Paul George made some interesting comments following the Clippers’ 17-point home loss to the Hawks on Sunday night.
The veteran forward stated the team hadn’t established an identity.
“We want to be a team that’s consistent and we want to establish an identity,” George said, as relayed by ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “I’ve always spoken about having an identity and I think it’s extremely important. Right now, I don’t think we have an identity.”
If George had said that during the first half of the season, no one would have thought much about it. But with the playoffs looming in about a month, that’s not something you want to hear from one of your star players.
The Clippers haven’t exactly imploded. However, they haven’t shown any consistency after moving 19 games above .500 in early February. They’ve lost 10 of their last 18 games, including four of the last five.
The recent defeats have been troubling. They’ve lost by 18 points to Minnesota, which is playing without star power forward Karl-Anthony Towns. The loss to the Trae Young-less Hawks was preceded by an eight-point loss to New Orleans, which outscored them 58-36 in the paint.
“It’s between the ears with us,” Kawhi Leonard said of their struggles. “We got to go out and do it.”
The Clippers are playing without sixth man Russell Westbrook, who broke his hand at the end of January. He’s expected to return before the postseason.
Leonard, George and Westbrook are a little banged up but they’ve all appeared in at least 60 games. And every team at this time of year is dealing with some injuries and a certain level of fatigue.
The Clippers are fourth in the Western Conference standings, one game ahead of New Orleans and 3.5 games ahead of three other teams tied for sixth place. The Clippers, who have the oldest roster in the league, should be able to avoid the play-in tournament, though that’s no longer a given.
They have back-to-back road games against the Trail Blazers this week, which could help them get back on track. But considering how they performed against Atlanta, the Clippers can’t take anything for granted.
That brings us to our topic of the day: Where do you think the Clippers will wind up in the Western Conference standings? How do you think they’ll fare in the playoffs – will their veterans carry them on a deep run or will they flame out early?
Please take to the comments section to weigh on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Back when they caught a stride and Harden started being effective, I said the Clippers were my dark horse pick to win it all. I think Lue is a perplexing coach at times, like how he keeps benching Tucker, but I still like their chances if healthy. This recent slump is disconcerting, but not having Russ is a big piece and I find weight in PG-13’s comments because injuries have screwed them up. Losing Mann, then Zubac and then Plumlee, trying to integrate Harden, with giving up a lot of bench pieces for Harden and having such a rocky year last season. I just hope they have a good run and stay healthy. They won’t be an easy out for anyone, and it would be nice to have some momentum going into the new arena! I still want them to win it all, though.
They were my preseason pick to win the West and I’m not changing it now. The Clippers beat the Thunder in 6 in the WCF and lose to the Celtics in 7 in the finals.
They will be 4th in the WC.
In the playoffs they can beat MIN, NOP & GSW easy.
But they will be whipped by DEN, OKC, SAC, DAL, PHO & LAL.
No way they beat Minny in a series. They don’t match up well with them at all. Been evident in every game this year.
This team has the 04 Lakers written on them…
They’re just missing Kobe and Shaq…
A lot of ageing stars leading the way… 1 injury is a big problem…
I never have believed in this team and never will. They’ll hang on to the 4th seed and lose to the Pels in 6.
The organization abandoned identity a long time ago. What they have is elite talent, that is seasoned by experience. It’s been hampered by seemingly systemic injuries and an almost unique lack of internal chemistry, starting at the top. Kawhi and PG13 are in their 4th season together and still appear to be getting acclimated to each other on the court. I’m not a fan of Lue, but he hasn’t really had a chance to coach this full team in the playoffs, which, I’m told, is his specialty.
They’re a potential monster in the playoffs. Particularly against the smaller teams. But they need both physical health and a healthy mindset. No more picking spots, no more strategic losses, no more selective hustle and, most of all, no more genius coaching moves. Substitute defensive effort and rebounding. In that World, I would only see DEN and BOS as teams that “could” beat them, and neither should be too confident.
They will implode dramatically, just like literally every other team that James Harden has ever been a starter on. And as much as I like the Clippers, I honestly can’t wait to see it. Popcorn loaded.