The Los Angeles Clippers’ 2022-23 NBA campaign is now over, as the Phoenix Suns clinched a 4-1 win in the first-round series.
The ClipperNation is obviously frustrated with yet another disappointing season. Head coach Tyronn Lue was asked for his thoughts on the season, and he blamed the early exit from the playoffs on Kawhi Leonard and Paul George’s injuries.
“What else could it be? I mean, our two best players got hurt,” Lue said. “Take Steph and Klay off Golden State. Take Book and KD off this team. Take your two best players off any team in the league and see if they can win in the playoffs.”
https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1651096924391616513
While it may sound like an excuse to fans, Tyronn Lue is absolutely right. Facing off against a team like the Phoenix Suns without your two best players is simply a herculean task.
Paul George was injured even before the start of the playoffs. He was expected to make a return if the Clippers had advanced to the second round of the playoffs.
On the other hand, Kawhi Leonard featured in just two games of the series and was then sidelined due to a right knee sprain.
Kawhi Leonard And Paul George Have Played Just 142 Games Together In Four Seasons
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were expected to win multiple NBA Championships when they joined the Clippers ahead of the 2019-20 season.
But due to injuries, the duo hasn’t even played many games together, let alone win an NBA title. To put things into perspective, Leonard and George have played only 142 games (regular season and playoffs combined) together since becoming teammates.
Although they have a 67.6% winning rate during those games. They haven’t been healthy enough to carry the Clippers to a title.
Keeping that in mind, should the Clippers run it back one more year? Or should they blow up the experiment and start rebuilding? The organization will head into the offseason with this thought.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
