Reactions have been pouring in all night on the Clippers’ Game 7 loss to Denver tonight. In what might be the most disappointing season on modern NBA history, a team that was favored to win their first title as a franchise ended up blowing a 3-1 lead in the second round.
In the midst of all the chaos online, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith shared his thoughts on the night, calling the performance a “choke job” by L.A.
“Denver ain’t no joke, I give them a lot of credit. But this was a straight chokejob by the Clippers in the fourth quarter. When you wet the bed like that in the last 12 minutes of a Game 7, that’s a chocejob.
I can’t even defend my man Doc Rivers on this. Steve Balmer gave up all those picks for Paul George… damn.”
OMG CLIPPERS!!! pic.twitter.com/dsaqZmKyue
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) September 16, 2020
The meltdown by L.A. brings forth a number of questions regarding their future, and many are still left wondering where it all went wrong. On the surface, the Clippers have the makeup of a true title contender.
But, in the end, the lack of a defensive paint stopper and the failure of L.A.’s stars to show up in the fourth quarter resulted in the premature death of their season.
It’s an unfortunate end to what was otherwise a great season, and it is one that will linger in L.A. for years to come.
