Piece By: Nick Lombardi
His body is somewhere in the salty sands of Utah. Who was the killer? Ty Lue in the locker room with the clipboard. What was the motive? 50 years of sickening playoff futility, most of those years under the worst and most racist owner in 21st century sports and a year long hard drive full of memes.
The Clippers were sensational last night. They found themselves down 22 at halftime because Utah seemingly made every 3 they took in the 2nd quarter. Jordan Clarkson alone dropped 21 in the quarter and Donovan Mitchell made it rain with his stepback 3s. Just when we all thought we would get our 3rd game 7 in the semis, the Clippers came roaring back with a vengeance. And in this case, vengeance has a face: Terance Mann. Terance Mann made big shot after big shot after big shot. He has poise behind the arc and a head of steam when he takes it to the rim. A career night for the youngster saw him drop 39 on 15-21 shooting. Insane.
This article is about Paul George though, who might be the most slandered star this side of Russell Westbrook in NBA history. After an epic collapse in the bubble last year, PG has been amazing in these playoffs. His performances helped the Clippers escape the might of Luka Doncic in the first round and through just about every game in this series, PG has made big shots down the stretch to win games. Just hours after the Kawhi injury announcement, PG put the Clippers on his back in game 5 scoring 37 and grabbing 16 rebounds. Playoff P is back and he is in his 2013 form.
The Clippers abused the Jazz in the 2nd half with their 5 out lineup. They forced Rudy Gobert to close out and just about every time, buried a corner 3. Nic Batum, the "center" of this lineup, joined Terance Mann in the 3 point hailstorm. Batum also saved multiple possessions with his offensive rebounding against a 7ft DPOY center. The ball movement was magnificent as the Clippers seemed to always find the open man and the shots were falling.
So what are the Clippers chances to keep their unlikely Cinderella run going? Well it's going to be very difficult. The Phoenix Suns won't give you 30 open 3s a game and the certainly aren't going to let you beat their big man with Nicolas Batum post defense. The small ball is working though, it really gives them the ability to move the ball around and create scoring opportunities for each other and there's a chance Ty Lue has some tricks up his sleeve to bamboozle Deandre Ayton. Even as the play without Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers have to take advantage early before Chris Paul makes it out of COVID protocol.
This is truly an incredible moment for the Clippers franchise. Years of bad basketball and crushing playoff losses culminated in their first Western Conference Finals trip in franchise history. They did it in front of a raucous crowd, many of whom may be ready to embrace the Clippers. While I think the Suns will be too much to handle for a Kawhi-less Clippers team, don't be surprised if the new champs of the west are that other LA basketball team.