PHOENIX, ARIZONA – APRIL 25: Russell Westbrook #0 of the LA Clippers attempts a three point basket during the second quarter against the Phoenix Suns in game five of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Footprint Center on April 25, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Clippers Curse continues.
The Los Angeles Clippers were a lot of people's pick to win the NBA Finals before the season began, but knee injuries to Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in recent weeks proved to be insurmountable.
Despite acquiring Russell Westbrook late in the season, the Clippers ran into a buzzsaw in the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.
Led by their new superstar quartet of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Kevin Durant, the Suns took care of the Clippers in five games.
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Booker scored 47 on Tuesday as the Suns defeated the Clippers 136-130 in Game 5.
Norman Powell led the Clippers with 27 points. Westbrook finished with 14 points on 3-of-18 shooting.
The Clippers led for most of the first half before a 50-point explosion by the Suns in the third quarter gave Phoenix a 20-point lead at the start of the fourth.
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But the Clippers refused to go quietly into the desert night. Led by a scorching hot three-point shooting display, the Clippers came all the way back and cut the lead to just two, before back-to-back turnovers cut the rally short in the waning seconds.
Now that the Clippers season has come to an end, there will be plenty of questions for the franchise in the offseason.
The duo of Leonard and George has now been together for four seasons with injuries plaguing one, or both superstars each and every year.
In their inaugural campaign together in 2019-20, the Clippers had the second best record in the Western Conference before the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the season. Inside the "bubble" at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, the Clippers blew a 3-1 lead in the conference semifinals with George admitting he suffered from depression during their time in confinement.
The following season the Clippers seemed poised to win their first title. They reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history, but a knee injury to Leonard in the second round of the playoffs proved to be too much to overcome as LA eventually lost to the Suns in six games.
Leonard missed the entirety of the 2021-22 season, and the Clippers slipped in the standings because of it. The team finished 9th in the Western Conference and lost their play-in tournament game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With Leonard and George both healthy this season, and the excitement of a new arena in Inglewood approaching, 2023 was supposed to be the year the Clippers finally ended the curse. The rollercoaster ride of a season saw Leonard and George miss a combined 56 games because of "load management."
Nonetheless, with the addition of Westbrook and both superstars healthy at the tail end of the season, the Clippers appeared poised to make a deep run during the playoffs.
But with less than 10 games remaining in the regular season, George suffered a knee sprain that ruled him out for their first-round playoff matchup with the Suns.
Despite George's injury, the Clippers still shocked the Suns in Game 1 of the series, 115-110, with Leonard leading the team with a game-high 38 points. The Clippers were ready to show the world that even down a superstar, they could upset the Suns.
But then in Game 2, Leonard also suffered a knee sprain and the two-time NBA Finals MVP never played again in the series, all but sealing the Clippers fate.
One or both players could be traded in the offseason if the Clippers decide to retool and reload the roster with more reliable players when it comes to recent injury history.
