A team that started the season with big expectations and a veteran group of future Hall of Famers finishing as the No. 9 seed is disappointing.
However, the Los Angeles Clippers even being in the play-in tournament is actually an historic turn around based on where they were early in the season.
The Clippers concluded the regular season at 42-40, becoming the first NBA team to ever finish above .500 after being 15 games below .500 at any point in that season (the Clippers were 6-21 after a loss on Dec. 18, 2025).
Los Angeles even exceeded the expectations of Clippers head coach Tyron Lue, who publicly stated their main goal was to be 35-20 throughout the rest of the season during a late December talk with the media.
