By tipoff Thursday night, the Clippers were the last NBA team to start their season. They hope to be the last team standing at the end, too.
The common link? Patience.
Coach Tyronn Lue, a self-described basketball junkie, didn’t mind camping in front of the TV on Tuesday and Wednesday as the rest of the league began their schedules. More difficult, he said, will be studying his own team to find the right lineups and roles to ensure the Clippers’ two-track season goals are being met: How they can reach their ultimate goal of playing their best basketball in the postseason, while in the short-term keeping pace in a rugged Western Conference as the team slowly ramps up the minutes for several players, including Kawhi Leonard.
