The “Big Three” of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan was expected to give the Los Angeles Clippers their first NBA championship title. Unfortunately, during the time they played together, their only greatest achievement was reaching the Western Conference semifinals.
As of now, the Clippers no longer have any of their “Big Three.” Chris Paul is serving as James Harden’s backcourt partner for the Houston Rockets. Blake Griffin is currently the “main man” of the Detroit Pistons. DeAndre Jordan is finally playing for the Dallas Mavericks.
After losing the three superstars, the Clippers are no longer considered as a serious threat in the Western Conference. Last season, the Clippers missed the Western Conference Playoffs for the first time since 2011. However, Clippers Head Coach Doc Rivers doesn’t seem to have any regret parting ways with their “Big Three” of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan.
According to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times (h/t NBC Sports ), Coach Doc Rivers believes he would no longer be the head coach of the Clippers if the “Big Three” remained in Los Angeles.
“I needed the change. I wouldn’t have done this with the same group. I wouldn’t be here probably,” Rivers said. “We just needed change. We needed it and we just had to do it. We had to come to the conclusion we weren’t going to win. They were, in their first year together, a fluky final minute away from having a good chance of eliminating the Thunder and moving to the 2014 conference finals. And a year later, the team collapsed against Houston. Once those two years happened, it was really over for us.”
Ahead of Wizards/Clippers tomorrow, talked with Doc Rivers about facing Austin now that he’s in a different uni: https://t.co/Vk9VMFN6St
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) October 28, 2018
During the 2013-14 and 2014-15 NBA seasons, the Clippers had a very strong chance of making their first appearance in the Western Conference finals. Unfortunately, they were beaten by the Oklahoma City Thunder in just six games in 2014 and blew a 3-1 lead against the Houston Rockets in the following year. Before the start of the 2015-16 NBA season, Coach Doc Rivers has publicly stated that the “Big Three” of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan were already on the verge of becoming stale. Rivers predictions proved to be right as the Clippers suffered first-round exits in the NBA Playoffs 2016 and 2017.
As of now, Coach Doc Rivers is currently happy with the players that are left on his team. Despite losing all their “Big Three,” the Clippers haven’t shown any intention to undergo a full-scale rebuild and are still aiming to compete for a playoff spot in the deep Western Conference. So far, the Clippers have a 3-2 record and beaten powerhouse teams like the Thunder and the Rockets.