Just a very short week ago, I wrote off the Clippers after they fell behind 2-0 to the Dallas Mavericks behind the impressive performances of Luka Doncic. The series was going back to Dallas, so all signs pointed to the Mavs winning at least one of those games and taking the series in four or five games. Instead, the Clippers stars decided to shut up idiots in the media like me and enforce their will upon the Mavericks and steal the next two games in Dallas, and evening the series at two games apiece.
Two summers ago, the NBA was hit with a bombshell that Kawhi Leonard had been signed with the Los Angeles Clippers and then Paul George was acquired via trade from the OKC Thunder all on one Saturday night that turned the NBA world upside down. They had high expectations for themselves and declared themselves the king of LA before ever playing a game. They were solid last year in the regular season but blew a 3-1 lead in the second round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets.
They had another successful regular season this year, but the way that they closed out the season led them open to criticism. They had an opportunity to secure the third seed in the west by winning their last two games against the Rockets and Thunder, who are were two of the worst teams in the league this season but decided to rest all of their players and tank for the four seed. They did this so they wouldn’t have to play the Los Angeles Lakers until the Western Conference Finals. For a team that proclaims to be the kings of LA, seems like a pretty soft move to avoid the cross-town rivals, especially when the team is banged up. The Bucks lost to the Heat last year in the playoffs, and in the final games of the season, could have thrown their games against the Heat to not have to face them in the first round. They faced their demons head-on and swept Miami in the first round. The Clippers appear two times as foolish since they dropped the first two games of the series and that the Lakers do not appear to be at 100% and are down 3-2 in their series with the Suns.
Paul George once referred to himself as “Playoff P” and since that point, he has become heavily scrutinized for his lacking playoff performances. He is trying to reverse that narrative in this series and games 2-4 he is averaging 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. He suddenly remembered that he is one of the best mid-range shot creators in the league and has been getting the looks he wants at will.
For the Clippers to make a run at the title, they will need PG to look to get his teammates more involved, as the Clipper’s offense can sometimes go stagnant, and role players like Reggie Jackson and Ivica Zubac look disinterested on offense. The team as a whole relies heavily on isolation, but if George is pulling his weight on offense, and locking down a star on defense, the Clippers could pull off a run.
Kawhi is the other player who isolates a lot for the Clippers, and he also makes a living in the mid-range area. He is putting up an insane 35.3 points and 7 rebounds a night in games 2-4. Leonard’s game is not the most bit flashy, but he uses his broad shoulders to clear out defenders to get space for his mid-range jumper or get a layup off inside. He won a title for the Toronto Raptors doing what he is doing in this series.
The Clippers seem to be exhausting all the resources they can to stop Luka other than putting Kawhi on him. Coach Ty Lue needs to quit playing with fire and put the two-time defensive player of the year on the young superstar and put this series to sleep.
The Clippers were the kings of load management this season, and it seems to have gotten their stars healthy, but at the cost of not being comfortable with a rotation. Their two losses had the weirdest lineups on the court, that didn’t include their young backup point guard Terance Mann. He brings an element of creative playmaking that the Clippers lack with their starting lineup. He was playing big minutes at the end of the regular season, but then got 14 seconds of playing time in game one, which led to their downfall. They seem to be getting a little more comfortable with figuring out their best 7-8 guys, but this next game five will be vital to the future of the franchise.
When Kawhi was unhappy in San Antonio he made it well known, and forced his way out of time, and left the Toronto Raptors after winning a championship with them, so if the Clippers don’t at least make the finals, there is a very high chance that he declines his player option and becomes a free agent, at that point, there is no reason not to go into full rebuild mode, so Paul George would probably be traded for assets and picks. The entire future of the franchise rides on these next few rounds of the playoffs, and a first or second-round exit could bring the Clippers back into decades of suffering.
