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The Los Angeles Clippers and NBA Championship have rarely ever been mentioned in the same sentence all that much in the franchise's history. The Clippers have only been to the playoffs a handful of times, and have yet to ever win a division title (much less conference or NBA titles) in the four decades the Clippers have been around.
With superstar point guard Chris Paul and rising star Blake Griffin though, it's looking as if the Clippers have a real chance to make some noise this season. Vegas has taken notice too. According to Bovada Sportsbook, the Clippers have 12/1 odds to win the Western Conference, 25/1 odds to win the championship, and sport a win total of 49.5 games.
The Clippers are coming off a 40-26 season in the abbreviated lockout year, where they finished 5th in the Western Conference. They managed to upset the Memphis Grizzlies in a physical seven-game series (including winning Game 7 in Memphis) before getting swept in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs.