Redick blames 'Donald Trump-level pettiness' for Clippers' failures
The "Lob City" era of the L.A. Clippers was always a threat to contend in the stacked Western Conference, but could never get over the hump.
Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan, and Blake Griffin were All-NBA talents that could never figure out how to play together. JJ Redick, the team's resident sharpshooter, played his role to the best of his ability, but believes pettiness stood in the way of a potential title.
"I don't think there was one moment," Redick said on the "Pardon My Take" podcast last Tuesday. "Doc (Rivers) used to always talk about how when one group was together for a long period of time, instead of getting closer together, you end up pointing fingers at each other.
"It was weird because separately, everybody was really cool with each other. Off the court, everybody sort of got along. And then, there was just so much pettiness. It was just pettiness. It's weird to think what we had the potential to accomplish, and what ultimately derailed that was pettiness. Like, Donald Trump-level pettiness."
They were on the brink of facing the Golden State Warriors in the conference finals in 2015 before blowing a 3-1 series lead against the James Harden-led Houston Rockets.
The Clippers' four-player core stuck together from 2013-17 before reaching their boiling point after a first-round loss to the Utah Jazz.