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Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul was selected to the 2011-12 All-NBA First Team, the NBA announced Thursday. Paul becomes the first Clippers player since the team moved to Los Angeles in 1984 to be recognized with a first team selection and only the second in franchise history, joining Bob McAdoo in 1974-75 when the team was the Buffalo Braves.

Clippers forward Blake Griffin was named to the All-NBA Second Team, becoming the first Clippers player to do so since Elton Brand in 2006.

Paul received 74 first team votes in making the second All-NBA First Team selection of his career (2008). Paul led the league in steals per game (2.53) and finished third in assists per game (9.1), adding 19.8 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game. This season, Paul became only the second player in NBA history to average at least 19.0 points, 9.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals. On Wednesday, Paul was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team.

Griffin was selected to his first All-NBA Team this season after leading the Clippers in scoring (20.8 points per game) and rebounds (10.9 rebounds per game). Griffin was the only player in the NBA in 2011-12 to average over 20.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Griffin shot 54.9 percent from the field and finished the season fourth in the league with 41 double-doubles, sixth in rebounds, seventh in field goal percentage and tenth in scoring.

After a successful opening run, Lob City has officially closed its doors for summer construction. How it will look when it finally opens back up again in October is anybody’s guess, but it's clear this town needs to make a few changes before it can be considered a serious contender.

Here are eight key questions facing the Clippers this offseason.

1. What happens with Vinny Del Negro?

Del Negro's future has been a cloud lingering over the team since late March, when the Clippers lost three road games in three days. The coach was on the hottest of hot seats and looked as though he would lose his job with the team’s next loss. The Clippers then won six straight games, salvaging Del Negro’s job and their season.

Was the Clippers’ strong finish and first playoff series win in six years enough to save Del Negro’s job? Clippers general manager Neil Olshey wouldn’t discuss Del Negro’s job status during the team’s exit interviews, but he has until June 1 to decide whether to exercise the team option on Del Negro for next year. The bigger question may be which coach the team believes would appease Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, who will soon decide on their long-term futures. Are the Clippers better off sticking with Del Negro or making a run at one of the high-profile free-agent coaches like Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan, Mike D'Antoni, Nate McMillan, Stan Van Gundy or Jeff Van Gundy? The smart money is on the Clippers sticking with Del Negro for one more season.

2. Will Paul and Griffin be with the Clippers for the long haul?

When questions about Paul and Griffin come up, Clippers front-office types like Olshey and team president Andy Roeser always use the term “Clipper for life.” It used to be a tag only worn by their longtime play-by-play man Ralph Lawler. After all, who would voluntarily chose to play with the Clippers forever and for Donald Sterling if they could go elsewhere?

That culture, however, has slowly begun to change, and much of that shift in philosophy has a lot to do with the presence of Griffin and Paul. If both believe they can be the cornerstones of a successful franchise, there is a good chance they will stay with the Clippers. There is no doubt the Clippers will offer both players max deals. The only question is whether they can do enough to convince Paul and Griffin that they will do everything possible to surround them with the players needed to contend for a championship.

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PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- Here are exit interviews from Monday's media session with three Los Angeles Clippers who filled supporting roles for the 2011-2012 squad behind Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.

Guard Mo Williams came into the season expecting to be the team's starting point guard, then quickly found himself third on the pecking order in a matter of days. He reflected on those days and how the season turned out for him, and reiterated his plans to opt in on the final year of his contract for next season.

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PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- Here are video interviews with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers at their last official meeting with the media of the 2011-2012 season.

Paul again took the blame for the Clippers being swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the NBA playoffs and promised to be better next year. He also reflected on what he admitted was a "tough season," playing 66 regular-season games and 11 playoff contests in a shorter span than normal.



Griffin, still wearing a bandage on his upper lip to protect the stitches he received after being hit by Tony Parker last night, said the Clippers' franchise has consistently moved in the right direction since drafting him three summers ago out of Oklahoma. He didn't specifically say he would sign the extension the team is sure to offer him this offseason, but did express confidence in where it is heading.

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- Here are video interviews with general manager Neil Olshey and head coach Vinny Del Negro of the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday at the Clippers' practice facility.

Olshey at first joked that he planned to be like a politician and say a lot of words but nothing of substance. Then he refused to get into Del Negro's job status going forward and revealed only some of his plans to fill out the Clippers' roster this offseason.



