Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers have managed to reach the elusive .500 mark in the season (32-32) after an abysmal start to the season (6-21 after the first 27 games) saw them at the bottom of the Western Conference. They beat the Knicks 126-118 tonight at the Intuit Dome after a 29-point masterclass from the Klaw.
Leonard also had seven rebounds, eight assists, and two steals to go with those 29 points. He shot 10-29 from the floor and 2-5 from beyond the arc. Following the game, the Clippers’ forward spoke to the media and addressed what it means to the team to recover from such a horrible start to the season.
“It’s cool. But the job ain’t done. Season not over. It’s what’s expected. Like I told the fellas. We don’t train to lose. We train to win. So yeah. It’s alright,” said Leonard in a cold response.
“I just talked about it with a few players today when I heard we are near .500. I said the job is not done. We still have games to play. It’s nothing to be happy about,” he further added.
Ty Lue had set a goal to bring the team to the .500 mark first before thinking about the playoffs. With 20 games left in the season, the Clippers have already achieved that objective and can now focus on ensuring that they make it to the postseason.
Two of the key changes to the team have been the additions of Bennedict Mathurin and Darius Garland on this team. Tonight against the Knicks, Mathurin scored 28 points with seven rebounds (9-20 FG, 45.0 FG%), and Garland had 23 points with seven assists (7-16 FG, 43.8 FG%).
“He has no fear. I didn’t know he was that creative with the ball in his hands,” said Garland on Mathurin’s performance after the game.
“In Indiana, he was aggressive, but over here, T-Lue and everybody are letting him rock out. I really like it… Ben is gonna be Ben. We really need him to go be Ben. I love the aggression. I didn’t see it in Indiana, but I love it over here.”
The new trio of Leonard, Mathurin, and Garland is clearly the key to the Clippers’ performance going forward. They combined for 80 of the Clippers’ 126 points tonight. Leonard has been a constant voice in Mathurin’s ear, encouraging him to play better.
Will his efforts result in a postseason run for the Clippers? And would that be enough to keep Kawhi Leonard with the Clippers? The 34-year-old star will enter the final year of his contract with the Clippers after this season and will be eligible for an extension.
His future seemingly depends on how the Clippers perform in the playoffs. If he manages to make a deep run in the playoffs with this young roster, he will surely be in a position to command a max extension.
The Clippers are currently tied for eighth in the West (32-32) with the Warriors and look destined to make it to the play-in tournament at this point. They are 6.5 games behind the Nuggets in sixth place and 8.5 games ahead of the Grizzlies, who are 11th.
Leonard’s team had 26 wins and 11 losses over the last 37 games since the abysmal start to the season. Do you think the Clippers can use this momentum to become a dark horse in the postseason? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
