July 30, 2026
July 30, 2026
2011-2012 Los Angeles Clippers: Lob City
Although they had made the playoffs as a result of their successful 2005-2006 season, the Los Angeles Clippers were still struggling to shake off their identity as the laughingstock of the NBA, as the years following that playoff appearance seemed to be trending back in the wrong direction. Something had to be done for the Clippers to improve as a team, and despite the 2011 NBA lockout, which cost the league 16 regular season games, the Clippers would get their answer.
In the 2011-2012 NBA season, the Los Angeles Clippers went 40-26, finishing just one game behind the Los Angeles Lakers in the Pacific Division. The Clippers posted their highest winning percentage in franchise history at .606. They went 24-9 at home in the Staples Center while going only 16-17 on the road, and they finished 7-7 in divisional play. Month by month in the shortened regular season, the Clippers went 11-4 in January, 8-6 in February, 11-9 in March, and 9-5 in April. In games that went to overtime, the Clippers went 4-1.
Power forward Blake Griffin had 1,368 points, 717 rebounds, 210 assists, and 48 blocks, making 561 of 1,022 field goal attempts. The Clippers gave Griffin much-needed help by pulling off a major trade on December 4 with the New Orleans Hornets. Los Angeles sent center Chris Kaman, shooting guard Eric Gordon, small forward Al-Farouq Aminu, and a 2012 first-round draft pick in exchange for two second-round picks and point guard Chris Paul. Nicknamed “CP3,” Paul was considered one of the premier point guards in the NBA, and he quickly began connecting with Griffin on alley-oop plays, a combination that gave rise to the nickname “Lob City.” Paul finished with 1,189 points, 543 assists, and 152 steals, making 79 of 213 three-point attempts and 260 of 302 free throws.
Griffin and Paul formed the engine of the offense, but the Clippers also relied on a deep rotation to round out the roster. Center DeAndre Jordan had 486 points, 546 rebounds, and 134 blocks, making 206 of 326 field goal attempts, giving the Clippers a formidable frontcourt trio alongside Griffin and their new point guard.
Small forward Caron Butler had 753 points and made 92 of 257 three-point attempts and 87 of 107 free throws. Shooting guard Randy Foye had 712 points and made 127 of 329 three-point attempts and 73 of 85 free throws. Shooting guard Mo Williams had 685 points and made 93 of 239 three-point attempts and 72 of 80 free throws. Point guard Chauncey Billups made 48 of 125 three-point attempts and 85 of 95 free throws. Shooting guard Nick Young was simply a different kind of cat in character and personality, sporting nicknames like “Swaggy P” and “Bean Burrito”; he made 30 of 85 three-point attempts. Small forward Bobby Simmons made 20 of 60 three-point attempts.
Lob City took the NBA by storm as the dazzling plays orchestrated by Paul and finished with authority by the likes of Griffin and Jordan often shocked opposing teams. The nickname became a trendy shorthand among basketball fans, and for the first time in the history of professional basketball in Southern California, it looked as if the Clippers had finally found their place in Los Angeles. Beginning in 2011-2012, the Clippers were no longer viewed as the “little brother” team overshadowed by the Lakers. In this shortened season, it was the Clippers who made the playoffs, and not the Lakers.
Needing a true first test, the Clippers drew a defensive-minded Memphis Grizzlies squad in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. The series went back and forth for the full seven games. In Game 1 on April 29 at the FedExForum, the Clippers edged out the Grizzlies 99-98. Nick Young had 19 points and made 3 of 4 three-point attempts, Blake Griffin had 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals, and Chris Paul had 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 11 assists.
The Grizzlies beat the Clippers 105-98 in Game 2 on May 2, but the Clippers rebounded right away, taking Game 3 on May 5 at the Staples Center by a score of 87-86, again barely holding off Memphis. Paul had 24 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists, and 4 steals, making 1 of 3 three-point attempts. Griffin had 17 points and 4 rebounds, while Randy Foye had 16 points and 4 rebounds, making 4 of 5 three-point attempts. In Game 4 on May 7, the Clippers again had to fight to beat the Grizzlies, 101-97 in overtime. Griffin had 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists, Paul had 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists while making 1 of 3 three-point attempts, and Caron Butler added 14 points and made 1 of 2 three-point attempts.
Unwilling to let the Clippers run away with the series, the Grizzlies won the next two games to even things at three games apiece. Memphis took Game 5 on May 9 at the FedExForum, 92-80, and then won Game 6 on May 11 at the Staples Center, 90-88, in another close contest. In the decisive Game 7, the Clippers had the last laugh, defeating the Grizzlies 82-72 back at the FedExForum. Paul had 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists, making 1 of 6 three-point attempts, while Young added 13 points and made 2 of 3 three-point attempts.
While advancing past the first round was an encouraging sign, the Clippers still had a long way to go before they could be considered true championship contenders. The San Antonio Spurs made that clear, sweeping the Clippers out of the Western Conference Semifinals four games to none. The Los Angeles Clippers would return to the playoffs in the years that followed, and the Lob City era was only beginning to win over the admiration of Southern California basketball fans.
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