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The first run of “Lob City” may not have ended the way some within the Los Angeles Clippers organization would have liked but everyone understands its still a work in progress. With half the roster up for new contracts in the coming weeks and months, there’s also a good chance the team will have new look next season.

Before we look too far into the future though, let's look back at the Clippers’ roster last season and see how it graded out and how it will look moving forward.

We start off the grades with Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie, the two rookies the Clippers drafted out of Georgia in the second round last year. Thompkins and Leslie were born two months apart, were selected 10 picks apart and sat one locker apart from each other. They had so much common, they even shared the same lack of playing time this season.

Trey Thompkins

2011-12 contributions: No one on the Clippers was a bigger consistent cheerleader on the bench than Thompkins, who could usually be found draped over the back of DeAndre Jordan or another teammate after a big dunk late in the game. He appeared in 23 games during the season and averaged 2.4 points and 1.0 rebounds in 5.0 minutes. His best game was during the Clippers’ 107-81 win over the Washington Wizards on Feb. 4 when he had 2 points, 7 rebounds and 1 blocked shot while playing the entire fourth quarter.

2012-13 prediction: Thompkins figures into the Clippers’ future plans fairly prominently as general manager Neil Olshey said the team would be in the market for a “stretch four” and Thompkins fits the bill in case they can't find one in free agency. He’s a versatile forward who can play inside and outside. He has a nice jump shot and was a consistent three-point shooter in practice. If the Clippers can’t land someone outside the current roster to fill that "stretch four" position, Thompkins could see himself in the regular rotation next season.

Grade: Incomplete

Travis Leslie

2011-12 contributions: It was a difficult rookie season for Leslie, who only played in 10 games and was assigned to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League for two separate stints before returning to the Clippers at the end of the season. While he didn’t want to be away from his teammates, Leslie made the most of his time in Bakersfield, averaging 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 21.0 minutes. While with the Clippers, Leslie only averaged 1.4 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 4.5 minutes.

2012-13 prediction: Depending on what the Clippers do in free agency, it’s hard to see Leslie getting much more time in the rotation next season. He’s an athletic, albeit undersized shooting guard, who can finish at the basket and has been known to put on highlight reel plays in practice on par with Eric Bledsoe, but the Clippers are already two-deep at both guard positions. Leslie isn’t going anywhere but barring injuries or a trade, he’ll probably be spending a good amount of time on the bench again next season.

Grade: Incomplete

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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ESPNLA.com reporters Pedro Moura and Arash Markazi preview what to watch for in Saturday's 12:30 p.m. PT Game 3 between the Clippers and Spurs at the Staples Center.

They discuss the status of injured Clippers Chris Paul and Blake Griffin and the biggest things the Clips did wrong in losing Games 1 and 2 in San Antonio. Then they provide their predictions for the two weekend games between the two teams.

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- Los Angeles Clippers guard Nick Young, like most people, hates going to the dentist. Unlike most people, however, Young deals with his fears by simply not going. In fact, Young hadn’t been to the dentist in over two years before the pain caused by his wisdom teeth was too much to ignore earlier this week.

“I just have to get my wisdom teeth pulled out, but I’m going to wait it out,” Young said after practice Friday. “It’s something that’s been going on for a while, but I’m scared of the dentist. The medication they’re giving me doesn’t work so I have to get it done.”

The pain was so bad this week Young wasn’t sure he was going to be able to play in Thursday’s Game 3.

“I couldn’t sleep really,” Young said. “It bothered me all night, but I want to play in these games. It’s the playoffs. I’m just going to delay it as long as I can. They’ve been giving me stuff to numb it but at night and on the plane is when it really kills me.”

Young had nine points in 18 minutes off the bench for the Clippers on Thursday and hit 2 of 3 3-point attempts but said he felt “lightheaded” at times during the game because of the painkillers he was on.

“This has been going on for a little bit and it’s really my fault for not going to the dentist,” Young said. “I’m scared of those needles.”

Young says he will wait on getting his wisdom teeth out until the playoffs are over because he doesn’t want to miss any playoff games and doesn’t expect the pain will affect him during the games with the medication he's on.

“I’m not used to playing this long,” Young said. “I’ve been at home after April 15 the last four years and now it’s May 18 and I’m still playing. It’s great. There’s nothing like it, it’s something you want to be a part of every year."

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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After everything the Los Angeles Clippers had done over the past six months to change their perception and transform the culture of the team, they were right back where they started before the biggest game of their season.

Going into Sunday’s Game 7 against the Memphis Grizzlies, the history and numbers were stacked against them, a position the Clippers have become all too familiar with in their star-crossed history.

The Clippers had never won a Game 7 in franchise history and had won only two playoff series, the last in 2006. In the history of the NBA playoffs, the road team had posted a 25.5 winning percentage in deciding games of a playoff series.

As has been the case for most of this season, Chris Paul ignored the history and the numbers that were stacked against him and led the Clippers to their second playoff series win since 1976 with an 82-72 win over the Grizzlies that will surely go down as the biggest in team history. The Clippers now advance to the second round of the playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs.

There were questions looming around Paul’s availability, or at least his effectiveness, heading into the game after he suffered a strained right hip flexor in Game 5 that limited him in Game 6. The same was true for Blake Griffin, who suffered a sprained left knee in Game 5 that made it hard for him to stay on the floor in the fourth quarter of Game 6 and again in Game 7, as he played 1:39 of the final period.

It was Paul’s toughness through the first three quarters of the game that put the Clippers in position to win. He had team highs with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists heading into the fourth quarter, while no other Clippers player had reached double figures in points. But when the fourth quarter -- a time Paul has always referred to as “winning time” -- rolled around, it was the Clippers’ bench that propelled them to victory.

The Clippers' bench scored the first 23 points of the fourth quarter and took the Clippers from a 56-55 deficit to start the final period to a 71-61 lead with 6:17 left before Paul returned to the game and assumed his “closer” role. The Clippers' bench scored 41 points, the same number as the Clippers’ starters.

Reserves Eric Bledsoe, Nick Young, Mo Williams, Kenyon Martin and Reggie Evans sparked the Clippers’ historic comeback from 24 points down with 7:55 left in Game 1, and the same second unit gave the Clippers a double-digit cushion in the fourth quarter of Game 7. The bench was one of the deciding factors in this series, outscoring the Grizzlies in five of the seven games, including a 41-to-11 advantage on Sunday.

Before the fourth quarter, Martin gathered the Clippers’ second unit and told them: “We’re going to be aggressive on the defensive end. We’re going to trap O.J. [Mayo] and we’re going to trap Rudy [Gay]. It’s on us right now. Don’t wait. This is what it’s about. This is what we’re here for. We’re in a great position, so let’s go out and take it.” Martin had been in these situations before as one of three Clippers who had played in a Game 7 -- and the only active Clipper who had advanced to the NBA Finals.

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Western Conference first round: Game 7 (series tied 3-3) Clippers vs. Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum, 10 a.m. PT

Five storylines to watch:

1. Healing up: The Clippers clearly weren’t the same team in Game 6 without a healthy Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, and less than 48 hours later, they’re not likely to be much better. The sprained left knee Griffin suffered in the third quarter of Game 5 and strained right hip flexor Paul suffered in the fourth quarter of the same game has made it impossible for both to be themselves on the court. After the game on Friday, neither player made an excuse for their performance, but with Griffin taking 20-foot jumpers instead of attacking the basket and Paul playing off the ball, instead of penetrating the paint, it was easy to see how much they were hurt. If neither can play better in Game 7, it would be hard to imagine the Clippers coming away with the win.

2. Closing time: With a win Sunday, the Clippers will accomplish something that has only happened to the franchise one other time since moving to California in 1978, and only twice in franchise history: winning a playoff series. The last time the Clippers won a playoff series was six years ago, when they beat the Denver Nuggets in the first round in five games. The 3-1 series lead the Clippers had to start the week is now gone after the Grizzlies have won the past two games to force a Game 7. Only eight teams in NBA playoffs history have come back from a 3-1 series deficit to win a seven-game series, but history is now on Memphis’ side. In NBA history, only 21 teams have won a Game 7 on the road. Orlando was the last team to do it, defeating the Celtics in Boston in the Eastern Conference first round in 2009. Also, in the 28 instances in which the home team lost Game 6, it has gone on to win Game 7 only 10 times (35.7 percent).

