the Elton Brand game, as the Clippers star scored an incredible 40 points on 18-of-22 shooting, but the MVP Nash put on a showcase game of his own with 31 points and 12 assists to lead the Suns to victory.

Game 2 wasn’t close at all though, as the Clippers blew out the Suns 122-97 to secure a vital road win. Brand led all scorers again with 27, but Cassell and Mobley also had great games, each scoring 23. 

Unfortunately, the Clippers weren’t able to take the advantage in game 3 at STAPLES Center. Even in his worst shooting game of the series so far, Brand managed to score a near-triple double with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists (and 5 blocks), but it was Nash who would ice the game. The Clippers had brought it back to within a single point with 28 seconds remaining before the MVP showed his nerve, draining the shot clock before hitting a mid-range shot over Maggette with just under 4 seconds left. Vlad Rad was unable to hit the game-tying 3-pointer, and the Suns took a 2-1 series lead. 

The Clippers fought back in game 4. Brand was instrumental once again with an astonishing 30-point, 9 rebound, 8 assist performance, while Cassell almost secured a triple double with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists. Also, for the first time, Maggette was inserted into the starting lineup, and had a strong game of his own, with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Despite Bell’s 33, Nash struggled, and the Clippers were able to bring the series back to 2-2 with a 114-107 victory.

Even though the Clippers were able to bring it within 1 point with less than 90 seconds remaining in game 5 back on the road, the Suns were able to hold out for a crucial 125-118 victory. Marion led all scorers and rebounders with a monstrous 36 point, 20 rebound showout, nearly matched by Brand’s 33 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks. Cassell also had another strong showing, with 32 points. 

Again though, the Clippers refused to be defeated. Back in L.A. for an elimination game, Brand and Maggette (now returned to the bench) put on a show with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks for Brand and 25 points on just 8 shots for Maggette. Despite another strong game by Marion (34 points), the Clippers kept Phoenix at arm’s length for the entire 2nd half. This meant everything would come down to the deciding game 7…

Game 7 Heartbreak and injury struggles set the Clippers back another 5 years

Elton Brand was relentless once again in Arizona, scoring 36 points, but after halftime the Clippers barely laid a glove on the Suns, who won comfortably, 127-107. He had had a remarkable regular season, but an even more unbelievable series, finishing the 7 games with averages of 30.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.1 blocks on 59.1% FG shooting. 

Although they’d fallen in the Western Conference Semifinals, the ‘05-’06 season represented progress for the Clippers. They’d finally put together not only a respectable team, but one that was close to being a contender. 

Who knows, if Maggette had been healthy for the entire season, maybe things could’ve turned out a little differently. 

They had understandably high hopes heading into ‘07, but unfortunately, would miss the playoffs yet again after posting a 40-42 record. 

Brand regressed to his usual 20 point territory, Cassell missed an extended period of time, and while Livingston looked like he might be able to step up and takeover, he suffered an excruciating injury that would cause him to miss the entire ‘08 season, and play just 12 games in ‘09 and 36 in 2010. 

Brand himself would rupture his achilles tendon in the summer of 2007, and after him playing in only 8 games that year, the Clippers would regress to just 23 wins. 

The 2008 offseason would begin in promising fashion for the Clippers, drafting Eric Gordon with the 7th overall pick, and DeAndre Jordan in the 2nd round. 

Their biggest move, and the biggest in franchise history, came on July 10. After buying out Cassell from his contract mid-season, allowing him to sign with the eventual ‘08 championship winning-Boston Celtics, the Clippers signed Baron Davis to a 5-year, $65 million contract. 

Davis was signing to play with Brand, but Brand had other ideas. 

After 7 years with the franchise, Brand decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, penning a 5-year, $82 million deal. 

Another dreadful season in ‘09 followed, made even worse by the Lakers winning their first of back-to-back titles. 

The Clippers would not make it back to the playoffs until 2012, by which point they had won the #1 pick in the ‘09 draft, selected Blake Griffin, lost him his entire rookie year to injury, and traded for Chris Paul (a story for the ages in itself). It was a long road back, but they had finally put together a winning team once again. I’m sure lady luck wouldn’t find a way to screw this up the Clippers…

Closing Thoughts

Although I would be disingenuous to suggest the ‘06 Clippers could’ve won that year’s title, you could argue that the season finally put the Clippers on the path to becoming more than a punchline.

Yes, they didn’t make the playoffs for 6 years following this. 

Yes, they still haven’t won a championship. 

But they’re now not only a consistently good team, but routinely receive serious consideration from some of the NBA’s biggest stars. 

They’ve had a winning record each season since 2011, only missing the playoffs on 3 occasions during this period, and although it hasn’t been plain sailing (far from it in fact), the 2006 Clippers set the franchise on the way to becoming a serious NBA franchise.