Del Negro also declined to discuss his future with the franchise but expressed a lot of hope for the team as a whole, saying the pieces were there to add to Blake Griffin and Chris Paul and build the team further.

LOS ANGELES -- Here is video of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul's postgame press conference following their season-ending 102-99 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Sunday's Gane 4 at the Staples Center.

Paul spoke first and refused to claim any sort of moral victories in getting to the second round of the playoffs in his first season with the Los Angeles Clippers. He also said he "no question" feels confident in the Clippers' fortunes going forward.

"I think it's great that our team got a little taste of the playoffs," Paul said. "I think coming into camp next year we're gonna expect a lot more."

Griffin, sporting a bandage on his stitched upper lip, said similar things. Sure, the Clippers got swept by a Spurs team that hasn't lost in more than five weeks, but they still got swept, he said.

"They played extremely well, but that doesn't make us feel any better," he said. "There's nothing about that that you can feel good about."

LOS ANGELES -- Here's Los Angeles Clippers Vinny Del Negro's postgame press conference following his team's season-ending 102-99 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at the Staples Center.

Del Negro admitted he was emotional to finish his second season at the helm of the Clippers but used much of the press conference to look forward to upcoming offseason and 2012-2013 season. He addressed the team's most immediate needs, saying shooters were the most important thing they need to add to the table.

"We have to do a good job moving forward of putting certain types of players in front of Chris (Paul) and Blake (Griffin)," Del Negro said. "That is the next step. I think that will help ease some of the strain and some of the the things he had to do to carry us at times, especially in the fourth quarters."

LOS ANGELES -- It seems like so long ago now that the Clippers put together their most memorable performance of the 2012 playoffs, a massive first-round comeback in which they pulled out an improbable 99-98 Game 1 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Three weeks ago today, the Clips did the unthinkable in Memphis, coming back from 27 points down and 21 at the end of three quarters to upset the Grizzlies. That victory buoyed L.A. into a series win and propelled them into a second-round matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, which has been decidedly less competitive.

Now, down 3-0 to the Spurs after Saturday's demoralizing come-from-ahead loss, the Clippers will essentially have to repeat their Memphis miracle for four straight games to stave off elimination.

That process begins Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at the Staples Center, where Game 4 is set to tip off between the two teams -- assuming the earlier Los Angeles Kings' hockey game doesn't go into overtime and cause a conflict.

The sense of urgency the Clippers displayed in the fourth quarter of Game 1 and throughout Game 7 is exactly the same sort of energy they need for Game 4. Basically, the entire roster has to be desperate to win, or the Clippers are going to get swept.

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LOS ANGELES -- San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has seen Chris Paul play enough times over his seven-year NBA career to feel comfortable declaring that Paul hasn't been himself this series.

Speaking following the Spurs' 96-86 win over Paul and the Clippers on Saturday at the Staples Center, Paul's third straight poor performance of the series, Popovich indicated his team has been lucky to go against Paul at less than his best.

“I don’t know what Chris will say, but I don’t think he’s 100 percent Chris Paul,” Popovich said. “I’m looking at him, and I know that kid. I know how he can play, and he’s not 100 percent.”

Popovich isn't the only one who thinks that. Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro has admitted that both Paul and forward Blake Griffin are battling injuries accumulated in the first-round series against Memphis, although he has steadfastly refused to speculate on the severity of either player's ailments.

For his part, Paul is trying to keep his strained right hip flexor at a low profile. Told of Popovich's comments in the locker room afterward, Paul interrupted an inquiring reporter and denied anything of the sort.

"I'm playing," he said. "I'm good. I'm good. I'm just not playing well, I gotta play better."

The first part of that is obviously true, and most would say the third part is as well. But the second is debatable. If he's indeed feeling "good," then how can you explain his three-game averages of just nine points and five-plus turnovers this series?

You can't, really. Outside of maybe San Antonio's overall dominance, Paul's struggles have been the single biggest reason why the Clippers have lost three straight to the Spurs in convincing fashion.

It's hard to win a playoff series against a top-seeded team when your top player is playing like a below-average one.

LOS ANGELES -- Here are Tony Parker and Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs after their 96-86 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday that gave them a 3-0 lead over the Clips in the teams' second-round series.

