The Los Angeles Clippers aren’t in a favorable position after losing the first two games of their first-round playoffs series vs. the Dallas Mavericks.
The Californians entered the 2021 NBA playoffs ready to make a statement and reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. Yet, they have struggled to stop Luka Doncic so far.
This is already creating issues between their players and earning them a lot of trolling from fans. To make things worse, the situation doesn’t look favorable for the team since only three teams have won a series after losing the first two games at home.
Redditor “James-Wing” shared the bad news for the Clippers Nation. The last team in the Western Conference to return after losing the first two-game at home was the Dallas Mavericks, their rivals this season.
This scenario has happened a total of 24 times, with 21 squads failing to get the job done (via Basketball-Reference). Only the Houston Rockets (vs. Phoenix Suns) in 1994, the already mentioned Mavericks (vs. Houston Rockets) in 2005, and the Boston Celtics (vs. Chicago Bulls) in 2017 pulled off this feat.
The Clippers will try to make history and emulate these three squads, but the job doesn’t look easy. Luka Doncic is on a tear right now, and they don’t seem to find a way to stop him. The series is moving to Dallas now, which will make things a lot harder for the Clips.
They need to bring their A-Game, keep focused the entire game, or they will have a tough time. The expectations in the locker room are high for them. Another early elimination will be fatal for them and their project.
