The idea was to build a contender and titles will come. Bring in stars and high-level talent and meld them into a seasoned lineup and championships would follow.
But in the years since the 213 Era began, championships haven’t materialized – only injuries and heartache. The Clippers experienced more of the same Friday night when they were pushed out of the NBA playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks, who completed a 4-2 series victory with a 114-101 romp in Game 6 of the first round.
In the end, one star was missing, another didn’t show up and Paul George struggled to carry the load when it mattered.
In the end, the Clippers couldn’t do it without Kawhi Leonard, who, after his healthiest season in nearly a decade, sat out four of the six games because of a nagging swollen knee, missing largely his fourth consecutive postseason.
In the end, it was Dallas’ attack, led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, that destroyed the Clippers, who couldn’t stop the onslaught and reduced James Harden’s effectiveness in the second halves of the final two playoff games.
And in the end, the Clippers, who finished the regular season 51-31 and fourth in the tough Western Conference, went home empty-handed.
Again.
But now what? Will owner Steve Ballmer settle for more of the same? Can the richest owner in the league afford to rely on Leonard, 32, George, 34, and Harden, 34, for another season?
Leonard secured a three-year, $153 million contract extension in January, which keeps him in a Clippers uniform through 2025-26.
George can decline his $48.8 million player option for next season and become a free agent this summer, a situation being watched closely by the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers have made it known they are interested in acquiring the nine-time All-Star.
George said he hasn’t focused on anything besides the playoffs at this point.
“I got a lot to kind of digest myself, so I haven’t even got to that yet,” he told reporters in Dallas. “Look forward to kind of going…
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