The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Golden State Warriors 124-119 in overtime at Chase Center on Sunday to book their ticket to the playoffs as the fifth seed. The Clippers were written off by many before the start of the season, and head coach Tyronn Lue stated postgame he’s delighted to have proven the doubters wrong.
“It feels good,” Lue said. “I think our group has been playing with a chip on their shoulder all year because of that. We just found ways to win no matter whose night it was. We kinda just featured that guy, played hard defensively, we competed, and we played together.
“On nights like this, this is when it really means something,” Lue continued. “… I’m just proud of our guys. Being counted out, and staying the course and playing with that chip on their shoulder all year long.”
The Clippers saw Paul George depart in free agency, and Kawhi Leonard was then ruled out indefinitely just before the start of the season due to a knee issue. The 2024-25 campaign seemed to be over before it had even begun.
There was even talk about the Oklahoma City Thunder potentially getting Cooper Flagg, as they own the Clippers’ 2025 first-round pick. They were looked at as a team that was just going to crash and burn.
It became evident not too long into the season, though, that the Clippers weren’t going to be a bottom-feeder. James Harden’s excellent play was a big reason why, and he got plenty of help from a resurgent Norman Powell, too.
Harden and Powell carried the load until Leonard finally made his return in the 35th game of the season. The Clippers had a respectable 19-15 record at the time, and a spot in the playoffs then seemed like a realistic goal. They’d go 31-17 the rest of the way to finish 50-32.
If you’d told someone before the start of the season that the Clippers would win 50 games, they’d have laughed in your face. Even around about 40 wins would have seemed optimistic, and Powell called out the media postgame for underestimating the Clippers.
“Y’all said we were only gonna get 30 wins,” Powell said. “… It’s a testament to this team, to this organization, the belief we had in ourselves. And using the critics that counted us out. I think we were only favored to have 35 wins, and to end up with 50, it’s a big landmark and milestone for this season.”
Powell can give himself a pat on the back for the Clippers’ success. The 31-year-old averaged 21.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2024-25. This was the best season of his career, and he’d be keen to impress in the postseason as well.
The Clippers’ reward for finishing as the fifth seed is a first-round series against the Denver Nuggets. The teams split the season series 2-2, but their last meeting came all the way back on Jan. 8, 2025. Both teams aren’t quite the same now as compared to then, with the Nuggets not even having the same head coach.
You’d still have the Nuggets as the favorite because of Nikola Jokic, but the Clippers have shown that writing them off completely would be a huge mistake.
