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Who is to blame for Clippers shortcomings in playoffs?

By CM Towle

Mar 22, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) high-fives forward Blake Griffin (32) after scoring the the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Staples Center. Left is Los Angeles Clippers forward Matt Barnes (22). The Clippers won 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 22, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) high-fives forward Blake Griffin (32) after scoring the the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Staples Center. Left is Los Angeles Clippers forward Matt Barnes (22). The Clippers won 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /
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The LA Clippers will face the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the NBA playoffs as they try to recover from last year’s early exit.

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The number three seed Clippers are set to take on a very dangerous number six seed in the Spurs in what will be a tough hurdle for them to advance. Likely no one has to remind them how they exited the playoffs last year, especially when they relived it at the beginning of the season. It was Game 5 against the Thunder when the Clips gave up a seven point lead with just under 50 seconds to go. The loss forced a Game 6 that ultimately ended their season.

In the 2013 playoffs, they came in as the fourth seed to face the Grizzlies. After taking a 2-0 series lead, they went on a four game losing streak to ultimately lose the series for a first round exit. In the 2012 playoffs, they lost in the second round to the Spurs.

So it’s fair to ask why the Clippers keep blowing leads in the playoffs that end in their demise? Charles Barkley sort of had an opinion on Thursday, saying that whoever was to blame for the Clippers playoff fails, it wasn’t point guard Chris Paul. He also said that someone had to take the blame.

Paul is not just the Clippers best player, but at the position of point guard, is kind of the place where the buck stops at defensive failures. It doesn’t help that he had three serious errors that helped bring that fateful Game 5 crashing down around their heads. Two turnovers and a foul on Russell Westbrook helped the Thunder get back into and ultimately win the game. Turnovers against the Spurs in particular will be costly.

On the other hand, the Clippers were in the playoffs last year amid the whole Donald Sterling mess, which was likely a major distraction. They don’t have those distractions this year.

Truthfully, you can’t really blame one player or distractions for playoff failures. You might be able to lay some blame on the coach, in this case Doc Rivers, for not getting his players ready or hyped enough, but even that is reaching. Playoff losses and especially playoff collapses have one major culprit: the other team was simply better. This may very well be the case when the Clippers meet the Spurs in this year’s first round.  The Clippers have been hot in the last part of the season, but Spurs remain dangerous. One only needs to look at their recent dismantling of the Warriors for evidence.

The Clippers need to focus as a team on making possessions count and making defense count, especially if they happen to be up seven in the final minute. The key to a comeback is quick scores. If the defense can make the offense wait to take shots, they can put the clock on their side.

“We execute better, so much better, this year than last year down the stretch of games,” Rivers said, via the LA Times. “We trust better, so much better, this year. I think that will hopefully serve us well in the playoffs.”

In the end, the Clippers have only themselves as a team to blame for their playoff collapses. Unfortunately, sometimes the other team is just better.

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