3. No excuses: The stats certainly back up what is clearly visible on the court with a limited Paul. The Clippers were outscored by 13 points during the 75 minutes that Paul played in the last two games, including by five points in Game 6. Los Angeles shot 38.9 percent with Paul on the floor in Games 5 and 6, after shooting 47.7 percent with Paul on the court in the first four games of the series. As much as he was limited, the Grizzlies weren’t buying any excuses heading into Game 7. "I didn't know he was hurt. He's hurt? I didn't know he was hurt,” Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph said. “Everybody's hurt if that's the case. It's the playoffs, man. We're not looking for excuses. My knee's hurting and I'm out there playing. I'm not looking for no excuses, because it's the playoffs."

4. Controlling the paint: Take a quick look at the final box scores from the Grizzlies’ wins in this series and it isn’t hard to tell that points in the paint will be key for them in Game 7. The Grizzlies are at their best when Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph are at their best. In Game 6 they combined for 41 points and 25 rebounds and in Game 5 they combined for 42 points and 17 rebounds. While Griffin has done his best to keep pace with his injury, DeAndre Jordan has been a nonfactor, combining for eight points and four rebounds in the past two games. “I think that’s big for us,” Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. “When Zach is doing other things it helps us. We feel he needs to get going and and get some good looks early. He’s been able to come through for us in the end.”

5. Bench help: The Clippers' bench nearly pulled out a win for them in Game 6. Led by Eric Bledsoe’s 14 points and six assists and Kenyon Martin’s 10 points and two rebounds, the tandem kept the Clippers in the game without Paul and Griffin and gave the team an eight-point lead with eight minutes left after a 10-0 run. In the series, the Clippers' bench has outscored Memphis in four games, including holding a 34-15 advantage in Game 6. During the season, the Clippers' bench outscored the opposition only 19 times, holding a 10-9 record in those games. Against Memphis, the Clippers' bench has outscored the Grizzlies 176-147 and is averaging 29.3 points. The Clippers' bench averaged 24.8 points during the regular season. “They played great and we had an opportunity to really put them away,” Paul said of the bench after Game 6. “I think that's something that's going to play back in my head a lot.”

Western Conference first round: Game 6 (Clippers lead 3-2)
Clippers vs. Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center, 6:00 p.m. PT

Five storylines to track:

1. Game-time decision: The biggest storyline heading into Game 6 is the health of Clippers forward Blake Griffin and Clippers guard Chris Paul. Griffin suffered a sprained left knee with 1:31 remaining in the third quarter in Game 5. Griffin returned to the game and played about nine minutes but did not score and went 0-for-1 from the field. Paul strained his right hip flexor with 5:16 remaining in the game. Paul played just nine minutes in the fourth quarter and scored only 2 points. They’re both listed as game-time decisions but bother players said Wednesday night they will be in the starting lineup Friday. "They're both pretty sore today," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro told ESPNLosAngeles.com on Thursday. "They were in here getting as much therapy as they can today and tomorrow before the game. We obviously need both of them to be playing at a high level."

2. Closing time: With their next win in this series, the Clippers will accomplish something that has only happened to the franchise one other time since moving to California in 1978, and only twice in franchise history -- win a playoff series. The last time the Clippers won a playoff series was six years ago when they beat the Denver Nuggets in the first round in five games. Only eight teams in NBA playoffs history have come back from a 3-1 series deficit to win a seven-game. Game 6 in Los Angeles might as well be a must-win game for the Clippers if they want to win this series. In the history of the NBA playoffs, teams have closed out 62 of the 90 best-of-seven series when leading 3-2 and playing Game 6 at home (68.9 percent). In the 28 instances in which the home team has lost in that situation, it has gone on to win Game 7 only 10 times (35.7 percent).

