PHILADELPHIA Sitting courtside at Game 2 of last season’s N.B.A. finals, Elton Brand went unnoticed among his N.B.A. brethren. That was a problem. He was dressed in a suit, not a jersey. That was a problem. Once again, Brand, a nine-year N.B.A. veteran, was not playing for a championship. That was the biggest problem. During the game, Brand’s mind drifted back a couple of years, when the Clippers began to show promise, stepping out of the Lakers’ shadow and qualifying for the playoffs.
