Prior to Thursday night’s game against the Washington Wizards, Clippers Head Coach Tyronn Lue revealed that he, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George met in the Lue hotel room to discuss a late execution in the game.
“Talking to Kawhi and PG yesterday, they came to my room for an hour and a half to go over different situations and situations,” Lue said at his pregame press conference. “What they liked, what they didn’t. We were. working. It’s not going to be perfect every time. “
Lue clearly values his two All-Stars submissions when it comes to shaving time, as he should. Coaches can design complex plays with multiple actions and off-ball moves, but close-up games are usually decided based on which star player can get to their favorite spots and hit hard beats. beating.
The hotel room conversation was a must have. The Clippers have been incredibly smooth in minutes of clutch (described on NBA.com as the last five minutes of a game within five points or less). The Clippers rank dead-last in clutch net rankings, as they have been outnumbered in clutch minutes with an average of 26.4 points per 100 possessions.
While late-game offense talks are needed, the Clippers ’poor defense has hurt them much more in those situations. LA gives up a whopping 130.2 points per 100 possessions in clutch minutes (also dead-end, seven points worse than the 29th Atlanta Hawks status). It’s weird that the Clippers are struggling so hard on that end because of their staff – four of their five starters have made several All-Defense teams.
These stats are known to have some noise; Fluke plays, face-off fortunes and difficult calls from referees all add to LA’s struggle. (The offensive loss of Kawhi Leonard to James Harden, who cost the Clippers a win against the Nets, comes to mind). But at some point, with a large enough sample size, these trends need to be taken into account. The Clippers lost another close game Thursday to the Washington Wizards, blowing a sizable lead and delivering an offensive reversal of a missed free throw that would have at least allowed the Clippers the game to play. win.
Lue recently revealed that he hasn’t used most of his playbook. Perhaps this debate between him and his two stars covers sets he saves for the postseason, where shaving situations abound (and where, as everyone knows at this point, that LA has struggled before).
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