No way are the Clippers a better team than the Spurs. Maybe they were in that 7-game series. But the Spurs were not playing nearly to their optimum standards. If Splitter hadn't suffered that calf strain, the Spurs would likely had taken the #2 seed and beaten the Clippers in the WCSF in 5.
, if Tim Duncan hadn't been called for that bogus foul on Chris Paul towards the end of Game 7, the Spurs would probably have gone on to win that series--even with an injured Parker / Splitter and no homecourt advantage.
If all 7 games of that series were played on a neutral court, even with an injured Parker / Splitter, the Spurs probably still would've won. Even though the Clippers won the series in 7, the Spurs still outscored the Clippers for the total series.
The Spurs are the better team.