Parker said he understood why people were looking at the series like a matchup between him and the Clippers' Chris Paul but said he didn't think it was warranted. He also said he had "no idea" how healthy Paul has been in the first three games.



Duncan commended Blake Griffin for his heady play in the post on Saturday and said he didn't do anything different on him in the second half, when Griffin's production fell off dramatically. He credited local product Kawhi Leonard for a lot of the Spurs' success in Game 3.

LOS ANGELES -- Here's video from the Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul and Blake Griffin after their 96-86 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the teams' second-round series at Staples Center on Saturday afternoon.

Paul did not come to the podium and spoke briefly in the team's locker room before making a quick exit. He denied any nagging injuries were the reason why he's played so poorly against the Spurs and said the Clippers might as well try to win four straight games now, even though it has never been done before.



Speaking at the podium, Griffin was complimentary of the way the Spurs won Saturday's game, and especially complimentary of Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich's coaching style. If nothing else, he said, this series will be a good learning experience for the Clippers going forward.

The Los Angeles Clippers are going to get swept by the San Antonio Spurs if Chris Paul keeps playing the way he has so far this series.

That’s the truth of the matter.

The Clippers got improved play from Blake Griffin in Game 2 on Thursday night and have received continued productive play from a few of their role players against the Spurs, but it hasn’t been nearly enough.

San Antonio is too good, too complete a team. And the Clippers are too flawed, especially without a full-strength Paul in their arsenal.

The question that will determine how soon their season ends, then, is whether it’s possible Paul can be at full strength by Saturday afternoon’s Game 3 in Los Angeles. He’s still being bothered by the strained right hip flexor he suffered in Game 5 of the Clippers’ first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Spurs guard Tony Parker said in his postgame news conference Thursday that he and his teammates expect a better Paul in L.A.

“I’m sure he’s going to come back stronger in Game 3,” Parker said. “I’m sure he’s going to bounce back.”

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We asked our Facebook and Twitter audience what adjustments the Clippers need to make to beat the Spurs in Game 2. The responses were as creative as you would expect, so we Storified it. See who had the best advice.

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When the game was over and Chris Paul was changing in the visitors locker room of the AT&T Center in San Antonio, his 2-year-old son, Chris, came up to him and said, “You did a good job.”

Paul, putting on his suit, corrected him and said, “No, I did a bad job.”

The San Antonio Spurs had just defeated the Clippers 108-92 in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series, and Paul was still upset at himself for finishing with just six points on 3-of-13 shooting along with five turnovers, five steals, three assists and 10 rebounds.

“He don’t know no better,” Paul said of his son. “I got every shot that I wanted and I think that’s the good thing about tonight. I didn’t knock them down but that happens sometimes. This is Game 1; we’re going to go back to the drawing board and see what we did well and see what we didn’t do well and get ready for Game 2.”

As upset as Paul was with his performance, there was no real reason to believe the Clippers would beat the Spurs on Tuesday night. Every statistical analysis, historical comparison and logical reasoning going into the game said the Spurs would win and it wouldn’t even be close.

Over the past 20 years, when teams playing with six or more days off play a team with one day of rest, they are 8-0 in the postseason with an average winning margin of 21.6 points. The Spurs, coming off an eight-day layoff, also had won their previous 14 games, winning by an average margin of more than 17 points. And the Spurs had lost just once to the Clippers in San Antonio over the past decade, including an 18-game winning streak prior to this season.

Although the final score might not indicate it, the Clippers came out with more fight than most would have expected of a team that had just played a Game 7 on the road 48 hours earlier. The Clippers held a lead in the second quarter, and even after the Spurs took a 19-point lead to start the fourth quarter, the Clippers stormed back and were within eight points with less than eight minutes left in the game.

“If you’ve watched them, they always come back,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They don’t fold. That’s just a credit to their team. They just keep on playing and stick within the system, and they’ve come back many, many times, as we’ve all seen. That’s who they are.”

The Clippers have come back from double-digit deficits 15 times this season, which is the most in the league, but they wouldn’t be able to recreate their Game 1 “Miracle in Memphis” in San Antonio. Not when Popovich was calling timeouts during the Clippers’ run, and berating every player and cameraman in sight until San Antonio finished the game on an 18-10 run to comfortably pull away as Paul and Blake Griffin finished the game on the bench.

