Tom’s Title Tiers doesn’t specifically apply for the In-Season Tournament, which kicked off on Friday. For the record, I’m bullish on the In-Season Tournament. To be honest, I’m all for anything that raises the stakes during the regular season, a product that has been diluted in recent years due to teams prioritizing lottery position and playing prevent defense on injuries that could torpedo their title chances.
Yes, the name — In-Season Tournament — is lame, but it’s a placeholder until the NBA sells the sponsorship rights. You guys know what’s going to happen, right? The NBA just announced that Skims will be the official underwear of the NBA, WNBA and Team USA. Connect the dots. Say it with me now: The Skims Cup. It works on multiple levels, y’all. I’M SPEAKING IT INTO EXISTENCE.
OK, OK, let’s get into Tom’s Title Tiers. This is my subjective list based largely on objective data. This is not a pure, analytical ranking. You’re here because you want to know what I think, to get inside my brain a little bit. Consider this a weekly report of what I see on film; what I glean from the numbers; what I hear on the phone; what I read in the news; what I feel.
I’m also going to write about one team each week.
This week’s featured squad: the LA Clippers.
I’ll go a little deeper later, but here’s a quick rundown of each tier.
Tom’s Title Tiers
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is a complete team, no notes.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Just missing that one thing.
⭐⭐⭐ One move away from being one move away.
⭐⭐ So much has to break right.
⭐ Sooo you’re saying there’s a chance.
So, where do I put the Clippers and the rest of the contenders? And which two contenders moved up a notch?
Let’s find out.