LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

The Los Angeles Clippers are a National Basketball Association team based in Los Angeles , California . The Clippers began in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves. They were one of three franchises that joined the NBA in the 1970-71 season, along with the Portland Trail Blazers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Clippers are one of seven teams in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Clippers play I the Staples Center in Los Angeles , California , and wear jerseys of red, white, blue. The franchise played as the Buffalo Braves and San Diego Clippers before moving to Los Angeles . The Clippers finished both the 1970-71 and 1071-72 seasons with a win-loss record of 22-60. In 1984 the Clippers moved to Los Angeles , California , playing in the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena while the Lakers, already established club, continued to play at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood , a few miles south. Midway through the 1991-92 season the Clippers hired Larry Brown as the team's head coach in late January 1992. Brown finished the season with a 23-12 mark, for an overall record of 45-37, the franchise's first winning season in 13 years.

The Clippers advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 6 years, since they were still in Buffalo ; however they were eliminated by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the play-offs three games to two. In the 2004-2005 season, the Clippers finished 37-45 while their cross town counterpart the Lakers ended the season with 34-48 record and missed the play-offs. Although the Clippers also missed the play-offs, they ended with a better record than the Lakers for the first time since 1993. With young rising stars such as Alton Brand, Corey Maggette and Shaun Livingstone the franchise has great hope for the future. The Clippers traded Marko Jaric and Lionel Chalmers to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for guard Sam Cassell and a lottery-protected 1 st round pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. Currently Los Angeles Clippers have had a few losing streaks but they have maintain a good record with several large winning streaks. As of March 14, 2006 , the Clippers have a 37-25 record, this place the franchise second in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Some players who are currently in the Clippers rosters are Cuttino Mobley, Boniface N'Dong, James Singleton, Sam Cassell, Chris Kaman, Daniel Ewing, and Shaun Livingstone. Not to be forgotten players includes Lamar Odom, Michael Olowokandi, Brent Barry, Ron Harper, Mark Jackson to name a few.