As you know, the Clippers have locked up the playoffs.
After the penultimate game of the regular season, the Clippers have locked up fourth place in the West, and their first-round opponent is the Dallas Mavericks, who will meet in the first round for the third time in five years.
Both the Clippers and the Mavericks have championship contenders, and given past grievances, this series is sure to be very exciting, and it should be said that the Mavericks, although only fifth in the West, are 22-8 after the trade deadline, and the first in the West for the same period.
The Clippers had a sweet period in the season, once rushing to first place in the West, but they were a little tired at the end of the season, losing 5 of 9 games at one point, and finally fell to fourth in the West, and they still have a big problem to solve - Leonard's injury.
First of all, it needs to be said that Leonard is really healthy, and this season is his healthiest year since joining the Clippers, playing in a total of 68 games, compared to 161 games in the previous four years combined, and a maximum of 57 games in a year.
In the games he played, Leonard averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game, shooting 52.5%/41.7%/88.5% from three, and 62.6% from the field.
Leonard's scoring explosiveness is not very good, there are not many high scores, but his scoring consistency is extremely strong, whether he wins or loses, he can always play consistently;
And he can shoot three-pointers without relying on three-pointers, from the three-point line to the mid-range, under the basket, and it can be seen from the shooting heatmap that Leonard is an offensive machine without dead ends.
Don't forget, Leonard is also a DPOY-level defender, not only has excellent defensive judgment and awareness, but can also go from one to five, and has been a center in the small lineup many times this season.
For the Clippers, Leonard's role can also be reflected in the data:
- When Leonard is on the floor, the Clippers outscore their opponents by 8.2 points per 100 possessions
-- With Leonard not on the floor, the Clippers lost by 3.5 points per 100 possessions
The playoffs are considered a stage for superstars, and the Clippers already have George, Harden, Westbrook and a slew of great rotations, and as long as they have two FMVP Leonards in charge, they will definitely be in contention for the championship.
However, Leonard had a bit of a problem at the end of the season.
Leonard hasn't played for the Clippers since beating the Hornets on April 1, adding up to eight games in the finale, compared to just six games before April 1.
The official reason given by the Clippers is a sore right knee, and some people believe that this is just a way for Leonard to rest, because he has consumed too much before, counting from the first game of the break, until the start of the playoffs, Leonard will have 20 to 21 days of rest, which is enough for him to recuperate.
But there are also concerns that Leonard is really suffering from a knee injury, after all, he has previously been reimbursed for the season due to a torn cruciate ligament in his right knee, and judging from the Clippers' answers, Leonard does not seem to be an "ordinary rotation".
Clippers president Frank had this to say about Leonard's injury: "He's dealing with knee inflammation, and everybody knows Leonard's knee has had a couple of surgeries, so it's normal to deal with that, the swelling can limit his movement on the court, he doesn't look as comfortable as well, and he's trying his best to recover." ”
Tyronn Lue has been asked about Leonard's injury on several occasions and each time his answer has been vague, most recently saying: "We want him to be on the court [in the playoffs], that's what we want to see, and hopefully he'll be back enough to play." ”
In the previous two series against the Mavericks, Leonard played 13 games in full attendance, averaging 32.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game, shooting 57.9% from the field and 36.8% from three-point range.
In those two series, Doncic blew up everyone on the Clippers except Leonard, and Leonard blew up everyone on the Mavericks, so if Leonard has a knee problem, it will be very difficult for the Clippers to think about the Mavericks.
It has been five years since Leonard joined the Clippers, and the results of the Clippers in the past five years have definitely not met expectations, for Leonard himself, he needs to win another championship to prove himself, and for the Clippers, if they don't win the championship this year or go out early, maybe it will usher in a very big change.