Looking at the first two games of the 2020-2021 NBA season, the LA Clippers have shown the grit and determination that have fans feeling pretty good.
Granted it is a statistically insignificant sample size over a somewhat shortened 72-game season, but what we have seen from the LA Clippers in the two much-hyped games to date — opening night against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, and prime time Christmas night against the Denver Nuggets – gives the Clipper Nation reason to feel that the ship is sailing in a solid direction.
A Lakers/Clippers matchup always draws a crowd, even during the previous six seasons where the Clippers have dominated as the stronger team by far. But the opening night game on December 22 carried a little more emotional weight, as the Lakers rode in high on their accomplishment and, to make matters worse, the Clippers were there for the festivities as the Lakers received their championship rings.
Perhaps emboldened by the circumstances, the Clippers came out swinging, quickly racking up a 20 point first quarter lead on nearly 70% shooting, a lead that just as quickly disappeared in the second quarter. At halftime, the Clippers only led by one basket. Clippers fans prepared for what seemed to be inevitable. But what we saw instead was not a team that lay down and let the Lakers run the board, but rather the focus and hustle that wins games and hearts. While the announcers tried to make excuses for the Lakers (such as “they’ve only had 71 days off”), the Clippers took care of business and handily won the game.
On Christmas night, the LA Clippers faced the Denver Nuggets as the primetime finale of the big NBA night. We don’t need to go into the recent history of Clippers/Nuggets…anyone who has read this far undoubtedly suffered through the disappointing end of the Clippers stay in the bubble and needs no reminder of what happened. Suffice it to say, this matchup seemed to be an important barometer of where this new team, with its new head coach, stands.
Again, the Clippers got off to a solid start, leading by 17 at halftime. The third quarter likewise felt pretty strong. But halfway through the fourth quarter, with Denver feeling its mojo on a 10-0 run, Kawhi Leonard hit the floor and did not get up for what seemed like an eternity. Blood was visible on his shoulder and face; both Clippers and Nuggets players gathered around him in a show of concern and support. I felt myself both crying and holding my breath all at the same time. Kawhi did get up, left the floor on his own feet, and reportedly sustained a laceration and took eight stitches. He is expected to be fine.
Of course, a player’s health is more important than a game, but nonetheless, the game did have to go on. It would have been totally understandable for the Clippers to fall apart at that point, on the heels of one of their stars bleeding on the floor while in the midst of Jamal Murray doing what he does best. But the Clippers did the opposite. They dug in, played with determination, and finished off what they had started, defeating the Nuggets by 13. In his post-game comments, Nicolas Batum summed it up by saying, “They made a run, we lost Kawhi so we could have lost our composure, lost our game, but we took a good timeout. We kept moving the ball and made big shots.”
These are exactly the moments we hope for. The path is obviously going to have bumps, and certainly, a few of the next 70 games will not turn out to be as inspirational as the first two have been. But it’s a great start; the Clippers can maintain and build on this solid base.