Loss Tyronn Lue Has Clear Message on James Harden, Kawhi Leonard After Clippers' Loss
For the last six seasons, people have always had high hopes and expectations for the Los Angeles Clippers ever since they landed star forward Kawhi Leonard in 2019. But they have nothing to show for all those lofty expectations.
Since then, they have reached the Western Conference Finals just once in 2021, and since that West finals appearance, they have failed to win a single playoff series.
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That ineptitude continued on Saturday when the Clippers got run out of Ball Arena by the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series, 120-101. As a result, one has to wonder if they will stick with their core of Leonard and 11-time All-Star guard James Harden.
After Game 7, head coach Tyronn Lue sounded as if he's committed to keeping that duo around.
"Those two together for a whole season, I think would be tremendous," he said.
While Harden appeared in 79 games and averaged 22.8 points and 8.7 assists a game during the regular season, Leonard played in just 37 regular-season games this year.
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Durability has always been the knock on Leonard. He hasn't played in 70 games in a single season since the 2016-17 campaign, and with the Clippers, he has totaled 266 contests in six seasons, including the 2021-22 season he missed due to injury.
LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) warms up before the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
When he has been healthy, the 33-year-old has remained a force on both ends of the floor. But his inability to remain healthy and available has made him a liability.
The two stars didn't exactly pull their weight in Game 7. Harden, who has a long history of not playing well in big playing situations, shot 2-of-8 and totaled only seven points. Leonard scored 22 points and shot a respectable 6-of-13 from the field, but Los Angeles needed a lot more from him.
Related: Russell Westbrook's Blunt Admission on Punishment During Nuggets-Clippers
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