Here are three takeaways from the pivotal Western Conference showdown.
Clippers are Thunder’s main competition for the Western Conference title
All of the talk in the NBA has centered around the Lakers ever since they acquired five-time All-NBA guard Luka Doncic from the Mavericks in early February, but it’s that other Los Angeles team the rest of the field should fear.
The Clippers are the conference’s hottest team, entering the postseason on an eight-game winning streak. Kawhi Leonard is playing like the guy who won NBA championships with the Spurs in 2014 and the Raptors in 2019, averaging 25.7 points on 52.6% shooting (42.9% from beyond the arc) since March 1.
On Sunday, he had 33 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals. Eleven-time All-Star guard James Harden scored a team-high 39 points, while center Ivica Zubac had 22 points and 17 rebounds.
The Clippers (50-32) play the Nuggets (50-32), who recently fired head coach Mike Malone, in the first round. Considering Denver’s coaching upheaval, Los Angeles should be favored to advance to the second round, where it would likely play the Thunder (68-14) for a spot in the Western Conference finals. Oklahoma City swept Los Angeles during the regular season, but Leonard missed three of the teams’ four meetings. The Thunder won by two, 103-101, in the only game Leonard started.
Fans robbed of epic first-round series
The Warriors (48-34) weren’t the only ones who lost because of Sunday’s result.
Fans did, too, after being deprived of what would have been one of the best first-round matchups in recent history. With the Nuggets (50-32), Timberwolves (49-33) and Grizzlies (48-34) winning, Golden State would have been the No. 6 seed if it had also won, setting up an epic showdown with the Lakers (50-32) in the first round.
We were incredibly close to getting another playoff series between LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Doncic and Warriors forward Jimmy Butler were the two most impactful in-season trade acquisitions, and a Lakers-Warriors series would have been an excellent showcase for the two perennial outstanding playoff performers.
We almost had it. But the Clippers got in the way.
Draymond Green should stick to his role
The Warriors might want to rethink their end-of-game strategy.
While Green had a solid game against the Clippers, scoring 14 points and making 4-of-6 three-point attempts, he isn’t the player the Warriors need taking shots in the closing minutes of tight games.
Case in point: his disastrous attempt down two, 121-119, with half a minute remaining in overtime.
