LA Clippers cannot keep taking their foot off the gas

The LA Clippers cannot afford to keep taking their foot off the gas.

Last night’s loss to the Denver Nuggets highlighted an issue the LA Clippers have had all season. They won’t just put their opponents away. Instead, they take their foot off the gas, rely on their star power, and sometimes lose the game because they can’t get back up to the same energy required.

You would think that a championship hopeful team would understand the importance of finishing their opponent. Had the Clippers won the series last night, they would have had four days off before the Western Conference Finals. Instead, if they win on Sunday, they will only have two days off.

Speaking to media today, Coach Doc Rivers and Marcus Morris both reiterated that the team just stopped playing as they had in the first half and let Denver work back into the game.

Morris:

"I think it’s just taking our foot off the pedal. At times I think we lean on our — I think we just lean on us being as good as we are on paper and not actually just finishing the game. You know, it’s only happened twice, so it’s no overreaction. Sometimes it’s needed, just so we can keep reiterating that as we continue to grow.I think it’s just us being as good as we are and just leaning on that, just the talent and not finishing — playing hard or finishing our cuts, still rebounding, still defending as hard as we possibly can, things like that."

It’s reassuring to hear that from Morris. The team did seem to slow down late in the game on Friday, allowing Denver to grab momentum.

Morris did reiterate that the team came together after the loss in order to discuss what needed to be done. We have to assume the lack of focus towards the end of the game was a key part of their conversation.

The Clippers obviously have the talent. As Morris said, they too often focus on how good they are on paper and don’t play up to their full potential. In the regular season, that was completely fine and worked, especially against lower-tier teams. In the postseason though, it’s the difference between a win and a loss.

It’s better that the team seems to be realizing this now, however. Assuming they do advance to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, they will need to bring their A-game every single night. LeBron James will do his best to knock them out and the team cannot afford to slack. Beyond that, the same rings true for both of the potential FInals’ opponents, the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.

The team is saying the right things. Now, let’s see it.