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LOS ANGELES -- It really is hard to find a narrative that LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers isnt willing to indulge in. The other night he even asked a group of journalism students from USC, who were observing his postgame news conference, for extra questions at the end of what had already been a lengthy session after a blowout 127-95 win against the Brooklyn Nets.But there is one subject he isnt touching right now.And its a topic the rest of the league most definitely is talking about with the Clippers off to a franchise-best 10-1 start.So you know theres all this talk of the Clippers being the best team in the NBA now ...Noooo. Mmm, mmm. Nooo. Nooo, Rivers said before the question was even asked.Part of Rivers caution is the youngness of the season. Eleven games is hardly a large enough sample size to start making judgments, let alone boast about anything.But mostly its because Rivers and his team have been stung by all manner of playoff scorpions in recent years.You get tired of losing, Rivers said. The whole second-round [playoff ceiling the franchise has yet to break through] ... I dont think our guys care about that, they just want to win. At some point guys just get tired of losing. I think our guys are at that point.There are all sorts of metrics that would make a compelling case for the Clippers as the best team in the NBA right now.According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Clippers have outscored their opponents by 183 points this season, the fourth-best margin through 11 games of a season in NBA history behind only the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls (plus-212), 1964-65 Boston Celtics (plus-194) and 1971-72 Milwaukee Bucks (plus-193).Theyre leading the NBA in defensive efficiency and have the most dominant five-man lineup in the league. (According to ESPN Stats & Information, starters Blake Griffin-Chris Paul-J.J. Redick-DeAndre Jordan-Luc Mbah a Moute are 98 points better together than any other five-man lineup in the league.) They also feature a vastly improved bench with the additions of Raymond Felton, Brandon Bass and Marreese Speights.Still, Rivers isnt going there.I dont care really, Rivers said, dismissing the best-team-in-the-league talk. We like us. As good as were playing, we can play a lot better.Griffin actually started his postgame interview on Monday by saying his team had a couple of defensive lapses and couldve played better during a first quarter in which it led the Nets 35-7 at one point.Challenged to explain where any lapses couldve been in a 35-7 game, Griffin laughed and sheepishly said, Yeah, a couple.In other words, this team really doesnt want to take any bows yet.Rivers said it reminds him a bit of the 2007-08 championship team he coached in Boston. That was the NBAs first super team, if youre into those sorts of labels, where Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined forces to win each of their first titles.Oh yeah, Rivers said. It was the exact same thing with Paul and KG and Ray. They were tired of losing and they were like, Well, we gotta do it together.But that team was all about Ubuntu, a philosophy and rallying cry used by Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu as they fought against apartheid in South Africa that roughly translates as, I am because we are.This years Clippers team has no such higher calling. Pierce was in Boston when Rivers explained it and ingrained Ubuntu into the DNA of that team. Hes in Los Angeles now -- although he has yet to play this season -- and says its vastly different.Its a lot different, Pierce told ESPN.com. This team has a lot of built-up frustration. They have first-round losses, second-round losses.Ubuntu -- we dont have that. Its a totally different team. Different style, different team. This looks like built-up frustration over here.The biggest difference really is that the 2007-08 Celtics were about three future Hall of Famers coming together after a decade-plus of failing apart, with other teams. These Clippers have mostly been together for six years, sharing all these painful playoff losses.It all looked so promising in the first year of Lob City when the Clippers rallied to win a Game 7 on the road in Memphis in the first round of the 2012 playoffs. They were swept by San Antonio in the next round, but the season went down as a success for such a young team.They went backward in Year 2, losing to the Grizzlies in a bruising six-game first-round series. The Clippers won the first two games, lost the next three, then lost Griffin to a high-ankle sprain during walk-through practice. According to one insider, they were practicing traps to get the ball out of Zach Randolphs and Marc Gasols hands. Griffin spun, leaped, got bumped, landed on Lamar Odoms foot and let out the kind of scream that makes everyone in the gym cringe.The Clippers lost Game 6, fired coach Vinny Del Negro and turned to Rivers to get them over the hump. Instead, the Donald Sterling scandal landed like a stink bomb in the middle of a first-round series against the Golden State Warriors. The Clippers somehow pulled out the series in seven games, marking the last time theyve been ahead of the Warriors. But they basically collapsed out of emotional exhaustion in the next round against Oklahoma City. Which seemed like the worst thing that would ever happen in their careers, until they blew a 3-1 series lead against the Houston Rockets the next season.Last season was just stupid. Griffin and Paul went down with season-ending injuries in the same game of a first-round playoff series against Portland, and Damian Lillard put them out with four straight