3. Battle in the paint: In Game 5, Grizzlies center Marc Gasol led the team with a playoff season-high 23 points and Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds, his first double-double of the 2012 playoffs, in helping the Grizzlies stay alive. In the first quarter Randolph made all six field goal attempts and scored 15 points, while Gasol added 12 points, as Memphis scored 36 points in the first quarter, the team’s highest first-quarter output of the entire season. Meanwhile, Griffin and DeAndre Jordan combined for 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers. Jordan, however, didn’t do much to add to that stat line, finishing with 1 point and 0 rebounds. In the first five games of the series, the Clippers have been outscored 478-465 despite holding a 3-2 series advantage. The Clippers have also been outrebounded 250-236 in the series.

4. Close calls: Recent history says Game 6 will be a close game that will come down to the last couple of possessions. The Grizzlies lost by a one-point margin in Game 1 and Game 3. No team in NBA history has won a playoff series after losing at least two games by a single point during the series. Memphis did not lose a game by a one-point margin during the entire 2011-12 regular season. The average margin of victory has been only five points per game in the five games that have been played in this series. That is the lowest average margin of victory in any of the eight first-round series in this year’s playoffs. The average win margin has been 10.6 points per game in all of the other first-round games that have been played in 2012.

5. Bench warming up: The Clippers' bench has outscored Memphis three times in their first-round series, including holding a 26-20 advantage in Game 5. During the regular season, the Clippers' bench outscored the opposition only 19 times, holding a 10-9 record in those games. In the series against Memphis, the Clippers' bench has outscored the Grizzlies 142-132 and is averaging 28.4 points. The Clippers' bench averaged 24.8 points off the bench during the regular season. In Game 5, Clippers guard Mo Williams came off the bench and led the team with 20 points. It was the most points scored by Williams in this series, and the most points he has scored in a playoff game since he went for 22 points two years ago in Cleveland. In the Clippers' three wins in the series, the Clippers have been aided by big contributions from Eric Bledsoe, Nick Young and Reggie Evans. Young and Bledsoe have combined for 26 points and 7 rebounds in the fourth quarter in the Clippers’ three wins, and Evans has pulled down a team-high 15 rebounds in the Clippers’ three playoff wins.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock during the Memphis Grizzlies’ 92-80 win over the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night, the chant at FedExForum grew louder and louder.

"See you Sunday! See you Sunday!"

Of course, before a potential Game 7 back in Memphis on Sunday, there will be a Game 6 Friday night in Los Angeles. Mathematically, just like Wednesday’s Game 5, it will be a must-win game for the Grizzlies but it will be just as much of a must-win for the Clippers if they are still to win this series.

When the Clippers left Memphis Wednesday night and boarded their charter flight back to Los Angeles, they knew this had to be their last roundtrip to Tennessee if they hoped to make a trip to San Antonio next week for the next round of the playoffs. If they are forced to make a return trip the River City this weekend, they might as well start making vacation plans while they’re at it.

“We fought hard for home-court advantage and we want to take full advantage of it,” Clippers guard Mo Williams said after losing Game 5. “Our Game 7 is Friday.”

As hard as the Clippers fought to gain home-court advantage in their historic comeback win in Game 1, winning Game 6 will be even harder if they are forced to play with a hobbled Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Paul and Griffin both finished the game on the sideline after Griffin suffered a sprained left knee and Paul suffered a strained right hip flexor late in the game. Both will be re-evaluated Thursday in Los Angeles.

Chances are both will be on the floor Friday night, but the best indicator of how serious Paul’s injury may be was the sight of him on the bench in his warm-ups with the Clippers down by just six points with about a minute left in the game. This was the same player that urged Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro to keep the starters in the game when the Clippers were down 24 points with 7:55 left in Game 1, setting the stage for their comeback.

After Paul scored eight of the Clippers’ 14 points in overtime and led them to a win in Game 4, Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said containing Paul would be the biggest factor in extending the series. As a reporter asked Hollins how Memphis was able to contain Paul in Game 5, Hollins was quick not to take any credit for Paul's absence at the end of the game.

"I think he contained himself when he got hurt and went to the bench," Hollins said. "He was coming on. He helped bring them back and then he got hurt and went to the bench."

