Needless to say, the national media has been highly critical of the Clippers since last year’s playoff fall at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in the second round. One of the reasons writers, pundits and talking heads point out when they find out why such a favorable and talented team fell in the belly is the lack of continuity and friendship among the Clippers team. seo.
“Load management, lack of team chemistry, team not being together, working like a premadonnas, he came back to bite you know,” Stephen A. Smith told First Take the morning after the Clippers fell in the game 7.
Smith is more active than an analyst at this stage, but there may be some value to this argument. For all its worth, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard did not play as many games together as LeBron James and Anthony Davis did in their first years in Los Angeles. Leonard never played in backup, and George lost time recovering from shoulder surgery. The “premadonna” side is a bit more thematic, but the basic idea that shared experience on a court builds strong team chemistry has been proven time and time again throughout league history.
After a 116-112 win over Utah Jazz, which dominated the Western conference on Friday night, when asked about his connection to Leonard, George made a point to reassure the media and fans that this chemistry exists, and is stronger than it has ever been.
As an outside observer, this companion seems to be more prominent than last season. Although George and Leonard have both lost time, they seem to better understand each other ‘s movements, and the bias of the whole team, when they are both on the court. For one thing, both stars get average career levels in assists (5.4 for George, five for Leonard). It may seem simple, but there is no better sign of chemistry than a willingness to pass any team the ball. But it’s comments like this that give fans hope that the two stars are now on par with their level of mindset as well.
The “big picture” that George is talking about seems to refer to an NBA tournament. Whatever he said after last year’s loss, a title has always been a goal for this Clippers team. George and Leonard organized the 2019 offseason with the intention of merging in LA and winning at the highest level. If nothing else, they are united in a common mission, along with the rest of their veterans ’roster. They’re on track so far, and in terms of pure talent, they’re as tough as any roster in the league.
George and Leonard can only talk at this stage (George may be doing most of the talking). With how passionate and realistic it sounds, Stephen A. Smiths’ minds will not be able to change the world until LA confronts their demons in the postseason. Until then, the Clippers ’collection eyes will be set on the larger image.
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