Are the Clippers Ready to Contend in the West?

By doing nothing more than just looking at the standings, the answer to the question posed above would be a resounding “yes”. The L.A. Clippers will go into Monday evening’s tilt with the Orlando Magic at 14-7, alone atop the Pacific Division. They also boast a very impressive early-season resume in terms of quality wins. Of their 14 Ws, nine have come against teams currently sitting in playoff position. But let’s look a little deeper here. Who is their main competition in the conference? L.A. currently sits in a tie with the San Antonio Spurs in the No. 2 spot behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder are coming off of a berth in the Western Conference Finals, and, like the Clippers, are led by a pair of young, hungry All-Stars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. When it comes to size, OKC matches up quite favorably. The dynamic dunk-tastic duo of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan will have their hands full with defensive stalwarts Serge Ibaka and Kend...