Three takeaways from the LA Clippers’ historic Game 2 victory

Veteran Rookies

When the game mattered most, the LA Clippers’ shot at victory traveled first through Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s hands and into those of Landry Shamet, finally falling through the bottom of the net. It was as perfect a play as you could draw up in a clutch situation, and the two rookie guards — and it seems wrong to call them that — executed it to perfection.

Down by a point with under a minute to go, the incredibly hot-handed Lou Williams put his trust in the hands of Gilgeous-Alexander, a 20-year-old point guard playing in his second-ever playoff game.

Shai caught a glimpse of the space he had in the lane, and drove in — drawing Shamet’s defender in the process. Double-teamed, Gilgeous-Alexander immediately kicked it out to Shamet, who had come up from the corner to the wing for a wide-open look from three-point range.

Shamet drilled it, had a quick celebration with his teammates, and then went straight to the Clippers’ huddle to find out what had to happen next.

Two rookies pulling off that kind of play is special enough as it is, but when you consider the circumstances, it starts to make you wonder how the two didn’t crumple under the weight of the moment.

Not only did this happen in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter of a playoff game, but it happened against the two-time defending champions, on their home floor, in a series where the Clippers are the biggest underdogs in the last 30+ years, in a game that they were almost completely out of at halftime.

Shamet was especially key for the Clippers, even without the game-winning triple. According to Basketball Reference, the only player to have a better playoff plus/minus rating than his (+15) against Stephen Curry‘s Warriors is Kawhi Leonard.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Shamet have made nary a rookie mistake all season long, and the same held true here. Composed, focused and confident, they found each other for what will likely go down as one of the greatest and most memorable moments of the NBA season.

It’s also worth mentioning that Shamet looked like a much improved defender on Monday night, and he was arguably one of LA’s best two-way players in the game.

Combining for just under 24 points per game since the All-Star break, it’s exciting to imagine the kind of jump the two All-Rookie hopefuls could make as they enter their second season in the NBA.