Clippers prepared for trip to Milwaukee

Taking down teams like the Bucks is crucial for the Clippers and latter season success.

It’s not really too surprising to see the Clippers do well in the regular season. It’s been that way for the past few years, with the struggles coming to surface in the post-season.

Whether it be injuries, blown series leads, or just a lack of will to win, it all causes the season to go up in smoke.

What they’ll have to do in order to avoid disaster this season is stay hungry in the second half of the season. All-Star weekend can have an effect on teams if they’re not careful, and it’s the last thing that the Clippers should want.

A fully healthy Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan can give teams nightmares. However, the second one of them gets put out of the rotation, it causes dysfunction.

In this year’s events, Austin Rivers has stepped up to the plate when Chris Paul was absent. He was a big part of last year’s playoff series with Portland when injuries struck, as well.

Los Angeles needs more than just Rivers, though.

Tonight’s game in Milwaukee will tell us more about how the Clippers handle size. Depending on their first round opponent and eventual seeding, the Clippers could be in for a dog fight.

Instead of playing back and forth from beyond the arc like when they play Golden State, Los Angeles may need to find more strength down low.

This means bigger games from Jordan and Griffin, with Paul filling the role of facilitator.

Milwaukee has enough strength and speed to give the Clippers a real test.

Next: Should Lakers Tank Already?

In the playoff hunt themselves, the Eastern Conference should be on the look out for dark horse teams like the Bucks — scaring the Clippers could be just the beginning.