Tyronn Lue did not duck the question.
After Kawhi Leonard suggested that the Clippers’ window to be true championship contenders is ‘over now,’ Lue was asked twice before tipoff to respond. His message was simple: this team is playing to win, no matter what the roster looks like.
“I don’t care if young, old, toddlers, whoever’s on the floor, we’re trying to win. Yeah, we’re trying to win. There’s no other reason to play.”
“The way this group has been playing, I know we haven’t had a real traditional point guard since James left, and Garland is working his way back into it. But these guys are playing hard. They’re competing every night. We beat two teams we hadn’t beaten in 15 years in the regular season, Denver and Minnesota, since the trade. We beat a good Houston team. We beat four playoff teams, I think, in our last five wins since James has been gone.”
“So we’re playing to win. We’re trying to make the playoffs, and then we just go from there. I feel confident. I feel confident in our players. I feel confident in our coaching staff. And I just feel confident in the environment, like the culture we’ve set.”
“Why wouldn’t you want to play to win? That’s our mindset. That’s my mindset every single night. As tough as it may be, or you start 6 and 21, or whatever it may be, you’re playing to win. So if we make the playoffs, then anything can happen. Our goal is to make the playoffs. I don’t know why somebody would scoff at that.”
“He didn’t say that. He said the window was closed for being a contender to win a championship. That doesn’t mean making the playoffs. So you have to ask him. But when I get into a playoff series, I like my chances. So let’s get there and see what happens.”
“You have to ask Kawhi about the contention part or whatever. I thought he was just saying, as far as being a contender, when he first got here you had PG, Kawhi, James, Russ, and Zu. Now, having a younger team, we’ve got to play different. We’ve got to do things different. We’ve got to do things better.”
But there’s no doubt in my mind that we are good enough to try to make the playoffs. And if we do, and I get in a playoff series, I like my chances.”
The Clippers currently sit ninth in the Western Conference at 27-28, fighting to stay in the playoff picture. Since the trade that sent out James Harden and reshaped the roster, the team has leaned into a younger core featuring players like Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin. The veteran-heavy version of the Clippers that once included Paul George, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Kawhi is gone. This is a different group.
After a brutal 6-21 start to the season, Los Angeles has flipped the script. Since then, they have won 21 of their last 29 games. That turnaround is not accidental. It reflects internal adjustments, improved chemistry, and a superstar playing at an elite level again.
Kawhi, despite his comments about the contender window, has been playing his best basketball in years. During this surge, he is averaging 27.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from three-point range. He looks healthier, more explosive, and more decisive than he has in recent seasons. That is part of what makes the ‘it’s over now’ comment feel jarring to some observers.
The Clippers may not look like the preseason title-favorite version fans envisioned when Kawhi first arrived in Los Angeles. The roster is younger, star power is thinner, and the margin for error is smaller. But Lue is not interested in conceding anything.
He understands the difference between a championship window and a playoff opportunity. And in his mind, the latter still matters.
Kawhi may see a closed title window for this season. Lue sees a fight that is far from finished.
