Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
The Los Angeles Clippers had been purported to explain for the title from the commence of the season.
Or no longer less than face the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Convention Finals.
In its put, they blew a 3-1 end result in the Denver Nuggets in the 2nd spherical, and head coach Doc Rivers partially blamed conditioning after Tuesday’s 104-89 loss in Game 7.
“I was as soon as by no system satisfied,” Rivers acknowledged, per Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated. “Never was as soon as. Conditioning-clever we had guys who couldn’t play minutes.”
Spears added extra particulars:
To be impartial, the Clippers handled injuries and attrition throughout the season. Patrick Beverley played correct one game in the predominant spherical of the playoffs, whereas Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and others ignored a whereas throughout the season.
It surely impacted the crew’s skill to originate a rhythm together, and then the COVID-19 pandemic uprooted the total season and moved it to Walt Disney World Resort following a protracted atomize.
The continuity was as soon as no longer there, however this crew is additionally loaded with expertise. In actual fact, the argument could well additionally be made it’s a long way truly the most proficient in the league and could well simply no longer be blowing 3-1 ends in anyone.
Leonard (6-of-22) and George (4-of-16) by no system chanced on their shots from the sphere, and the Clippers had no solutions for the dynamic duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. Murray scored 25 facets in the predominant half of alone on his system to 40, whereas Jokic absolutely stuffed the stat sheet with 16 facets, 22 rebounds, 13 assists, three blocks and two steals.
It was as soon as an out of this world efficiency from a middle who will almost definitely be tasked with enjoying at the top of his game against Anthony Davis and the Lakers in the next spherical.
Silent, the legend was as soon as the Clippers’ crumple and the stunningly unhappy efficiency from their two stars with the season on the line. The crew as a total scored 33 facets in the 2nd half of, turning a halftime lead into a blowout loss.
Presumably it was as soon as a outcomes of unhappy conditioning, however L.A.’s failure to create it previous even the 2nd spherical is one among the biggest shocks of the total NBA season.
