LA Clippers: The long road taken, worth the wait

For the first time in history the LA Clippers have secured their spot in the Western Conference Finals.

The Clippers going into this game were 0-8 in games to get to the West Finals, and last night’s game re-wrote the past. It’s made all that heartache all the more worth it.

After going down 25 early in the 3rd quarter you’d be expected as a Clips fan to expect this to be taken to a Game 7, but this squad finally decided that enough was enough.

The LA Clippers have endured a long and tough road, but have won their first ever trip to the Western Conference Finals.

It is fair to say that the LA Clippers have been in their fair share of tough series along the journey, but haven’t found themselves in the West Finals despite having plenty of very winnable chances.

It began in the conference semis against the Houston Rockets in the 14/15 season. The Clips were up 3-1, then went down in Game 5. But, they moved on and looked all but home in Game 6, finding themselves up 19 late in the third.

The Clips’ nightmare began there, as the Rockets dwindled the Clippers’ lead and put on 40 in the fourth to tie the series. It was too much to overcome and the Clips went down in Game 7.

In the 2015-16 season the Clippers began their playoff run injury-free and went up 2-0 on a Damian Lillard-led Portland team. In a matter of minutes, two players who were both stars at the time, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, went down with season-ending injuries. LA then lost four straight to be bundled out.

With new stars Kawhi and PG, plus a new squad, you would be given leeway into thinking the Clippers would be able to break the curse. We then had the bubble and a rampaging Nikola Jokic, plus what we can say now were some controversial coaching decisions made by former coach Doc Rivers. LA threw away another lead late in the third quarter of a close game which then in turn was too much for us to overcome and go down in seven once again.

But not 12 months later, with this year’s LA Clippers, one could tell they had a different mindset. Coach Ty Lue made changes; bringing back guys like Reggie Jackson, and bringing in guys like Nicolas Batum and Rajon Rondo. He also made adjustments on both the offensive and defensive ends.

The Clippers provided a full team performance in Game 6, a performance that all fans have wanted in a close-out game for years.

LA defeated the Jazz 131 -119 to advance to their first Western Conference Finals in history, after 50 years.

The Clippers have proven to everyone that they’re the real deal, coming back from two 0-2 deficits so far in the playoffs. Even though they’ve been struck with injuries to Kawhi Leonard and Serge Ibaka, Clipper role players have been able to show grit, fight and determination to lead this team forward.

The long wait is over, but no fan wants it to stop here. The Clippers have a real opportunity to go further but they will now take on a Phoenix Suns team that is red-hot after dismantling the Denver Nuggets 4-0 in their matchup.

This squad has given Clipper Nation what they’ve wanted for so long. Enjoy it, but it’s now on to the next.