Lob City could never quite get over the hump. In their six seasons together, the triumvirate of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan failed to make the Conference Finals, and despite being one of the more consistent and exciting teams of the 2010s, their postseason success never matched their promise. It was the most successful era in franchise history, but it still felt like every season ended with some sort of collapse or a litany of injuries. In 2016, both Paul and Griffin suffered season-ending injuries in the first round against the Trail Blazers and the following season, in Lob City’s desultory last stand, Griffin was only able to play three playoff games before being ruled out for the rest of the postseason due to a toe injury. The era came to an end when Chris Paul was traded to the Rockets in the summer of 2017, and the Clippers traded Griffin in the middle of the following season, just months after signing him to a five-year deal.
