Stephen A. Smith is worried about one star for the LA Clippers, despite showing that his form isn’t heading into the playoffs.
The LA Clippers won the most important game of the season. By defeating the Golden State Warriors, the Clippers sealed the fifth species for themselves.
Now the Clippers have to face the Denver Nuggets in the first round playoff series. The Nuggets are a strong team on paper, but the Clippers show that anyone in the West can hang down.
The Clippers have a 50-32 record this NBA season, roughly the same as last year’s record. And given that the Clippers have never won it from the play-in tournament before, it’s good that they secured a guaranteed playoff spot.
But how far can the Clippers go in the playoffs? According to Stephen A. Smith, they have two biggest wildcards in the Western Conference.
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Speaking about the NBA’s today’s countdown show, the existing Stephen A. Smith headed the playoffs with a list of the top five biggest wildcards in the West.
He put James Harden and Kawi Leonard on his list third and third respectively. He brought Harden’s failure to playoffs and Leonard’s health as the main reasons to doubt them.
“(James Harden) has deserved all the love of the world like the season he has and led him to have the Clippers…”
“This is James Harden’s problem. He usually does these kinds of things in the regular season. What are you going to do in the postseason? Sometimes he shows up, sometimes he doesn’t.”
“I don’t care that Kawi Leonard is shooting 49% off the field and 40% off the 3. That’s the bottom line. I know that we can do these two-time champions and Final MVPs.
“The question – is he there? Does this brother have the durability to make it available? The best ability is availability. That’s the only question about Kauhi Leonard, but that’s a big one.
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Last season, Kawhi Leonard played 68 games. Many felt that his availability last season meant that his injury issues were behind him.
However, the moment the playoffs began, Leonard was hurt again. The Clippers then lose to the Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs.
Leonard’s injury troubles have kept him out for more than half of the season. However, in the 37 games he played, Kauhi slowly but surely found his form again.
Perhaps this is the year when Leonard returns to his proud playoff form. His current season looks poor on average 21.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists, looking at Kawi Leonard, who won the championship with the Raptors six years ago.