All is certainly not well in Clipperland now. The Los Angeles Clippers are going through a bit of a rough patch, with the latest setback coming in the form of a 121-107 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. James Harden was not in the mood to speak to the media afterward, as he left the locker room before head coach Tyronn Lue even began his postgame press conference, as per Gina Mizell.
This was the second straight home game after which Harden had left before speaking to the media, as per Tomer Azarly. The 10-time All-Star didn’t speak after the Clippers’ 110-93 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on March 17 either.
You could make the case for those being the worst losses of the season for the Clippers. The Hawks had lost three in a row coming into that game and were without Trae Young. The 76ers, meanwhile, had lost two in a row and were without Joel Embiid.
Frustration would be building after losses like that and Harden just might not have been in the mood to answer some difficult questions. The Clippers are now 8-9 after the All-Star break and they have lost five of their last eight games. The only wins in that time have come against the lowly Portland Trail Blazers and the Chicago Bulls.
The Clippers were the top seed in the Western Conference on Feb. 6 and they are now on the brink of not having home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. LA is fourth in the West with a 44-26 record while the New Orleans Pelicans are right behind them with a 44-27 record.
The Pelicans also won the season series 3-1 and hold the tiebreaker as a result. Considering the different directions these two teams are trending in, it seems very likely that New Orleans will get that fourth seed come the end of the season.
James Harden Might Not Be Having A Lot Of Fun Anymore
The Clippers had struggled initially after acquiring Harden, but then they went on an incredible run. At one point, the Clippers had won 26 out of 31 games and looked like the best team in the league. During that stretch, Harden had taken a shot at his former teams by stating he was having fun for the first time in years.
“I’ve been through so much these last few years to where it’s like a sigh of relief to just go out there and just hoop and have fun doing it… I’m having fun hooping. I’m home having fun hooping… I’m in my safe space.”
Something tells me Harden, who is averaging 17.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game this season, is not having a lot of fun now. The Clippers have been stuck in this rut for weeks at this point and it’s on him, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George to figure out how to drag the team out of it.
Tyronn Lue Went Off On His Team
While Harden didn’t speak to the media on Sunday night, Lue did. To say he was not happy with his team might be an understatement, as Lue blasted the Clippers after the loss to the 76ers.
“They’re grown men. They understand, It’s not like we’re playing with second or third-year players. I’m never the type of guy who wants to show a player up or show them that they’re making a mistake. I’d rather not do that,. that’s a story for you guys. They understand what the f—…They understand what they’re supposed to be doing. We just gotta do better all around the board.”
Lue needs to give his team a kick up the backside at this point. They just have not played up to standard following the All-Star break and this season, which promised so much, is now in danger of ending in disastrous fashion.
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