As confident as the Clippers might claim to be if this series does go back to Memphis for Game 7, they know they have been consistently outplayed in all three games outside of the final eight minutes of Game 1. In the second half of their home playoff games in this series, the Grizzlies have been up by as many as 27 points in Game 1, 13 points in Game 2 and 24 points in Game 5. Overall, in this series they have outscored the Clippers 478-465. Talk to folks in Memphis and they’ll claim they are one historic blown lead in Game 1 and two missed jumpers by Rudy Gay at the end of regulation in Games 3 and 4 from moving on to the next round already.

"Our backs are against the wall. We felt like we should have definitely won the first game and we felt we should have won the first game in L.A. too," said Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds. "We’re right there. We just have to put a whole game together. We’re going to come out firing and we’re going to be ready."

Despite what a certain center in Los Angeles may think, closeout games are the hardest to win in the NBA, or any sport for that matter. No one knows that better than Paul, who has only won a single playoff series in his career. "The closeout game is the toughest one," Paul said. "It won’t be easy."

It will obviously be infinitely harder if Griffin and Paul are not at full strength for the Clippers by Friday night. Either way, the Clippers are hoping they can ride a loud wave of red-clad fans at Staples Center to their first playoff series win in six years and only their second since the franchise moved to California in 1978. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are simply trying to win their first game against the Clippers in Los Angeles this year to stay alive.

"We understand it’s going to be a tough environment but we’ve played in tougher environments," Randolph said. "We just have to come out and play basketball. We understand more calls might go their way but, oh well, we just have to come out play. We can’t argue with the refs, we just have to come out and play basketball."

If the Grizzlies can do that and figure out a way to win in L.A. on Friday night, well, as the old saying in Memphis goes, "See you Sunday!"

Western Conference first round: Game 5 (Clippers lead 3-1)
Clippers vs. Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum, 6:30 p.m. PT

Five storylines to track:

1. Closing time: With their next win in this series, the Clippers will accomplish something that has only happened to the franchise one other time since moving to California in 1978 and only twice in franchise history -- win a playoff series. The last time the Clippers won a playoff series was six years ago when they beat the Denver Nuggets in the first round in five games. With a 3-1 series lead, the Clippers could close out their first round series with Memphis in five games Wednesday night. Unlike Lakers center Andrew Bynum, however, Chris Paul knows the fourth win will not come easy. "The close-out game is the toughest one,” said Paul, who has only advanced past the first round once in his career. Only eight teams in NBA playoffs history have come back from a 31 series deficit to win a sevengame series but expect Game 5 to be close. Despite being down 31 in the series, the Grizzlies actually lead the overall scoreboard 386385.

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LOS ANGELES -- He'd flown through the night to arrive on time, and after three weeks of dangling in maddening uncertainty while the New Orleans Hornets worked out David Stern's version of the very best deal possible, you had to figure Chris Paul might say a few things on his first day as a Clipper he'd regret later.

Right off the top he started talking about being excited to join this "unbelievable franchise with so much history behind it" and you were wondering if the man had any idea of what he'd just signed up for.

Los Angeles Clippers history? There aren’t many parts worth telling. But the more Paul talked about the Clippers' present and future, the more he explained why he he'd chosen them over every other team that expressed an interest, the more obvious it became why he was here.

Of all the sidekicks, in all the joints in the NBA, Chris Paul walked into Blake Griffin's.

It was both a tremendous compliment and a tremendous burden for Griffin to live up to. As brilliant as he was as a rookie, Griffin was still young and unformed.

But part of what makes Paul such a good point guard is his vision. And on this subject he had no doubt: Griffin was good enough.

Paul wasn't interested in first-round playoff losses anymore. He could've stayed in New Orleans for that. Leaving the Hornets was winning more and winning faster, and for some reason, Paul thought Griffin was up to that task, now.

"I had NBA TV,'' Paul joked, when asked whether he was confident Griffin could grow into the teammate he needed him to be. "So yeah, I knew. ... The sky was the limit."

