Forget the spin from the Clippers. From just about any angle but their own, it was clear that they tried to avoid tussling with the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs by ending the regular season with defeats to the lowly Rockets and Thunder. Which is just fine; after all, they want to go deep in the playoffs, and if taking two steps back is what they need to do in order to forge three ahead, then well and good. In the highly competitive Western Conference, any move that can get them a leg up against the opposition is a welcome one.
There was just one problem with the Clippers鈥 plan, however: They severely underestimated the capacity of the Mavericks to keep pace with them. And they shouldn鈥檛 have, really. For one thing, they didn鈥檛 just lose the regular season series one and two against Rick Carlisle鈥檚 charges; in so doing, they emerged with a minus-57 aggregate. For another, they stood to face red-hot competition that went 12 and four prior to dropping a meaningless match heading into the playoffs. Staying confident is one thing. Harboring irrational self-assurance is quite another.
True, the Clippers are loaded. As hobbled as Kawhi Leonard may be, he remains one of the National Basketball Association鈥檚 best players and proven postseason beast. And he just so happens to be backstopped by fellow All-Star Paul George, a deep roster, and an excellent coaching staff led by 2016 champion Tyronn Lue. On the other hand, they鈥檙e also troubled by a past they can鈥檛 seem to overcome. There鈥檚 no such thing as being snakebitten, but they come close to proving it; including last year鈥檚 playoffs, in which they suffered debilitating setbacks in three consecutive would-be clinchers to crash out of the conference semifinals, they鈥檙e embarrassed owners of a five-game losing streak.
Which, in a nutshell, is why the Clippers need to do the improbable if they want to retain a modicum of the respect they feel they鈥檝e already earned in a city that will always deem them second best. They need to win four of the next five contests against the Mavericks, three at the capacity-crowd American Airlines Arena. They need to contain Luka Don膷i膰, much easier said than done despite the reputations of Leonard and George as lockdown defenders. And, above all else, they need to exceed themselves by, well, not being themselves.
The good news is that the Clippers have two more days to plan their comeback. They know what鈥檚 at stake, and it鈥檚 far more than merely the best-of-seven affair. There鈥檚 a reason they鈥檙e in the Lakers鈥 shadow, and there鈥檚 a reason they can鈥檛 seem to escape it. Needless to say, they will have to address these reasons, and fast. Else, all they will have done in the end is validate why they鈥檙e carrying excess baggage, and why Leonard would just as soon carry his own out the door when free agency beckons in July.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
