Clippers have two stars in place. They have a championship level head coach. What they lack is championship level gm.
Doc the gm is not good.
But the Celtics still need NBA luck to get the stars needed to win the title. Ainge has made the moves to put the Celtics in great position to get stars, but it still takes luck.
Lotto luck. Star available to trade for luck.
So until the Celtics have the stars in place, the Clippers have the better shot.
I'll put Danny's luck and CBS' skill over Doc's skill as a GM and coach any day. I don't even feel like it's fair. I just saw a slightly undermanned Celtics take a slightly more undermanned Warriors to double OT with some help from some one sided reffing helping the champs. The Celts are for real and the Clips aren't. They should go make some Kia and insurance commercials. It's what they're good at.
To me, the Celtics are the new version of the Wallace lead Bobcats. They have talented players, but no stars. Their coach have them playing playoff level intensity all season. Come playoff time, they don't have that higher playoff kick other teams (mostly top teams) have to raise their level.
The difference between that Bobcat team and the Celtics is the management in place and the unused chips for improvement.
Oh and that Clippers team did beat the Spurs last year in the playoffs so I guess they did more than just make commercials.
Maybe they should get some sort of banner for that
What banner has this current Celtics team won?
But yes, I have more faith in a team that can knock off the Spurs then the current Celtics.
When Doc arrived in LA, everyone looked at the Clippers as legitimate title contenders. If the best thing you can say about them three years later is that they're a little better than a team without a single all-star, that does not reflect well on Doc.
Mike
Doc the GM is not good. Ainge gave him pieces that could fit and Doc made it work.
Doc has not given himself the pieces that fit.
I admit there is the distinct possibility that if in a different universe DA had gone to LA and been the GM then maybe Doc the coach would have achieved more with this team.
But that team has pieces that tons of teams would love to have and I have no doubt whatsoever that CBS would do a better job with the Clips than Doc and if Doc were in Boston the Celtics would be a horrible horrible team right now