The Los Angeles Clippers are maybe one of the most curious cases of underlooked contender we have seen in the last seasons. The Clippers took the Boston TD Garden floor on Sunday having to face the best team in the NBA and the Tyronn Lue group did not disappoint.
The Clippers needed two dominant quarter to down the Boston Celtics making another statement of why the rest of the world need to take them seriously. Kawhi Leonard had 26 points in 29 minutes, Paul George added 17 and the Clippers avenged a 37-point home loss to Boston in December.
More importantly, the LA franchise entered the game with the 3rd best record in the West and continued to dominate opponents as they have won 22 of their last 26 games. After some up and downs through the years, the Ty Lue and co. set their sights in the postseason facing the regular season as the measuring stick of the potential success.
“I’m happy we were able to come in and give the Celtics a loss. But it really doesn’t mean nothing until you get to the playoffs and you’re doing the things we did tonight – executing, making shots and playing good defense,” Leonard said after his team’s victory in Boston.
If their key pieces are healthy, a team with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and James Harden in its starting lineup will definitely have to be among the favorites to win it all. However, the way things did not work out for the Clippers the last few years could be the reason some are waiting the postseason to see if the team will be at full strength/
Thankfully, so far this season, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have played together the most regular season games in the recent memory, while James Harden has settled as the main offensive initiator of the team. After a rocky start since the James Harden deal, especially until the former MVP finds its space in rotation, the Clippers seem to be unstoppable at times.
“The guys were pretty motivated,” Lue admitted about the contest against Boston, per ESPN. “… When they came to L.A., they did us pretty bad. So guys were locked in.
“… This was a game [where] PG, we thought he might be out, but he wanted to play to see where we’re at. Just a measuring stick against a great team. We just wanted to kind of see where we’re at. We had that on our mind.”
The Clippers’ star-studded lineups
Aside from Leonard, George and Harden, the Clippers starred several big time performers in their lineup including former MVP Russell Westbrook, starting center Ivica Zubac, high-volume scorer Norman Powell and versatile wing Terance Mann. The lineup of George, Harden, Leonard, Mann and Zubac is demonstrating a net rating of 16.0 scoring 125.4 points per 100 possessions in 332 minutes.
Followed by the 5-man group of Harden, George, Leonard, Mason Plumlee and Mann is outscoring opponents by 32.points per 100 possessions through 85 minutes of play. All the high-usage lineups has been providing great security, while Norman Powell and Russell Westbrook are coming off the bench to provide the much-needed scoring and creativity against the second units.
Westbrook who was the starting guard before the arrival of James Harden, has been demoted to a spark plug from the bench coming in the game to provide playmaking and energy in the rebounding area. Almost all the Russell Westbrook lineups are demonstrating a 100+ pace per 100 possessions, making the Clippers a two-headed beast that plays in different gear depending on who is running the point guard.
“I’ve been in the league so long, I understand the definition of true sacrifice and understanding what that looks like,” Russell Westbrook said back in December, per Sports Illustrated. “Sometimes it might not be how you want it, but if it’s for the betterment of the team, that’s the most important part. This is a team game, and I know the most important goal – that’s to win a championship.”
The Clippers seem ready to realize their potential this season and that’s the biggest takeaway from their 30-14 record. The big statement win against Boston on Saturday brought Ty Lue’s team on a 5-game winning streak having won against the OKC Thunder, the Lakers and Boston during their last 10 (8-2).
Health and luck will be one of the deciding factors for them going forward, however, the Clippers deserve to be in the limelight more during their 2023/24 campaign considering their winning pedigree and their star power.
