Grant Hill is the second oldest player in the NBA – edged out by just one day by the Knicks’ Kurt Thomas. But the L.A. Clippers small forward reckons his team has what it takes to win the Championship this season…something he says would be ‘the icing on the cake’ of his 18 year career.
“It’d be great to go out on a bang,” the 40-year-old Championship virgin told MVP. “Not that I’d retire – but in terms of all I’ve been through over the course of my career, getting a Championship would be awesome. But that’s why I came to the Clippers – I felt like we really had a chance to win it. That has eluded me throughout my career, but it’d be the icing on the cake.”
After a blistering 17 game winning streak in December, the Clippers have cooled off somewhat in 2013. But Hill insists they still have their eyes fixed firmly on the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
“That’s our goal. We know there’s a lot of hard work in front of us. But we feel we have the ability, the talent and the depth to be a good team and a Championship level team.
“Obviously there are a lot of variables that go into that, but we certainly have the personnel and the character and the talent to get the job done. So now we’ve just got to get healthy. Today we had our first practice where everybody practiced – everybody was healthy, the first time for the season. But hopefully, as we come out of the All-Star break, we’ll really have a nice stretch going into the post-season.”
Hill was speaking ahead of the Clippers showdown against the New York Knicks this Sunday, a day which will also see the struggling Los Angeles Lakers take on the reigning champs, the Miami Heat. MVP asked seven-time NBA All-Star whether he thought his cross-towm rivals could still make the play-offs this year, especially given the news that Pau Gasol is to miss at least six weeks with a foot injury.
“If Pau’s gonna be out, they’re going to need Dwight to be healthy. They can get by with one of them out – but with two of them out, they’re probably going to struggle.
“But as long as you have Kobe and Nash…they have a chance. Those two guys are assassins, they’re competitors. Those two guys, I know, are going to give everything they can.”
The Los Angeles Clippers @ New York Knicks is exclusively live on Sky Sports 2HD this Sunday from 6pm as the first part of an NBA double-header. The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Miami Heat at 8.30pm. #NBAonSky
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