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Western Conference first round: Game 4 (Clippers lead 2-1)
Clippers vs. Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center, 7:30 p.m. PT

Five storylines to track:

1. Not so free-throws: When Chris Paul first heard how many free throws the Clippers had missed in Game 3, he asked the reporter to repeat the number again. It seemed impossible that the Clippers could win despite missing 17 free throws. In fact, the Clippers effort at the free-throw line (they shot 13-of-30 for 43.3 percent) was the worst free throw percentage in a playoff game in NBA history with a minimum of 30 attempts. While shooting 43.3 percent from the line, the Clippers did shoot 47.1 percent (33-of-70) from the field. Since the 1985-86 season, it is only the sixth time in any game, playoff or regular season, that a team has shot at least 47 percent from the field with over 70 attempts and under 44 percent from the foul line with 30 or more attempts. The last time it occurred was on Nov. 26, 1997 when Washington went 13-of-30 (43.3 percent) from the free throw line and 41-of-75 (54.7 percent) from the field in a win over San Antonio. Since the inception of the shot clock in the 1954-55 season, no team has been outshot by its opponent from the free throw line by such an extreme margin in the postseason and still won the game.

2. Butler’s back: Despite fracturing the fifth metacarpal in his left hand in Game 1 and missing Game 2 after he was supposed to be out 4-6 weeks, Caron Butler returned to the Clippers' starting lineup for Game 3. Butler had 4 points (2-of-7 from the field and 0-of-2 from three-point range), 3 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in 22 minutes. Although it wasn’t his most productive outing of the season, simply seeing Butler on the court seemed to inspire the Clippers. “He didn't play so many minutes tonight, but his energy and his toughness is something that motivated the rest of us,” Paul said after the game. “That is unreal to see the pain he is going out there playing through.” After missing the Dallas Mavericks’ championship run last season following knee surgery, Butler said he couldn’t sit out this postseason if there was any possible way he could play. "It’s not going to get any more broke," Butler said Sunday of his left hand. “I pretty much took it in stride . . . it felt comfortable enough to be somewhat effective out there.”

3. The bench: One of the biggest surprises of this postseason for the Clippers has been the play of their second unit. The Clippers bench players outscored the Grizzlies' 26-21 in Game 3. It is the second time in the series the Clippers bench has outscored Memphis. During the regular season, the Clippers bench outscored the opposition only 19 times, holding a 10-9 record in those games. In the series against Memphis, the Clippers bench has outscored the Grizzlies 95-89 and is averaging 31.6 points. The Clippers bench averaged 24.8 points off the bench during the regular season. The most inspirational player on the second unit has been Clippers forward Reggie Evans, who pulled down 11 rebounds in Game 3. It was the second game of the series that Evans has led the team in rebounds. During the regular season, Evans led the Clippers in rebounds just four times and grabbed double-figures in rebounds five times. The Clippers have also been riding the hot streak Nick Young is on. In the first three games against Memphis, Young is shooting 61.9 percent (13-of-21) from the field and 70 percent (7-of-10) from the 3-point line.

4. Griffin slump: Through his first three playoff games, Blake Griffin is averaging only 6.7 rebounds. That is down from his regular season average of 10.9 rebounds per game. Griffin is in the midst of three straight games without reaching double-digit rebounds for the first time since February. He only had two stretches of three games without at least 10 boards in the regular season. Despite his rebounding struggles and his difficulty to get loose offensively (Griffin is averaging 18.6 points per game), the Clippers are leading the series 2-1. In the Clippers’ two wins, Griffin has only scored 17 points and grabbed an average of 5.5 rebounds. The Clippers lost Game 2 when Griffin scored 22 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. It backs up an odd statistical trend this season where the Clippers are 3-12 when Griffin scores 25 or more points.

5. CP3 does it again: In the Clippers’ Game 3 win, Chris Paul had 24 points and 11 assists. It was the first time in Clippers history that a player had at least 20 points and 10 assists in a playoff game. It was just the 11th time in his career that Paul has had at least 20 points and 10 assists in a playoff game. In Game 2, Paul recorded game-high totals in points (29), assists (6), steals (5) and turnovers (5) against the Grizzlies. There have been only two other instances over the last two seasons in which a player led both teams in all four of those categories in one playoff game. Paul did it against the Lakers in the opening round last year, as did Russell Westbrook against the Grizzlies in the last year’s conference semifinals. Paul’s line in that game was just the 25th time since 1986 that a player has compiled those numbers in a playoff game and the first since Deron Williams on May 26, 2007 when he had 31 points, 8 assist and 5 steals against San Antonio.