"Jamal Crawford Shining With Clippers"

[mkwest]

“It’s weird, but I feel like I’m still getting better,” Crawford told Basketball Insiders with a laugh. “Now that I’m 14 years in, some people have been like, ‘Why are you still playing?’ A lot of guys start to plateau at that point or start to [decline], but I feel like I’m still getting better. I love the game of basketball. I’m entrenched in it every single day whether I’m playing it or watching it or talking basketball. For me, it’s still fun. It’s fun to work and see yourself get better. For me, I feel like I can do this for a very long time; God willing, no major injuries.”

Crawford and the Clippers believe that they have what it takes to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy this season. L.A. is currently 37-18, which is good for the fourth seed in the Western Conference.

“We feel like when we’re really playing our best, we can play with anybody in the league,” Crawford said. “Not to make a cocky statement or anything, we just like our chances. Of course, we have room for growth down the stretch here. We have to get guys healthy and we have to continue to build our trust on both sides of the ball every single night – that’s what we’re working towards. But I like our chances, I really do. I feel like the West is a dog fight every single night so that kind of helps keep you on your toes. The injuries we had were unfortunate, but they caused us to come together and become more of a close-knit group, so that was one blessing. We’re just going to keep growing every single day and then go from there.”

Crawford has been extremely impressed with Coach Rivers and his staff, and he credits them for his success this year.

“He’s been unbelievable,” Crawford said of Rivers. “Watching him all of those years in Boston and even back in Orlando, I knew he was good, but you don’t know how good he is until you’re around him every single day. That’s what we’re experiencing with him now and he’s unbelievable. … I worked really hard over the summer to improve, but I think a lot of it is that Doc has put me and my teammates in positions to be successful. I think I’m a much better player thanks to him and his staff, and a more well-rounded player as far as rebounding, defending, making plays and scoring; I think I’m the best player that I’ve ever been and there’s a direct correlation between that and the arrival of Doc and his staff.”

Alex Kennedy, Basketball Insiders

[TheNewEra]

Hoping he can retire a Clippers and win a title. Such a smart guy in interviews and so humble I am amazed how he got such a bad reputation in New York and Portland. Really can't see him anywhere else now with his importance only thing could happen is if Melo agrees to take a paycut to play here and we need to clear cap.