Kawhi Leonard provided an outlook on the LA Clippers situation following a dominant win
As Kawhi Leonard confronted the press following his 43 point performance in Tuesday’s 128-103 home win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the soft-spoken forward provided a candid outlook on the LA Clippers‘ current situation.
"“I think we’ve got a long way to go,” he said.“We’re gonna get there… We just can’t be in a rush. Just be patient. It’s hard to win a championship. The pressure isn’t on us now. We’ve gotta just enjoy the process and have fun.”"
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Enjoy themselves is exactly what the Clippers – and Kawhi, in particular – did on Tuesday night.
Leonard’s 43 points took just three quarters in what should be unanimously regarded as his most impressive outing of the season. Leonard shot a scorching 14/22, drilling six triples as well as getting to the line 10 times. He scored in every which way.
It was atypical of one of his playoff performances. He was faster, stronger and more decisive than he’s been all year.
The Clippers, in truth, needed this win, in this fashion. Kawhi ensured that. It’s not the first time this season that he’s put his foot down when the Clippers have most desperately needed it, and it’s why – when it’s all said and done – the Clippers will be fine.
In both marquee games against the Los Angeles Lakers, Leonard has gone for 30/6/5/2/1 and 35/12/5/1, shooting a combined 21-38 from the field, 6-12 from 3 and 17-18 from the line. On the road against a prolific Dallas Mavericks outfit, Leonard dropped 28 in 28 minutes on 52 percent shooting. In his first game back against the Toronto Raptors since lifting the franchise’s first NBA championship, he notched a cool 23/5/6/2 on just 14 shots.
The list of excellent performances against stellar opposition goes on, but to tout Leonard as immaculate would simply be false. He’s had his fair share of ugly showings – 17 points on 5-14 shooting against the Milwaukee Bucks, 17 on 7-20 at home against the Boston Celtics – but that’s to be expected. At the time of such performances, the season was young. The chemistry was still a work in progress, as was the overall health of the Clippers’ roster.
In truth, chemistry remains a work in progress – as is the roster’s health, with Paul George currently sidelined – but chaos is far from ensuing. Worry from a 26-point decimation at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies as well as scares against the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors have quickly turned into distant memories. This team doesn’t, and never has, had a talent issue. Effort was the underlying cause of LA’s recent troublesome stretch, but a switch has seemingly been flipped.
Monday’s home win over the Cavaliers should have been run of the mill, no matter the circumstances. But the Clippers played with a heightened sense of urgency from the go. Sure, they probably could have malaised their way through the game en route to a 10, 15-point victory, but the Clippers evidently wanted to raise their game. They knew they had to be better.
The ball and player movement were as crisp as they’ve been all year, evidenced by LA’s 29 assists. Landry Shamet also got loose for 11 3-point attempts – a tell-tale sign that Doc Rivers‘ offense is running smoothly.
Defensively, those in Braves throwback jerseys were flying around all over the place, holding Cleveland to just 41.8 percent shooting.
The trend continued a few nights later against the Orlando Magic. The Clippers held Orlando to 95 points and 39.1 percent shooting while Leonard continued his outstanding play – 32/5/1/1 on 60 percent shooting in just 30 minutes.
Perspective is important. The Clippers are 5th in offensive rating and 6th in defensive rating, despite their lack of health and, well, their apparent lack of appetite to win basketball games on a few occasions.
When they’re walking through games, they’re scary. When they’re trying in games, they’re frightening. We’ve started to see the latter as of late.
The team is following in Leonard’s footsteps. He’s their leader, and when he’s locked in, so are they. Whether it’s a conscious decision on the part of Kawhi or his body is simply feeling better, he’s been on another level over the last four games, averaging just over 35 a night on 57 percent shooting. He’s turned things up a gear, and over the past few games, so have the rest of the Clippers.
With George waiting in the wings and LA seemingly on the brink of realizing their true potential, an inspiring and exciting stretch of Clippers basketball could – and should – be laying in wait.