After losing two in a row in Portland to blow a 2-0 series lead, the Los Angeles Clippers' hopes in the West diminished on Tuesday. The team announced that guard Chris Paul is out indefinitely and forward Blake Griffin will miss the rest of the Playoffs. Both injuries occurred Monday night, as Paul broke his right hand and Griffin re-aggravated a quadriceps injury.
Paul underwent surgery on his hand on Tuesday morning, and the recovery time is listed as four to six weeks. That means that the Clippers would have to advance to the Conference Finals or Finals to get their guard back this season. Griffin is for sure out for the rest of this season, but will be ready for the start of training camp.
The franchise has never advanced past the second round in the Playoffs, and despite having a team with All-Stars, they have been plagued with bad luck. Donald Sterling's racist comments took place during the 2014 Playoffs, causing controversy in the locker room, and the team blew a 3-1 series lead to the Rockets in the second round last year.
Griffin had just returned from injury and suspension near the end of the regular season, but was limited in the fourth quarter Monday, and sat out the final 5:48 of the game. He suffered a torn quadriceps on Christmas day and broke his hand, which caused him to miss 47 games.
Paul's injury occurred with 6:07 left in the third quarter while guarding Gerald Henderson. The fracture took place in the third metacarpal, in the center of the palm of his shooting hand.
Both players contributed big time in the first four games of the postseason, with Griffin averaging 15.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. Meanwhile, Paul led the way by averaging 23.8 points, 7.3 assists, and 4.0 rebounds. The team is 25-21 in the regular season, and 1-1 in the Playoffs, without their starting point guard.
Paul underwent surgery on his hand on Tuesday morning, and the recovery time is listed as four to six weeks. That means that the Clippers would have to advance to the Conference Finals or Finals to get their guard back this season. Griffin is for sure out for the rest of this season, but will be ready for the start of training camp.
The franchise has never advanced past the second round in the Playoffs, and despite having a team with All-Stars, they have been plagued with bad luck. Donald Sterling's racist comments took place during the 2014 Playoffs, causing controversy in the locker room, and the team blew a 3-1 series lead to the Rockets in the second round last year.
Griffin had just returned from injury and suspension near the end of the regular season, but was limited in the fourth quarter Monday, and sat out the final 5:48 of the game. He suffered a torn quadriceps on Christmas day and broke his hand, which caused him to miss 47 games.
Paul's injury occurred with 6:07 left in the third quarter while guarding Gerald Henderson. The fracture took place in the third metacarpal, in the center of the palm of his shooting hand.
Both players contributed big time in the first four games of the postseason, with Griffin averaging 15.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. Meanwhile, Paul led the way by averaging 23.8 points, 7.3 assists, and 4.0 rebounds. The team is 25-21 in the regular season, and 1-1 in the Playoffs, without their starting point guard.
