The Los Angeles Clippers are a grim, pitiful sight, which is probably satisfying if you’re a Raptors fan. In a league that is faster and faster, they play at the speed of an adult men’s league. In a league that prizes depth, their bench is geriatric. Going into Monday night’s game in Miami — a receptive place for the aged and infirm, in theory — the Clippers had the sixth-worst record in the league.
And, of course, L.A.’s first-round pick in a loaded draft belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are 20-1 despite missing their second-best player for most of the season. Which means if either James Harden (a young 36) or Kawhi Leonard (an old 34) get hurt, the Clippers could sink beneath the waves and give the league’s defending champion and most dominant franchise a top-five — top three? No. 1? — pick.
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