Matt Barnes Reveals Why The Lob City Clippers Didn't Work Out

With Paul, Griffin, rising star DeAndre Jordan, and a cast of characters to round out a solid roster year in and year out under NBA champion head coach Doc Rivers, it looked like the time had arrived for the Clippers.

Matt Barnes Explains What Happened to Lob City

Matt Barnes, a longtime veteran and key member of the Clippers from 2012 to 2015, recently discussed what actually kept the team from winning a championship on Club 520, a podcast hosted by former NBA player Jeff Teague.

“Our superstars just butted heads. You know, Blake and CP had the best chemistry in the world at times, and then didn't see eye to eye at times,” Barnes explained.

“So he's kind of growing into his own, and it was just, I felt like there was too many cooks in the kitchen, and then Doc was supposed to be the guy that was supposed to save everything. And then he brought his son over, and it was just some weird energy there.”

The Clippers had a combined regular-season record of 337-187 from the 2011-12 season to the 2016-17 season, good for an incredible 64.3% winning percentage.

They made the playoffs every year, but only posted a 24-33 postseason record and were eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals three times and the first round three times.

Why Couldn't They Get Over the Hump?

When speaking about Doc Rivers, Barnes said, "And great motivational guy, great, could make you believe, you know, blue waters purple, like, great speaker, but just, there was something missing there with him and our in-game adjustments...But when we were clicking and playing, there wasn't a better team in the NBA than us for that long. We're talented as h***. Super deep.”

Blake Griffin and Chris Paul got hurt on numerous occasions, which derailed their title aspirations, and the Clippers' bench was often a weakness, forcing their starters to play high minutes in the playoffs.

Although they did have a stacked roster in multiple years, they always lacked a strong wing, which was a significant hole in their roster.

Barnes was a valuable “3-and-D” player for the Clippers, starting 74 games in the 2014-2015 season, shooting a career-high 36.2 percent from three-point range. While his stats may not jump off the screen, Barnes' contributions were crucial to the Clippers success at the time.