NBA
NBA – Playoffs: Last chance for the Clippers?
Published on April 11, 2023 at 8:12 p.m.
By winning the last game of the regular season in the NBA against the Suns, the Clippers secured a place in the playoffs. With 44 wins in 38 games, Lawrence Frank’s franchise has clinched 5th place in the West and will therefore have to face Phoenix in the first round of the postseason. If the confrontation looks tight, Clippers fans can count on their trio Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Russell Westbrook.
If the Clippers were able to avoid going through the play-in to join the playoffs was not without difficulty. Indeed, we know the franchise in difficulty when Kawhi Leonard et Paul George have no health. A situation which has happened too often this season and which constantly hovers above the Clippers. But for the moment don’t worry, everything is running smoothly. Los Angeles, well almost. Hit in the knee against theOklahoma City Thunder on March 21, Paul George has not yet returned to the NBA courts as the playoffs approach. The 32-year-old winger has, however, received permission to resume sports. To see if he can hold his place in Game 1 against the Suns.
And the franchise MVP is…
As every year since 2019, it is difficult to detach one from the other. Authors of a season with only 51 and 56 games, Kawhi Leonard et Paul George averaged 23.8 points each. If their absences too often put the franchise at odds, their presence makes it irresistible. Russell Westbrook played 20 matches under the orders of Tyronn Lue since his arrival in February. And if the old Lakers showed himself to be very skillful in shooting (50% success), it is difficult to see him as the best player in Clippers due to his recent arrival.
What to expect from the Clippers now?
By finishing 5th, the Clippers have won at least four meetings against the Phoenix Suns of Kevin Durant. And clearly, a first-round elimination would be a disaster for a franchise that is supposed to be cut for the title. Despite the very good work of Tyronn Luewhom his former player LeBron James called the “best coach in the league”, this fourth season of the project Leonard-George could be the last chance. A new failure could be synonymous with the explosion of a project that is already starting to last.
