The Lob City era started when the Los Angeles Clippers acquired Chris Paul from the then-New Orleans Hornets during the 2011-2012 NBA season. The “Big Three” of Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan made most people believe that the Clippers were finally in a strong position to win their first NBA championship. Unfortunately, the Clippers failed to live up to expectations and their greatest achievement was reaching the Western Conference semifinals.
In an appearance on Lunchtime with Roggin and Rodney show on AM 570 LA Sports, as reported by Yahoo Sports , Matt Barnes, who was a member of the Clippers from 2012 to 2015, explained why they failed to bring a Larry O’Brien Trophy in Los Angeles despite having one of the most talented rosters in the league.
“Just too many egos, young acting. We thought we were going to be the Warriors right up until they won the championship. We knocked them out of the playoffs the year before they came back and won, so we had a very talented team. We just couldn’t get on the same page. It was crazy. We were all cool off the court and I was like ‘how are we cool off the court and can’t get it together on the court?’ That was our… our mental toughness was what kept us from winning championships for the Clippers.”
Matt Barnes on what held Chris Paul/Blake Griffin Clippers back: “Egos. Egos.” https://t.co/PTcRxS71uS pic.twitter.com/YyFSGELbYQ
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) August 4, 2018
Matt Barnes believes having a star-studded roster did more harm than good for the Clippers as “egos” prevented them from playing together as a team. It could also be one of the major reasons why Chris Paul decided to leave the Clippers and demand a trade to the Houston Rockets last summer. During the 2016-17 NBA season, Barnes was given the opportunity to return to the Golden State Warriors, who, like the Clippers, have multiple NBA superstars on their team.
However, Barnes revealed that the Warriors are a very different team from the Clippers, and the thing that only matters to them is winning an NBA championship. Unlike the Clippers, who only reached the Western Conference semis, the Warriors managed to establish a dynasty and are still the favorite team to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy next season.
Meanwhile, the Clippers will be entering the 2018-19 NBA season without the “Big Three” of Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Jordan. Griffin is currently playing for the Detroit Pistons. Paul recently signed a new contract with the Rockets, while Jordan is finally a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
