Kawhi and the Clippers are the most confusing team in the NBA. ✅ Join Sorare NBA: [ Ссылка ]

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3 and a half years later, this team made the conference finals once. We’re still saying that but with a lot less certainty. ****In fact, this team is always capable of greatness, but has also been part of some of the greatest disappointments in NBA history. How do we really rank the Clippers?

Oh if only the Clippers were healthy. Well they were in 2020 and collapsed.

In 2022, Kawhi got hurt in the first round and they made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals behind Paul George who played the most minutes in the playoffs and who flat out admitted that he realized he was a true second option, not able to carry a team.

And signed Russell Westbrook? But Westbrook with the intangibles right now.

And since 2020, the Clippers have been looking for a point guard, a floor general.

But as you’re going to hear from several players, executives, their own coach, the entire NBA, the Clippers are one of the most confusing teams in the NBA and while the Clippers are undoubtedly capable of a championship, Kawhi’s contract ends next year. Paul George’s contract ends next year. If they fail to do something in these playoffs, there’s a problem.

When the Clippers came together, it wasn’t for one championship. How could it be when the Clippers traded their entire future for Paul George, 5 first round picks and SGA.

And the Clippers are spending $2 billion on their new arena for the 2024-25 season, a lot is riding on this. With the second highest payroll in the NBA.

When the Clippers first signed Kawhi, he was voted the NBA’s best player.

At first, it looked amazing**.** The Clippers had a 27-10 record when Kawhi and PG played together during the 2019-20 regular season, and a 32-11 record when they played together in the 2020-21 regular season… pretty impressive.

But perhaps the most frustrating part was that Kawhi and PG have barely played together. Over 4 seasons, they have played 118 regular season games together out of 328, 36% of games.

And now in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, Paul George is out again with a sprained knee expected to come back sometime in the first round, maybe second. But that doesn’t even matter now because Kawhi is gone.

Now the Clippers are doing that with Kawhi against the Suns cause shii this is a series. And Kawhi is not only running the entire offense, he’s in charge of guarding Kevin Durant for several minutes. While his offensive usage is already high at 29%, it doesn’t capture the effort taken to slow down KD and I’m worried on if his body will hold up.

Now that 20 second segment was recorded and edited April 19th and on April 20th, bam Kawhi got a right knee sprain that he aggravated in Game 1 unrelated to the ACL so no his body did not hold up.

And Paul George who hasn’t played in a month will have to quickly acclimate to playoff basketball.

With how the playoff race was this season, it wasn’t even guaranteed that the Clippers would make the playoffs. The Clippers were the 7th seed on March 2nd, before the Mavericks crashed and burned. And in a push to possibly have home court advantage in round 1, PG was out.

Remember, earlier in the season, the Clippers lost to the Magic in OT because they couldn’t play Kawhi until a minute left in ot…that’s gotta be infuriating.

At one point all Ty was wishing for was just 15 consecutive games with the full roster.

They went to 7 games against solo squad Luka 2021. Kawhi again was phenomenal. 45 points in Game 6. He’s one of my favorite players to watch, gets to his spot wherever that is, no nonsense, knocks it down, powers through players, solid defense. I want to see more of this!

But yes, Kawhi in the playoffs is different. Kawhi by himself is a confusing player. He may not even be top 10 in the regular season, but turns in a top 5 player in the playoffs. Man could hide from the world for an entire season and come in the playoffs and still drop 30. (************funny edit)************ It’s actually amazing. But that only gets you so far. Sure, Kawhi was brought on to the Clippers to be an MVP player but he’s only been that for short spurts. Greatness is being able to do that on a consistent basis. Kawhi does when he plays but he misses so many games that it’s cost the Clippers any shot of a title.

And with how Kawhi goes, the Clippers go.

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