As soon as once more, it’s wait ‘til subsequent yr for the Clippers. It all the time is.
The group that made a behavior of staging exhilarating second-half comebacks this season below the intelligent steering of coach Tyronn Lue,that prided itself on clawing and scratching to stay aggressive and earn the eighth-best document within the West although Kawhi Leonard by no means performed and Paul George missed an enormous chunk of the season, grew to become the group that twice couldn’t maintain sizeable leads when a ticket to the playoffs was on the road.
They'd two probabilities to get previous the NBA’s contrived play-in format and earn a spot within the playoffs. Two probabilities to make one. They whiffed.
“You don’t prefer to see it finish like that,” Lue mentioned after the Clippers’ 105-101 loss to New Orleans on Friday at Crypto.com Enviornment. “We knew [about] the play-in earlier than the beginning of the season. Nevertheless it’s robust.”
First, they couldn’t maintain a seven-point lead at Minnesota final Tuesday after Karl Anthony Cities had fouled out they usually scored solely 20 factors within the fourth quarter of a loss to the Timberwolves. Given a second probability at house on Friday towards the late-blooming Pelicans, the Clippers overcame the surprising absence of George, who had entered COVID protocols earlier within the day, and the continued harm absence of three-point maestro Luke Kennard to guide by 16 within the first half and by 13 early within the fourth quarter.
The Pelicans, equally well-coached by former Clipper Willie Inexperienced, didn’t waver. In a second captured by TV microphones earlier than the fourth quarter he informed his gamers that they had absorbed the Clippers’ finest punch but have been down by solely 10. “We ain’t giving it up. You’ve received to battle,” he informed them.
They outfought the Clippers, who had been counting on a tighter rotation through the use of a small lineup and easily wore out. The Clippers’ season-long rebounding woes harm them once more with no further probabilities to repair them, they usually light badly, outscored 31-17 by New Orleans within the fourth quarter.
“I imply, it was a superb season,” Marcus Morris Sr. mentioned. “Clearly we needed to make the playoffs. From the season we had, all of the ups and downs, we deserved to. Give them credit score, they performed nicely, stayed resilient after they was down, received the win.”
The sector, typically rollicking and deafeningly loud when the Clippers have been at their peak, grew quiet as actuality set in amongst followers and it grew to become apparent the Clippers didn’t have one other miracle comeback left.
“This one is a troublesome loss to take,” Reggie Jackson mentioned. “Had an opportunity. Two cracks at it. Didn’t get in, sadly.”
Afterward, Lue and his gamers spoke concerning the closeness that they had developed throughout the many ups and downs this season, praising their development as people and as a group. It took loads of believing in Lue and in one another and loads of tenacity to complete at 42-40, their eleventh straight season of compiling no less than a .500 document, and there’s quite a bit to admire in that.
Additionally they grew to become accustomed to coping with adversity, compensating for accidents and the COVID-related points that just about all NBA groups confronted at one time or one other. They get factors for resilience, however that doesn’t win championships.
“I do know we didn’t make the playoffs,” Lue mentioned, “however contemplating all of the issues that went on this yr, I’m very happy with our guys.”
They hope to be again collectively they mentioned, although it’s too early to guess what may occur over the summer season. Most gamers have been too dazed to get into specifics Friday, nonetheless absorbing the finality of the loss that ended their season and despatched the Pelicans — who received six fewer video games than the Clippers throughout the common season — to a first-round playoff sequence towards the No. 1 Phoenix Suns.
The Clippers in all probability wouldn’t have had a lot success towards Phoenix however they didn’t even give themselves an opportunity regardless of getting two photographs at it.
“Unhappy immediately,” Nicolas Batum mentioned. “Sure, it sucks. We needed to play towards Phoenix. Bang, transfer on, we see what occurs subsequent.”
As in wait ‘til subsequent yr. Once more.
The issue with that philosophy is there aren't any ensures that Leonard will probably be his previous self subsequent season or that the chemistry would be the identical or that another person received’t get harm and skinny their depth. That elusive triumphant “subsequent yr” appeared very far off Friday, however Jackson noticed it in any other case.
“I don’t have a look at it as a failed season. Moreso of a season to be taught from,” mentioned Jackson, whose 27-point, eight-assist efficiency impressed the sellout crowd to repeatedly chant his first title. “I feel so long as we method it like that, hopefully God keen we will get all people wholesome, will probably be one other enjoyable season subsequent yr. I’d prefer to see how the blokes mesh, how all of us mesh.”
Largely, how they’d mesh with Leonard and George.
“I feel the sky’s the restrict whenever you get these two,” Jackson mentioned. “It’s going to be about hopefully getting them wholesome, meshing and all people bettering individually, then us coming collectively as a collective to determine how we will be higher as a group, hit the bottom operating subsequent yr.”
It’s wait ‘til subsequent yr for the Clippers. It all the time is, and that’s getting drained.
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