Jason Terry says Kevin Durant signing with the Golden State Warriors is the best thing to happen to the one team no one seems to be talking about: the Los Angeles Clippers. Terry even thinks the Clippers have a good shot at winning the championship. No, we aren't kidding.
"The Clippers can easily win 60-plus games and be the No. 1 or 2 seed and win the NBA championship," Terry said Tuesday on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
Easily?
Terry said the Clippers are free to play without pressure now because everyone is focused on the Warriors. Of course the Warriors are the heavy favorites, but why would Los Angeles have been playing under pressure before this season? Were people really expecting the Clippers to contend for a title?
“The best thing that could have happened to the Clippers and the rest of the Western Conference is Kevin Durant going to Golden State," said Terry, who played last year for the Rockets. "There’s no pressure on those teams."
The Clippers finished 53-29 last year, good for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. Their season ended with a six-game loss to the Blazers in the first round of the playoffs.
"The Clippers will never quite be that dark horse because of those big three they have with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan," Terry said. "But they won’t be as high on the radar as Golden State, as San Antonio when we get ready to kick this thing off. All the attention is going to be on Kevin Durant. That’s where the attention is going to be at, that’s where the focus is at. That’s what’s going to allow the Clippers to fly under the radar, which they need to be."
Interestingly, the Clippers were one of Durant's final three teams. They had a real shot at signing him.
The Clippers are currently the No. 5 Vegas favorite to win next year's title. Though they're pretty high up on the list, Terry is right: no one expects them to win. But there's also a reason Doc Rivers' team hasn't yet even made the Western Conference Finals: they've struggled to find a working rotation that fits with their big three.
Terry has not officially retired yet, and with him soon turning 39, it wouldn't be a surprise if he were interested in joining a contender. Is this a sign Terry wants to join the Clips? We'll have to stay tuned.
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