wins.You sort of have to bunch all those memories together to deal with the emotional trauma they evoke. Put it all in a run-on, stream-of-consciousness sentence and swallow it whole. Down it like a snake trying to eat a huge rat.The Houston series, Griffin said. Thats something that we still think about.Of all the Clippers playoff losses, thats still the worst because it was entirely in their hands. There wasnt a freak injury or twist of cruel fate. They just melted down.It happens, Griffin said. You saw it happen to Oklahoma City, you saw it happen to the Warriors in the Finals, the Indians if you want to go baseball. Thats part of it. As a team when you go through something like that, it can do one of two things: It can make you grow apart and resent each other, start pointing the finger. Or it can make you closer together. I think thats what thats done.Even last year, going through that season and that ending, I think its brought us closer together.Closer together, maybe. But still galaxies away from vindication. As good as theyve played this season, they still have many of the same weaknesses as before. They could use an upgrade at small forward to match up with the Kevin Durants and Kawhi Leonards of the world. Teams will still foul Jordan late in games to try to force Rivers to use a smaller lineup. And someone other than Paul needs to be able to make a clutch shot.But thats how thresholds always work. They are guarded until you finally overcome them. Jose Ramirez Jersey . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day. Greg Allen Jersey .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. http://www.indianssale.com/indians-brad-hand-jersey/ . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Manny Ramirez Jersey . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. Corey Kluber Jersey . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver Canucks because of an upper-body injury. SEATTLE -- Melky Cabreras home run gave Chicago the lead. Todd Fraziers shot in the ninth gave the White Sox a much needed opportunity to relax.Cabrera hit a tie-breaking homer leading off the seventh inning, Frazier added a two-run shot in the ninth and the White Sox snapped a five-game losing streak with a 6-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.After sputtering to open the second half of the season, the White Sox used three home runs and a strong performance from lefty Jose Quintana to finally snap their skid.Its good to get the one out of the way and kind of be able to relax again and hopefully get on a roll, center fielder J.B. Shuck said.Cabrera lined his ninth home run of the season -- and second batting right-handed -- just over the wall in left field off Seattle starter Wade Miley (6-7) to snap a 1-1 tie. Shuck added an RBI single later in the seventh inning and Frazier capped the White Soxs first win since July 9 with his 27th home run in the ninth.Brett Lawrie also hit a solo home run, his 12th.I think the way (Quintana) has been pitching, you feel like you get him a couple and hes going to do something with it, Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. The solo homers are nice, but I think to be able to put some on late and separate is the best thing that we did tonight.Quintana (8-8) threw six innings and his only major mistake was Robinson Canos 22nd home run in the fourth inning. And Quintana made key pitches when Seattle had runners in scoring position in both the fifth and sixth innings.Quintana struck out Cano to end the fifth with runners on the corners. In the sixth, Quintana gave up a leadoff single to Nelson Cruz and loaded the bases after a walk to Chris Iannetta and hitting Leonys Martin on the elbow with two outs. Quintana fell behind to Daniel Robertson, but got the young outfielder to fly out to center to end the threat.You kind of trust getting him through that point and the lastt guy youre giving him that guy knowing its his last guy, Ventura said He just has to fight through it.dddddddddddd.Quintana allowed six hits in six innings and struck out seven. Hes won his last three starts after going 0-7 over a span of nine starts from the middle of May until the end of June.A couple of innings I was in trouble, but I tried to make (the) critical pitch and get out of trouble, Quintana said.Miley lost his fifth straight start, his last win coming on June 7. It was a better performance than his last start before the All-Star break where Miley allowed 10 hits and four runs against Kansas City, but he was unable to get through the seventh. Miley has completed at least seven innings just three times in 17 starts.I definitely thought thats the best that hes thrown the ball in a while, so thats a positive there, Seattle manager Scott Servais said.PERFECT `PENZach Duke, Nate Jones and Carson Fulmer rolled through the final three innings for Chicago, retiring the last nine batters in order. Fulmer made his second relief appearance after being called up from Double-A Birmingham and transitioned from a starter to a reliever.TRAINERS ROOMWhite Sox: C Alex Avila (hamstring) has started his rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte. Avila was 1 for 2 with a double on Tuesday.Mariners: SS Ketel Marte was out of the lineup for the second straight day with illness. Servais was hopeful Marte would be able to get back in the lineup on Wednesday.UP NEXTWhite Sox: Miguel Gonzalez (2-5) makes his 14th start of the season. Gonzalez is just 1-2 over his last three starts but has a 2.25 ERA during that time.Mariners: Felix Hernandez (4-4) makes his first start since May 27 after landing on the DL with a calf injury. Hernandez had two rehab starts in the minors before returning to the rotation. ' ' '