It feels like the same recurring story rears its ugly head whenever the Clippers play. The Clippers are down a sizable lead but manage to fritter away at it until they’ve actually taken the lead themselves. It’s a total false sense of security however, as the opposing team invariably manages to pull away in the fourth quarter.

During the four-game road trip (three of which have been played upon time of writing), the Clippers have played the Celtics, the Pacers, and the Heat. I had high hopes for the Clippers-Celtics matchup, recalling their previous game in Crypto arena where the Clippers delivered probably the worst loss for the Celtics at the time (disregarding the 37-point blowout by the Thunder yesterday). I believed the wing depth for the Clippers posed problems for the two Jays. I forgot having to account for the tumultuous clamor of TD Garden. This season, the league winning percentage at home is 61.3%. Playing at home is a huge factor. The Celtics were up by 13 in the 2^nd Quarter (up 11 at half). The Clippers managed to get back into the swing of things, scoring back-to-back threes to open up the third. The Clippers managed to take the lead to start the fourth, but the Celtics remained more poised the rest of the way, finishing the game 110-116. They were down by 3 with 30 seconds left- I think there was a more advisable shot than Paul George taking a difficult drive to the basket with Tatum on his hip and Derrick White on his other hip. Hindsight is obviously 20-20, but just in general, getting the quick-two down three can be precarious, as seen here. Against Boston’s stifling defense and given Paul George’s prolific jump-shooting, I wish a three was taken.

I’ve found it interesting how Paul George is still welcomed by boos whenever he returns to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to play his former team. It’s been, what, 5 and a half years since the trade to OKC for Oladipo and Sabonis. They then traded Sabonis for Tyrese Haliburton, so essentially, the Pacers future is entirely predicated on George’s decision to leave. And if it wasn’t for Oladipo’s freak quad tear injury, that future would’ve looked even brighter. Regardless, I’m sure George uses the boos as fuel – he’s averaged 34.0 ppg his last six games, including his latest outing where he scored 45 points in yet another loss. It was his season high, three points short of his career high. He’s one of the few perennial allstars who haven’t scratched the 50-point threshold ever, along with his partner in crime Kawhi Leonard. I think it’s only a matter of time however, given the scoring inflation that’s characterized the league recently, especially this past week (Luka 60, Mitchell 71, Giannis 55, Klay 54). The Clippers were down by 14 in the third after a Myles Turner hook shot, but the Clippers would respond by scoring on 11 out of their next 13 possessions to tie the game at the start of the fourth. In the fourth, the Pacers and the Clippers were basically going shot-for-shot until the Clippers faltered, to which Haliburton smelled blood and took over the game down the stretch, making multiple and-ones and step-back threes. He had 18 in the fourth, consummating the fifth win in the last six games for the Pacers. I for one was super impressed by Myles Turner’s ability to shoot this game. I vividly recall a bail-out three after a poor offensive possession by the Pacers, whereby it felt like the Clippers were about to pull away. The Clippers were down by one in the fourth, and when they fouled Turner to regain possession, I felt slightly relieved and exalted, simply based on preconceived notions on the average center’s ability to shoot. Total false hope on my end, as he made two smooth free-throws with a stoic countenance that radiated confidence in his own abilities. He finished the game with 32. The Clippers had a chance to tie with a Leonard triple that missed the rim. He’s shooting 27.4% from three this season, and while that doesn’t mean that much given the small sample size and his return from injury, it’s something to keep in mind. I’d look like a hypocrite if I condemned this shot given my previous analysis on the Celtics game, but in all honesty, it was a good shot that just missed.

The turnovers really stood out to me. The Clippers actually had a higher overall field goal percentage (54% to 52%), but just couldn’t hold onto the ball enough. They had 16 turnovers, above the league average of 14.7. I thought the Clippers having a dedicated ball-handler like John Wall would cut their turnovers down significantly, but so far that hasn’t been the case. Improvement is possible and I think it’s going to be an interesting trade deadline for the Clippers. I also think the high-turnovers is, in part, a product of having ball-dominant forwards like Leonard and George.

The Clippers flew down to FTX arena in Miami (when’s the name changing by the way?), for their third game in the road stretch. Leonard didn’t play this game with a non-Covid related illness, and neither did Batum. Batum’s absence is crucial given Ty Lue’s questionable proclivity for small-ball lineups. I mean, this was an actual lineup used against Bam Adebayo:

John Wall

Reggie Jackson

Terance Mann

Paul George

Marcus Morris

I love the shooting and ball-handling in this lineup, but Bam finished with 31 and 13. It made me wonder whether the Turner spectacle was coincidental, or a product of Ty Lue’s rotations, and I’m leaning towards the latter. The Clippers have done a better job these last few games of getting their boots on the ground, but the injury report can be populated at any point in time. Some people believe that not being able to marshal your troops every game builds the resilience needed to succeed in the playoffs, but I don’t buy into this claim. Chemistry is important and previous Clipper teams have precedented this. The Heat lead by as much as 21 in the second period. The tides totally turned in the third, with Clippers hitting back-to-back-to-back-to-back (4) threes to take the lead. Nevertheless, the Heat outscored the Clippers 29-17 in the final 12 minutes. The Clippers woes keeps compounding themselves, as Paul George appears to have reinjured his hamstring and may take time off. Perhaps the Clippers can use this to get Kawhi the opportunity to return to form.

It feels like just when there’s any light at the end of the tunnel, it disappears. I don’t want to invoke any basketball gods, but it’s evident there’s remaining repentance from something in the past (maybe trading SGA to inorganically build a super team?). At this point in my Clipper fandom, my spirit is utterly steeled- I’m completely ossified and detached. Just kidding, I wish though. Hey, there’s another game tomorrow against Denver.