The 2009-2010 Los Angeles Clippers will debut their number one overall draft pick Blake Griffin at the Staples Center against their co-tenants the Los Angeles Lakers. Griffin, the presumptive 2009-2010 Rookie of the Year, is a talented, skilled, and athletic big man. He is quick enough to drive by his opponent and rugged enough to fight and scrap for tough rebounds in traffic. With his purported work ethic he will probably be a double-double guy this season.
To deepen their roster and clear up some playing time for Blake Griffin the Clippers traded away Zach Randolph, which essentially netted them backup point guard Sebastian Telfair and forward Craig Smith, a hard-working energy guy. The Los Angeles Clippers also acquired swingman Rasual Butler in a trade with the New Orleans Hornets. These acquisitions give the Clippers greater depth and will enable them to better deal with the injury bug if it surfaces again this season.
Injuries or not the key to this season will be whether All-Star point guard Baron Davis and head coach Mike Dunleavy will be on the same page.
Here are game-by-game predictions for the 2009-2010 Los Angeles Clippers:
Game 1, Tuesday, October 27th at Los Angeles Lakers– Clippers open the season by watching the Lakers receive their championship rings and then lose to their co-tenants at the Staples Center (Record 0-1).
Game 2, Wednesday, October 28th versus Suns– Blake Griffin and the Clippers drop a home game to Taylor Griffin and the Phoenix Suns (Record 0-2).
Game 3, Friday, October 30th at Utah– Clippers succumb to the tough, disciplined Utah Jazz on the road (Record 0-3).
Game 4, Saturday, October 31st versus Mavericks– Clippers fall to the Dallas Mavericks on Halloween Night (Record 0-4).
Game 5, Monday, November 2nd versus Timberwolves– Clippers defeat the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves and get their first win of the season (Record 1-4).
Game 6, Friday, November 6th at Golden State– Clippers drop a close game to the run-and-gun Golden State Warriors (Record 1-5).
Game 7, Saturday, November 7th versus Grizzlies– Clippers begin a four-game home stand with a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies (Record 1-6).
Game 8, Monday, November 9th versus Hornets– Clippers continue to struggle as they fall to the New Orleans Hornets (Record 1-7).
Game 9, Wednesday, November 11th versus Thunder– Clippers get a home win over the young Oklahoma City Thunder (Record 2-7).
Game 10, Friday, November 13th versus Raptors– Clippers lose a high-scoring game to the visiting Toronto Raptors (Record 2-8).
Game 11, Sunday, November 15th at Oklahoma City– Clippers begin a three-game road trip by beating the Thunder at Ford Center (Record 3-8).
Game 12, Tuesday, November 17th at New Orleans– Clippers drop a road game to the New Orleans Hornets (Record 3-9).
Game 13, Wednesday, November 18th at Memphis– Clippers close out a successful 2-1 road trip with a win over the Memphis Grizzlies (Record 4-9).
Game 14, Friday, November 20th versus Nuggets– Clippers lose a close game to the visiting Denver Nuggets (Record 4-10).
Game 15, Monday, November 23rd versus Timberwolves– Clippers fall to the Minnesota Timberwolves and lose their third straight home game (Record 4-11).
Game 16, Wednesday, November 25th at Indiana– Clippers get a road win over the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse (Record 5-11).
Game 17, Friday, November 27th at Detroit– Clippers fall to the Detroit Pistons at the Palace (Record 5-12).
Game 18, Sunday, November 29th versus Grizzlies– Clippers drop another home game to the Memphis Grizzlies (Record 5-13).
Game 19, Wednesday, December 2nd versus Rockets– Clippers fail to get the necessary stops to close the game and lose to the Houston Rockets (Record 5-14).
Game 20, Saturday, December 5th versus Pacers– Clippers defeat the Pacers and win the season series 2-0 (Record 6-14).
Game 21, Tuesday, December 8th versus Magic– Clippers drop a home game to an elite opponent as they fall to the Orlando Magic (Record 6-15).
Game 22, Sunday, December 13th versus Spurs– Clippers fall to another elite opponent with a loss to the San Antonio Spurs (Record 6-16).
