Clippers get quick reminder that expectations are different in NBA playoffs

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DENVER — The LA Clippers completely ran through the tape on a regular season that few outside the walls of Intuit Dome thought would amount to anything. To avoid the Play-In Tournament, the Clippers had to turn up the intensity and urgency to go with their veteran talent.

They did just that, winning 18 of their last 21 games, including their final eight. The Clippers, by beating the Golden State Warriors in overtime at Chase Center, earned the five days off that come with clinching a top-six seed.

“Considering how y’all counted out us out, said that we were only going to get 30 wins?” Norman Powell said indiscriminately from the visitors locker room in San Francisco.

It’s all a wonderful story that this Clippers team triumphantly beat through those low expectations to be one of five teams in the Western Conference to retain a playoff spot from 2024. And everyone involved, from the stars to the coaches to the oldest players, understood the opportunity in front of them granted by the work that is partly behind them.

“Another opportunity to reach the goal, the ultimate goal,” James Harden, 35, said in practice this week. “You don’t really take it for granted, you know what I mean? A lot of guys don’t get an opportunity to make the playoffs. So for me, I don’t ever take it for granted. Each game, each possession is different. Each series is different. So you just take it one game at a time, and literally like I just said, don’t get too high, don’t get too low. But another opportunity for me to do something special.”

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue sense the opportunity, too.

“All the stuff we had going on this season: Norm missing (22) games, Kawhi (Leonard) being out almost 50 games, and to be able to hold it down and get to this point where we’re the fifth seed, it says a lot about our team, about our character,” Lue said. “I’m happy for these guys. To put in the work every single day, even when you had aches and pains like James and Zu (Ivica Zubac) had, and still play through them to get here. It’s big for our fans, it’s big for our organization. Big for our players. So going to the playoffs, it always means something because you got a chance to win a championship.”

Nikola Jokić leads the Nuggets in a thrilling Game 1 victory!

🃏 29 PTS
🃏 12 AST
🃏 9 REB
🃏 3 STL

Denver takes a 1-0 series lead 🔥 pic.twitter.com/OyoNvAxsz1

— NBA (@NBA) April 19, 2025

“I was just happy that I was able to get here, and our teammates did a great job down that last stretch,” said Leonard, the 33-year-old two-time Finals MVP who has had the end of the last four seasons and the beginning of this season ruined by his troublesome right knee. “Just don’t take the opportunity for granted and try to play my best and that’s it. Just having fun.”

Now, the word “possession” is going to stick with the Clippers for at least 48 hours. The Clippers went to Denver and had a 15-point lead with 5:11 left to play in the first half Saturday. You could say they had possession of the game. And then, the Clippers slowly lost that grip, finishing with 20 turnovers and allowing 12 offensive rebounds in a 112-110 overtime loss in Game 1.

Leonard had a game-high seven turnovers, tying a postseason career worst. No turnover was more damning and critical than his giveaway in front of the Clippers bench with 33.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Denver point guard Jamal Murray was alone guarding Leonard when Murray deflected the ball off of Leonard, costing the Clippers possession, a challenge, a timeout and the lead after being up 96-95.

“He hit the ball,” Leonard said after the game. “It went off of me. It went out.”

It led to a moment that Denver fans will surely remember, as Nikola Jokic went to wrestle the lost ball away from Clippers lead assistant Jeff Van Gundy and longtime athletic trainer Jasen Powell, much like Jokic did with Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia two postseasons ago.

“We just got to be decisive, get more in attack-mode situations,” said Leonard, who hadn’t played a game in Denver since November 2023. “That’s it, really. A lot of the turnovers, we caused. That’s all you can do.”

When this week of preparation started for the Clippers, center Zubac was asked whether the 2020 semifinals meant anything now. That’s the series in which the Clippers led 3-1 and then led by double digits in each of the final three games with a chance to clinch the franchise’s first appearance in the conference finals, but they failed to hold any of the leads.

“No,” Zubac responded. “I’m a way different player now, and all the experience I got now, it’s going to be a lot different on both sides.”

Part of the reason why external expectations for the Clippers are chronically depressed is because of disappointing moments that overshadow accomplishments. No, 2020 doesn’t matter for this series in 2025, but the Clippers need to bury that series with how they perform in this one. Zubac is correct — he’s a different and better player. He’s the longest-tenured Clipper, which means he has seen his share of spring letdowns.

But this was a Clippers team that took much better care of the basketball down the stretch. They were the top defensive rebounding team in the NBA. Denver hadn’t forced 20 turnovers in a game since March 17, and that Nuggets win at Golden State was the only time the Nuggets forced 20 turnovers in a game since Nov. 20.

The Clippers believe their first loss in 20 days was self-inflicted wounds. The Clippers knew the game plan was to go to the paint, where they had a 34-16 advantage through the game’s first 19 minutes. For the rest of the game, the Clippers were outscored 40-26 in the paint.

“I’m trying to figure it out, too,” Harden said when asked about what could have caused the mistakes since he believed it was more about the Clippers than the Nuggets defense. “Like literally, trying to figure out what the hell was the reason for it. So we’ll watch film, get better and be ready for Game 2.”

Game 1 should serve as a wake-up call for the Clippers. They are no longer the overachieving team that stormed their way into the playoffs. The attention to detail and urgency that the Clippers had to end the regular season must be regenerated for the playoffs. It’s something that shouldn’t weigh on the Clippers — after all, it’s basketball. It’s supposed to be fun, especially for the best players in the world who have already experienced satisfying levels of success this season.

But if the Clippers feel like this is a serious team that can take advantage of a special opportunity, then this will be their worst game of the series in terms of giving the ball away, let alone giving away a big lead. This is the fourth time in a row that the Clippers played the Nuggets in a playoff game and lost despite leading by double digits.

The regular season is over. It was a resounding success for the Clippers. They have graduated. Now it’s up to the Clippers to define who they are going to be in the postseason. They are worthy of higher expectations. It’s time for them to play accordingly.

“We’re in good shape,” Lue said after Game 1. “We just got to do what we’re supposed to do. Take care of the basketball, keep them off the glass, and then we’ll be fine. But if you turn it over 20 times against the team that is No. 1 in offensive transition, then you’re going to lose the game. So we understand that, we just got to be better.”

(Photo of Norman Powell: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images

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