With a comfortable home win over the Heat, the Clippers ushered in a wave of three consecutive wins, and at the same time, the Clippers also ushered in the return of core forward Kowhi Leonard, and the Big Four joined forces again to show top offensive and defensive dominance. As of now, the Clippers have a 20-12 record, and although they are 2.5 wins away from the Nuggets in front of them, it will not be easy for the Clippers to continue to improve in the rankings. However, as long as the momentum is maintained, let alone continue to climb the rankings, it seems that the Clippers will get the No. 1 spot in the West, which will not seem to be a surprise. After the run-in, the Clippers are indeed terrifying. 94.43 million in 2 years, congratulations to the Clippers, the top salary is gone, Harden is hitting the first championship, you are the most critical core.
Don't look at the core players such as Butler and Martin who failed to play, in fact, in the absence of Butler, the Heat played a 4-game winning streak, as the Eastern Conference champion, the Heat's overall system is complete and balanced, even if the core is absent, they will not mess up. It can be seen that the gold content of the Clippers' victory is very high, Harden, George, Leonard, and Wei Shao support each other and cooperate with each other, and the power they exert is terrifying. Among them, Leonard is the core point, although the Clippers also played a wave of two consecutive wins in his absence, but everyone knows that only if Leonard is healthy, the Clippers really have the possibility of competing for the championship.
Against the Heat, Leonard shot 10 of 19, including 2 of 5 three-pointers, and scored 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 1 block with an efficient personal performance. His presence plus/minus is also an exaggerated +24. On the offensive end, Leonard seems to have been affected by his return, and it is in this situation that he still maintains a good enough shooting percentage, and once he finds his rhythm and form, his efficiency will only be more amazing. Defensively, Leonard was almost everywhere, completing four steals and one block, but he had zero individual fouls. That said, in addition to being aggressive, Leonard is smart defensively, which is what a top defender should be.
Previously, the Clippers went through a nine-game winning streak, and their winning streak was terminated, also starting with Leonard's injury, and the Clippers briefly suffered a wave of two straight losses. However, with Leonard's return, the Clippers are back on track, and the Clippers are well aware that Leonard's health is more important than more wins in the regular season. With Leonard healthy, the Clippers have played in the last 10 regular season games. All of them were won, and that speaks volumes. Obviously, this season's Clippers really have a great chance to compete for the championship. Leonard and George have been injured over the years, and the Clippers seem to be superior on paper, but in reality they have never been able to get their best players on the court.
Now it's different, and with Leonard or George's physical problems, the Clippers can boldly let them rest because they still have Harden. And Harden can also get a chance to rest if he is unwell, Leonard and George are healthy Clippers, themselves are the best teams, and the Clippers are really entering a virtuous circle, they have a chance to enter the playoffs with a relatively healthy core lineup, so that they will not be afraid of any opponent. Obviously, this time, Harden didn't look away, not only did he come to a championship-level team, but the boss of the team is a truly trustworthy top superstar, the combination of offense and defense, coupled with the perfect team atmosphere, the Clippers have become one of the most feared teams in the West.
94.43 million for 2 years, this is the remaining contract between Leonard and the Clippers, and the final year comes with a player option. It stands to reason that a star of Leonard's caliber shouldn't be in a "contract year" state, and the Lakers, who rivaled the city, gave another superstar who is also an injury concern, Anthony Davis, a contract extension with a maximum salary before the start of the season. However, the situation of the Clippers is different, and the key reason is that the combination of Leonard and George did not bring them a championship, and their injuries have made the Clippers a laughing stock. From Leonard's own point of view, he also needs to repay the Clippers with his results and put himself in the discussion of top superstars again.
The Clippers are gradually letting people see the championship appearance, in addition to Leonard, Harden, George, and Wei Shao are all full of motivation. Wei Shao is willing to come off the bench, George is becoming more and more stable, and Harden is running around and carrying infamy in order to win the first championship trophy of his career. This time, Harden is not wrong, Leonard is a trustworthy superstar, and the Clippers will not be as frustrating as the Nets were back then. The stars here are also very tough in the playoffs and won't drop the chain repeatedly like Embiid.