Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are universally known as the Los Angeles Clippers' top two players, but players and coaches believe the X-factor toward an NBA championship is DeAndre Jordan.

“He’s the key to our championship,” Matt Barnes said. “Teams have offensive threats, but when you have a 7-footer that can run the floor, rebound, block shots and change shots, he’s going to be the key.”

Jordan is entering the final year of his four-year, $43 million deal.

“It’s just another season. I don’t want to think about it like that,” Jordan insists. “I don’t think about it like that.”

Everyone knows the issue is there.

“It’s a free agent year. It’s a big year for our team,” Barnes said. “There’s a lot on his plate.”

In this two-part episode, host Daniel Leroux (@DannyLeroux) and Arturo Galletti of BoxScoreGeeks.com (@ArturoGalletti) go through the over-unders for all 30 NBA teams for the 14-15 season. 

Timestamps for the discussion on each team:

Part One

Click here to listen or download Part 1 

Part Two

Click here to listen or download Part 2. 

You can also click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Steve Ballmer is thrilled to begin his first season as owner of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Ballmer has received criticism for paying above fair market value for the Clippers at $2 billion.

"The ones who speak up the most think I probably paid too much," said Ballmer. "But there are many smart people I know who would agree with me that I paid a reasonable price… I expect to own this until essentially I die, so that's 25, 30 years (from now). Will it perform as well as the stock market — 'total return,' as they like to say in the investment business? Yeah, I think I'll do as well as if I owned an index fund that represented the S&P 500. That's OK. I won't outperform it, but I'll do at least as well. ... And that's OK with me. That's a pretty good return." 

Ballmer has high hopes for the Clippers becoming one of the favorite teams in the NBA.

"How did the Lakers get to be 'America's team'?" Ballmer says. "(It was) with Magic (Johnson) and championships in the '80s. That's what did it. (The) New York (Yankees) with Babe Ruth in the '20s, and New York with Mickey Mantle in the '60s. ... That's how you do it."

The Clippers have never played in an NBA Finals.

"Yeah, I think we have an opportunity (to be America's team)," he says from the edge of his seat, his pitch on the rise yet again. "But we've really got to light 'em up. We've got incredible superstar guys at the helm in Blake (Griffin) and Chris (Paul) and DJ (DeAndre Jordan). We're playing in a great market. We have this unfortunate situation (with Sterling), and yet all that's done for the forward-looking thing is put the Clippers on everybody's road map.

"Everybody wants this story to end with the guys who had to live through this succeeding!"

The Los Angeles Clippers understand DeAndre Jordan will be looking for a new deal next summer versus signing a contract extension before the start of the regular season.

"He won’t ever accept an extension," Doc Rivers said. "Why would he?

"Everybody, they get what they earn. That’s basically in life and that will happen for D.J."

Jordan averaged 10.4 points, 13.6 rebounds and 2.48 blocks per game last season.