Lob City: The LA Clippers’ High-Flying Era (2011-2017)
#LobCity refers to the Los Angeles Clippers’ era (2011-2017) featuring Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan, known for their spectacular alley-oop dunks (lobs) and high-flying, entertaining basketball. Despite regular season dominance, they never made the Western Conference Finals.
The Big Three
Chris Paul (Point Guard) - Elite playmaker, “Point God,” traded from New Orleans 2011 Blake Griffin (Power Forward) - Athletic dunker, 6× All-Star, Dunk Contest champion DeAndre Jordan (Center) - Rim-running lob threat, elite rebounder/shot-blocker
The Lob City Era
2011-12 to 2016-17:
- Averaged 50+ wins per season
- 5 consecutive playoff appearances
- Never made Western Conference Finals
- Became synonymous with alley-oop highlights and playoff failures
Why “Lob City”?
Alley-oop dunks (lobs) were the team’s signature play:
- Chris Paul would lob the ball near the rim
- Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan would catch and dunk mid-air
- SportsCenter Top 10 every night — spectacular, crowd-pleasing highlights
Marketing slogan: “Lob City” became the Clippers’ brand.
The Curse: Playoff Failures
Despite dominance, Lob City never made the Conference Finals:
2012: Lost to Spurs in Conference Semifinals 2013: Lost to Grizzlies in First Round 2014: Lost to Thunder in Conference Semifinals (up 2-0, blew series) 2015: Lost to Rockets in Conference Semifinals (up 3-1, blew series — worst collapse) 2016: Lost to Trail Blazers in First Round 2017: Lost to Jazz in First Round (CP3 injured)
The 2015 Collapse
Most infamous moment:
- Up 3-1 vs. Houston Rockets in Conference Semifinals
- Led Game 6 by 19 points in 3rd quarter
- Lost Game 6 and Game 7 — blew the series
- Josh Smith 3-pointers and Dwight Howard dominance killed them
- “Clippers gonna Clip” meme was born
The Dysfunction
Lob City’s reputation:
- Regular season contenders, playoff chokers
- Locker room drama (CP3 vs. Blake fights, DeAndre vs. CP3 tension)
- Coach firings (Vinny Del Negro, Doc Rivers frustration)
- Injuries (CP3 always hurt in playoffs)
DeAndre Jordan Drama (2015)
July 2015 - DeAndre Jordan:
- Verbally agreed to join Dallas Mavericks
- Changed his mind — Clippers flew to his house, convinced him to stay
- Locked in his house with Blake, CP3, Doc Rivers, Paul Pierce
- Emoji tweets (”🚁🚁🚁”) - Clippers sent helicopters
- Mark Cuban furious — NBA changed free agency rules after
The End
2017: Chris Paul traded to Houston Rockets 2018: Blake Griffin traded to Detroit Pistons Lob City era over — franchise reset
Legacy
Lob City = what could have been:
- Most entertaining team of the 2010s (highlights, dunks, excitement)
- Ultimate underachievers (never made Conference Finals)
- “Little brother” to Lakers — played in same arena (Staples Center), never escaped shadow
Cultural impact: “Lob City” nickname inspired other teams to adopt high-flying playstyles.
Related Hashtags
- #Clippers / #LAClippers
- #CP3 / #BlakeGriffin
- #NBARealityCheck (playoff failures)