“They are pesky,” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said of the Clippers. “They are tough. They pressure you. They force you to turn the ball over. They do that very well. They are that kind of team that pressures the ball and forces you into making bad decisions. It’s something we’re going to have to improve.”

Not only were the Clippers hurt by a rested Tim Duncan, who scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but they were hurt by San Antonio’s outside shooting, which did not show any ill effects from an eight-day layoff. The Spurs connected on 13 3-pointers, which tied the franchise playoff record, set in 2007. Against Memphis, the Clippers gave up 24 3-pointers over the seven-game series. The Clippers also have to shore up their effort on the offensive boards, as they once again were outrebounded overall 47-34. The Clippers now have given up at least 11 offensive rebounds in seven of their past eight postseason games.

“They just beat us,” Paul said. “We didn’t play effective.”

The lone silver lining for the Clippers was the play of backup guard Eric Bledsoe, who scored a career-high 23 points, and had five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Nick Young added 13 points off the bench for Los Angeles. The Clippers’ “Goon Squad” of Kenyon Martin and Reggie Evans likely will not be as effective against the Spurs as they were against Memphis. San Antonio will spread the Clippers out, and essentially take Evans and Martin out of the game by forcing them to play in the middle and run out to 3-point shooters. Case in point, Evans played only 8 minutes Tuesday, and finished with four fouls, three rebounds and zero points.

In the end, Tuesday’s Game 1 could prove to be a microcosm of this entire series. The young, scrappy Clippers will play the Spurs tough and give them a good challenge but simply won’t have enough to finish off a team that has won 117 playoff games and four championships over the past 15 years, which is second only to the Los Angeles Lakers. Meanwhile, the Clippers just won their second playoff series since 1976, 48 hours ago.

This series might end up being more about gaining experience and building for the future as much as it is pulling another upset for the Clippers. Just don’t tell that to Paul, who still remembers being ousted by the Spurs the only other time he advanced past the second round, four years ago.

“We missed a lot of bunnies; we missed a lot of little layups and floaters in the lane,” Paul said. “We didn’t get to the free throw line enough. We came in here in the locker [room] and felt like there were some good things that we did. We just have to stay the course.”

It has been almost 15 years since Los Angeles Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro last played for the San Antonio Spurs, but he’s still far more synonymous with the Silver and Black than any of the other eight teams he has either played or coached for during his basketball career.

In fact, when the Spurs played the Clippers earlier this season, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich admitted that Del Negro’s name is still uttered in practices all the time, but maybe not for reasons Del Negro would like to hear.

“Some of the stuff we do on defense, we actually have one thing we call on the pin downs, we say we’re going to ‘Del Negro it’ and that’s in his honor and we’ve done that for 15 years,” Popovich said. “We have a Del Negro defense out there because he couldn’t play a lick of D. At times we had to invent something just to hide him, so we call it ‘Del Negro’ and you do certain things on the court and everybody has to make up for that guy who’s the ‘Del Negro.’”

Popovich doesn’t really consider Del Negro a protégé the same way he does former Spurs assistant coach and current Lakers head coach Mike Brown. “He’s not a protégé,” Popovich said. “We never coached together but I was able to coach him.”

Del Negro spent his best six years as a player in the NBA in San Antonio but left the team after the 1997-98 season and missed the Spurs’ first NBA title in 1999. He still talks to Popovich regularly and watches the Spurs' games as often as possible. After San Antonio beat the Lakers 121-97 last month, Del Negro smiled at a group of reporters after the game and said, “Did you watch the Spurs?! Whooo!”

“We’ve always kept in touch with each other,” Popovich said. “We’ll share things and try to support each other and everything because he’s a wonderful guy. He understood the game, he wasn’t very quick but he really knew how to play the game, especially pick-and-roll and that kind of thing. He knew what was going on out there on the floor. When you’re around guys like that or Avery Johnson or Steve Kerr, you know if they want to they can coach someday because they really understand what’s going on.”

Popovich couldn’t remember if he talked about coaching with Del Negro at the end of Del Negro’s career in San Antonio, but figured it probably came up in conversation at some point.

“I assume I did. It was so long ago,” Popovich said. “I do that with a lot of my players to see what they want to do when they’re done. Some guys want to do [it] and other guys are smart enough to realize they [don’t] want to do it because there’s more to life than coaching.”

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