Game 23, Monday, December 14th versus Wizards– Clippers lose a close game to the Washington Wizards to close a disappointing 1-5 home stand (Record 6-17).
Game 24, Wednesday, December 16th at Minnesota– Clippers begin a six-game road trip with a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center (Record 6-18).
Game 25, Friday, December 18th at New York– Clippers get a win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden (Record 7-18).
Game 26, Saturday, December 19th at Philadelphia– Clippers win their second game of a back-to-back by beating the 76ers at the Wachovia Center (Record 8-18).
Game 27, Monday, December 21st at San Antonio– Clippers lose to the Spurs at the AT&T Center (Record 8-19).
Game 28, Tuesday, December 22nd at Houston– Clippers fall to the Rockets at the Toyota Center (Record 8-20).
Game 29, Friday, December 25th at Phoenix– Clippers continue to struggle as they lose to the Suns at US Airways Center (Record 8-21).
Game 30, Sunday, December 27th versus Celtics– Clippers fall to the Boston Celtics and drop their fourth consecutive game (Record 8-22).
Game 31, Wednesday, December 30th at Portland– Clippers drop a road game to the Blazers (Record 8-23).
Game 32, Thursday, December 31st versus Sixers– Clippers close out the year with a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers (Record 8-24).
Game 33, Monday, January 4th 2010 versus Trail Blazers– Clippers defeat the Portland Trail Blazers and get a much-needed victory (Record 9-24).
Game 34, Wednesday, January 6th versus Lakers– Clippers drop a home game to the visiting Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center (Record 9-25).
Game 35, Sunday, January 10th versus Heat– Clippers lose to the Miami Heat (Record 9-26).
Game 36, Tuesday, January 12th at Memphis– Clippers get outplayed in the final moments and drop a road game to the Memphis Grizzlies (Record 9-27).
Game 37, Wednesday, January 13th at New Orleans– Clippers lose to the Hornets and drop the second game of a back-to-back (Record 9-28).
Game 38, Friday, January 15th at Los Angeles Lakers– Clippers drop their fifth game in a row as they fall to the Lakers (Record 9-29).
Game 39, Saturday, January 16th versus Cavaliers– Clippers fall to another elite opponent as they drop a home game to the Cleveland Cavaliers (Record 9-30).
Game 40, Monday, January 18th versus Nets– Clippers get their tenth win of the season with a victory over the visiting New Jersey Nets (Record 10-30).
Game 41, Wednesday, January 20th versus Bulls– Clippers lose a home game to Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls (Record 10-31).
Game 42, Thursday, January 21st at Denver– Clippers begin an eight-game road trip with a loss to the Nuggets (Record 10-32).
Game 43, Sunday, January 24th at Washington– Clippers visit the Nation’s Capital and get a victory over the Washington Wizards (Record 11-32).
Game 44, Monday, January 25th at Boston– Clippers lose a road game to the Celtics at TD Garden (Record 11-33).
Game 45, Wednesday, January 27th at New Jersey– Clippers drop a close game to the Nets (Record 11-34).
Game 46, Friday, January 29th at Minnesota– Clippers get a road win over the Timberwolves (Record 12-34).
Game 47, Sunday, January 31st at Cleveland– Clippers end January with a road loss to the Cavaliers (Record 12-35).
Game 48, Tuesday, February 2nd at Chicago– Clippers beat the Bulls at the United Center (Record 13-35).
Game 49, Wednesday, February 3rd at Atlanta– Clippers fall to the Hawks to end a 3-5 road trip (Record 13-36).
Game 50, Saturday, February 6th versus Spurs– Clippers drop a home game to the San Antonio Spurs (Record 13-37).
Game 51, Tuesday, February 9th versus Jazz– Clippers get a quality win over the tough Utah Jazz (Record 14-37).
Game 52, Wednesday, February 10th at Golden State– Clippers close the first half of the season with a win over the run-and-gun Golden State Warriors (Record 15-37).
