Last week, the Los Angeles Clippers were eliminated from playoff contention, after blowing a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets. We didn’t get to see the battle of L.A. in the conference finals, and the biggest reason for that is the Clippers’ arrogance.
Champs?
There was this weird air around this newly constructed Clippers team. They carried themselves like they were the defending champions from day one. In reality, only Kawhi Leonard was the defending Finals MVP. Yes, the Clippers had some other big names, but the attitude is what would eventually result in another historic meltdown for the Clippers, who still haven’t been to the conference finals in their history.
This was already a solid Clippers team last year. Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell and Ivica Zubac were joined by Kawhi and Paul George over the summer and immediately became the favorites to win the title. Their defense looked incredible on paper, but never really translated to clamps on the floor.
The reason for that is the excessive load management with the players. This team did not care about the regular season and already thought they were facing the Lakers in the conference finals. Before the restart, the lineup of Beverley, Williams, George, Leonard and Harrell played just 56 minutes together. There is no way to develop chemistry when the best lineup doesn’t play together.
Point the fingers to Doc Rivers. He has been a players’ coach for the entirety of his career now. He let the players have their way and didn’t care about having his team together. He valued being fresh over chemistry. When the bubble started, 5 players came in late for the Clippers.
Bubble
Even in the bubble, the Clippers rested their players excessively after a 4-month rest. They lost their opener to the Lakers without Lou and Trezz, but looked like they were developing chemistry as the games progressed. And then, to prevent any unnecessary injuries, everyone got as much rest as they wanted.
The game against Portland is where the arrogance really showed. The Clippers rested Kawhi and Beverley and didn’t play any main rotation players in the final minutes of a close game. Damian Lillard missed 2 free throws while being down 1, essentially losing the game for Portland, much to the joy of Patrick Beverley and Paul George.
What followed was a huge post-game battle on social media. Dame said that he saw it as “a sign of respect because I’ve sent them home before”. George responded with “And you’re getting sent home this year” while Beverley chimed in with “Cancun on 3!”. A lot of people lost respect for George afterwards and the Clippers were quickly becoming one of the most hated teams in the league.
But still, the Clippers were the 2nd seed, mainly due to their level of talent. They beat the 7th seed Mavericks in round one, but that series could’ve had a very different outcome. Porzingis had a very soft ejection in game one and he missed the last 3 games of the series. Luka Doncic played with an ankle injury that only got worse when Marcus Morris stepped on it, which rubbed a lot of NBA fans the wrong way.
But that wasn’t the only unlikeable moment: Morris hit Doncic in the head on a layup attempt, resulting in a flagrant 2 foul. Montrezl Harrell was also seen calling Luka Doncic a “b*tch*ss white boy” while ironically sporting “equality” on his back. Paul George, who was struggling massively, was taking shots at fans, James Harden and the Dallas team post-game. As an ensemble, they were talking a whole lot while hiding behind the guy who opens his mouth less than anyone in the league, Kawhi Leonard, who was doing all the heavy-lifting.
Cancun on 3-1!
The Clippers faced off against the Nuggets, who just had a historic 7-game series after coming back from 3-1 against the Utah Jazz. After the first 4 games, the Clippers were up 3-1 and nothing looked wrong. Even in game 5, the Clippers were up 15 in the 3rd Q, but somehow let that game slip.
In game 6 the lack of chemistry and team defense showed, as a 19-point 3rd Q lead for the Clippers turned into a 13-point loss after being outscored 64-35 in the second half. Their individual talent might be superior to any other team in the league, but they didn’t put it together. They already had their mind on the Lakers, who, contrary to the Clippers, have impressed in these playoffs.
Finally, game 7 came around against the Nuggets who were playing their 4th straight game 7 and had the historic chance of coming back from 3-1 twice in a row. Once again, the Clippers got slaughtered in the second half: 33-50. For the 3rd straight time, the Clippers blew a double-digit lead and for the 3rd time of Doc Rivers’ career, his team blew a 3-1 lead in the playoffs.
This isn’t the end for the Clippers, but it sure does look bad. They were not engaged, didn’t play as a team and looked like they simply quit. Next year they can bounce back, but in the meantime, they can enjoy sunny Cancun.
Courtside 