5 Reasons the Los Angeles Clippers Will Win Western Conference

5 Reasons Los Angeles Clippers Will Win the West

The Los Angeles Clippers are essentially a clean slate when it comes to titles. They have never won a conference title or an NBA championship and won their first division crown this season.

Being in the shadow of the Los Angeles Lakers for decades, the Clippers have finally come out of the dark and become one of the Western Conference's top teams, if not the most exciting team in the conference and maybe even the entire league.

While they may be an extreme underdog in the 2013 NBA Playoffs as the fourth seed, they could very well be a title contender.

Chris Paul is the leader of this team along with veteran Chauncey Billups as his fellow guard. Paul will need to be relied upon heavily to make a strong run as the offense runs primarily through him, especially considering the struggles of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin so far in the playoffs.

Being down 3-2 is no easy task for a team that is new to winning, but the Clippers will need to overcome the odds and take down the Memphis Grizzlies if they want to keep moving forward into a new franchise direction.

Head coach Vinny Del Negro has this team playing well, but they will need to play their best to avoid elimination and get to the second round of the playoffs.

Here are five reasons why the Los Angeles Clippers could make a serious run and win the Western Conference title.

Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Chris Paul is the Definition of a Leader

Chris Paul is one of the league's best leaders and his numbers solidify that statement. He is averaging six assists and nearly 22 points per game so far this postseason. It's not just the numbers that make him a leader, it's his way of running the team. This is his team and his teammates know that.

Stellar Defense

The Clippers are one of the best defensive teams in the league. They rank fourth in the league in points allowed and their athleticism doesn't hurt. Defense wins championships, right?

They Know How to Find the Open Man

The Clippers one of the best teams when it comes to ball distribution. Out of all the teams left in the playoffs, they may be the best at finding the open man, or even the guy that's not open, but the end results are the same. With Paul and Billups as the starting guards, the assists will be rolling in.

They Can Catch Fire at Any Time

They are one of the most athletic teams in the league and can, at times, be the best team in the league. With Griffin, Paul and Jamal Crawford, they can go off at any time.

Scary Offense

They have one of the top offenses in the league, including the top-five scoring offense. When you have Paul scoring almost 22 points a game and dishing out handfuls of assists, scoring will never be a problem. Did I mention that they are known for the alley-oop?