Game 53, Tuesday, February 16th at Portland– Clippers open the second half of the season with a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers (Record 15-38).
Game 54, Wednesday, February 17th versus Hawks– Clippers begin a four-game home stand with a win over the Atlanta Hawks (Record 16-38).
Game 55, Saturday, February 20th versus Kings– Clippers defeat the Sacramento Kings and get their third straight win at the Staples Center (Record 17-38).
Game 56, Monday, February 22nd versus Bobcats– Clippers drop a home game to the Charlotte Bobcats (Record 17-39).
Game 57, Wednesday, February 24th versus Pistons– Clippers lose to the Detroit Pistons and complete a 2-2 home stand (Record 17-40).
Game 58, Friday, February 26th at Phoenix– Clippers lose to the high-scoring Suns (Record 17-41).
Game 59, Sunday, February 28th at Sacramento– Clippers get a road win over the Kings to close February (Record 18-41).
Game 60, Monday, March 1st versus Jazz– Clippers lose a close game to the visiting Utah Jazz (Record 18-42).
Game 61, Wednesday, March 3rd versus Suns– Clippers win a home game over the run-and-gun Phoenix Suns (Record 19-42).
Game 62, Friday, March 5th versus Thunder– Clippers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder to complete a 2-1 home stand (Record 20-42).
Game 63, Saturday, March 6th at Utah– Clippers drop the second half of a back-to-back to the Jazz to begin a five-game road trip (Record 20-43).
Game 64, Tuesday, March 9th at Orlando– Clippers drop a road game to the Magic at Amway Arena (Record 20-44).
Game 65, Wednesday, March 10th at Miami– Clippers lose their third straight as they fall to the Miami Heat (Record 20-45).
Game 66, Friday, March 12th at Charlotte– Clippers lose to the Bobcats (Record 20-46).
Game 67, Saturday, March 13th at San Antonio– Clippers fall to the Spurs and drop the second game of a back-to-back (Record 20-47).
Game 68, Monday, March 15th versus Hornets– Clippers get stung by the New Orleans Hornets and drop a their sixth consecutive game (Record 20-48).
Game 69, Wednesday, March 17th versus Bucks– Clippers lose to the Milwaukee Bucks (Record 20-49).
Game 70, Sunday, March 21st versus Kings– Clippers fall to the Sacramento Kings and drop their third straight home game (Record 20-50).
Game 71, Tuesday, March 23rd at Dallas– Clippers get a quality road win over the Mavericks (Record 21-50).
Game 72, Thursday, March 25th at Houston– Clippers defeat the Rockets and successfully complete the Texas Two-Step (Record 22-50).
Game 73, Sunday, March 28th versus Warriors-Clippers beat the Golden State Warriors for their third straight win (Record 23-50).
Game 74, Tuesday, March 30th at Milwaukee– Clippers beat the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center (Record 24-50).
Game 75, Wednesday, March 31st at Toronto– Clippers get their fifth consecutive victory by defeating the Toronto Raptors (Record 25-50).
Game 76, Saturday, April 3rd at Denver– Clippers get a win over the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center and complete a 3-0 road trip (Record 26-50).
Game 77, Sunday, April 4th versus Knicks– Clippers beat the New York Knicks for the fifth straight time (Record 27-50).
Game 78, Wednesday, April 7th versus Trail Blazers– Clippers lose a close game to the Portland Trail Blazers (Record 27-51).
Game 79, Thursday, April 8th at Sacramento– Clippers fall to the Kings and drop the second game of a back-to-back (Record 27-52).
Game 80, Saturday, April 10th versus Warriors– Clippers begin their final home stand with a win over the Golden State Warriors (Record 28-52).
Game 81, Monday, April 12th versus Mavericks– Clippers lose their penultimate game to the Dallas Mavericks (Record 28-53).
Game 82, Wednesday, April 14th versus Lakers-Clippers drop their final game of the season to the defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers (Final Record 28-54).
Prediction: The 2009-2010 Los Angeles Clippers will win 28 games and remain in the shadow of their more famous co-tenants.
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Information from ESPN.com and NBA.com was used for this article.
