The Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard tried, in fact, twice. However, he is clearly not ready for the Dallas Mavericks' playoff game.
On Sunday afternoon local time in Dallas, Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations for the Clippers, addressed members of the media and announced that Kawhi Leonard would miss Game 4 against the Mavericks due to persistent inflammation in his right knee.
"He was very disappointed and frustrated not being able to play today," Laurence Frank said of Kawaii Leonard.
"He wanted to play, but obviously in the third game his movement was severely limited. Therefore, we organizationally decided to give him a break. When will he be able to return? I can't tell you a timeline. I wish I had a crystal ball. He won't return until he's able to show all the moves he needs. That would be a time frame. ”
Leonard, who missed the final eight games of the regular season due to an inflammation in his right knee after the game against the Charlotte Hornets, received treatment to eliminate the swelling in his knee while the team went 4-4 without him.
He then missed the first game against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, but the team announced that he would be back for the second game on Monday night.
Kawhii Leonard played 35 minutes in the return game, finishing with 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals in the loss. It seems that he has overcome the inflammation, and the only obstacles that need to be overcome are rustiness and physical fitness.
The venue shifted to Dallas for the third game, where Kawhi Leonard did not perform well. He played just 25 minutes, including just 10 in the first half, and finished with nine points, nine rebounds and two assists.
However, looking at his matches, it was clear that he didn't move well, he lost his explosiveness, and in the end his physical condition didn't allow him to play.
After the match, Leonard admitted that his knee hasn't returned to normal and isn't in the shape he wants, but he is optimistic.
"(The knee) didn't react as we expected after the first game," Kawhi Leonard told the media in Dallas. "But we'll get it done. Time will tell, but we're doing everything right.
'I did pretty well in the first game, like I said, it didn't react the way we wanted it to, and tonight it was either limited to playing time or not playing and I wanted to play and help the team. That's the result. It's disappointing that it happened so late in the season, but we're going to keep going, we're going to get it right. ”
Kawhii Leonard tried to hold on to the game amid inflammation in his right knee, and if it wasn't for the Clippers intervening and stopping him, he might have continued to keep playing.
Lawrence Frank said the Clippers made the decision Saturday morning to let him recuperate indefinitely.
"It's a decision we made for him," added Lawrence Frank.
"He knew, obviously, that he was restricted. He was obviously very aware of his physical condition and what he couldn't do, so even if he was just standing in the corner and acting as bait, he wanted to do it. In the second game, he felt good, just fitness, tempo, timing. The next night, the swelling picked up again. We are happy with the level of swelling.
We obviously cut down on his minutes and used him in different ways, but in the end, even if you watch him play, it's very clear that it's not kawaii Leonard. We've got to get him to the point where he felt in the second game.
He was expected to make progress, but things didn't go that way, but he obviously needed more time. ”
Tyronn Lue admits it was a devastating blow to his team and Kawhi Leonard, but appreciates his struggle against the Mavericks in a couple of games against the Mavericks in an attempt to help the Clippers.
"It's absolutely devastating for kawaii," Taryn Lew said of kawaii Leonard.
'He's put in all the effort this year, played so many games, tried to get to this point and get to where he wants to be in the playoffs, but he got injured and couldn't play 100 per cent and couldn't play to his abilities. It was very frustrating for him and I felt sorry for him.
But we haven't played with him before, so we can't be discouraged. We understand what we need to give, what we have to do, how we need to play like this, and we're prepared for both scenarios, so I'm just thankful to kawaii for trying to get on the pitch and trying to do what he can.
But like I said, this team is ready, whether he's on or not, so we're ready for tonight's challenge and we'll be ready to play. ”
To be honest, Harden led the team unstoppably, and the Clippers could advance 4-2 to the Mavericks.