“Win 49 games, and if you don’t win Sunday, you’ve got a chance to be seventh. We just have to keep scrapping and keep competing, one game at a time,” said Ty Lue before the highly anticipated Warriors-Clippers matchup. Being the final matchup of this year’s regular season for both teams, the game was a fight to see which squad would not have to start their playoff run through the Play-In series. In the end, Lue’s squad reigned supreme after taking the game into overtime and securing a 124-119 score against their rivals. The result left Ty Lue elated, and he was more than willing to discuss how the team got to this point.
During the post-game presser, Ty Lue highlighted that when the team got down 12, he told the players to stay the course. Before the game, the coach had relayed to the squad that “we got to take care of the basketball. We can’t allow this team to get out in transition, um, get pick sixes, and get easy baskets in transition”. For Ty Lue, even being down 12 was not a big issue. After all, he believed that taking a calm and systematic approach to things would help the squad get the better of Stephen Curry and Co. in time.
“We started the game off, like I said, turning the ball over. They was able to capitalize on that. And I just told the guys ‘Listen, if we just settle in, no offensive rebounds, take care of the basketball, we’re in good shape, all right’” said Lue. “Being down 12 is not a lot for us, if we can just do what we’re supposed to do, do what we’re capable of doing, and our guys did that, you know, um, for the rest of the game. I think we came in and had the lead at halftime by one, and then just kind of as a back-and-forth game”.
Mar 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; LA Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
In the end, the Clippers squad was able to remain calm and make good use of the situation. A shift to playoff importance was seen during the game, with both coaches tightening their rotations. Each team played with just nine players. Neither Jonathan Kuminga nor Gui Santos took to the court for the Bay Area franchise. Despite this, the team had a good start and was able to go on an offensive drive after falling behind 12-6. By the end of the 1st quarter, the Warriors had a 33-25 lead. After the lead went to double-digits, Ty Lue’s squad felt ‘Enough is Enough’.
As the coach highlighted, the team just did what they were supposed to. A 7-0 Clippers run reduced the Bay Area’s lead to four just past the halfway mark. With 2:30 left, James Harden dropped in a floater that put a cap on a 16-4 run and gave his team the lead. This was then followed by a trio of threes in the final minute. It included Norman Powell’s deep buzzer-beater that ended the first half on a 60-58 lead for the Clippers.
As Stephen Curry highlighted before the game, “I don’t want to be too dramatic—it should be like a Game 7 kind of vibe”. Ty Lue and Co. certainly treated it like Game 7. The players came out to ensure the Clippers would enter their 3rd playoff in a row, and that too from a good seed. However, as the coach highlighted, the players aren’t the only ones who deserve all the praise.
Ty Lue gave praise to the Clippers coaching staff for boosting Kawhi Leonard and co’s performance: “It’s a huge accomplishment”
The Warriors put out a tough fight. However, the trio of Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Ivica Zubac still stood out on the offensive end. Kawhi Leonard, in particular, was remarkable for someone who missed the Clippers’ first 34 season games. The power forward was able to record 33 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. He shot 13-20 (65.0%) field goals, 4-8 (50.0%) 3-pointers, and 3-5 (60.0%) free throws. For Leonard to deliver his 4th 30+ points performance meant the player had to have received some advantage during the game. As it turned out, he did.
“A lot to our coaching staff, you know, those guys in the locker room, you don’t get to see a lot of them, they don’t get a lot of credit, but they mean a lot to me. And, um, how I’m able to get to this point, you know, over the years, is just, you know, having great assistant coaches, um, guys behind the scenes, the video guys, all of us play a key part, you know, in getting to this point. But to get 50 wins, you know, with Kawhi playing what, 37 games this year, um, it’s a huge accomplishment,” said Lue. “It’s a lot for our guys in the locker room. Our players are just staying together, playing with that chip on their shoulder all year long, and getting to this point.”
Jan 14, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) talks to coaches Sam Cassell and Tyronn Lue on the bench in the second half of the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The LA Clippers will face the Denver Nuggets next in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. The Clippers have lost 6 of their last 10 games against Nikola Jokic and Co. Including the 2 most recent ones. Therefore, it would be great for Ty Lue’s team to have the same mindset going into the series as it had in the recent game.
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