In 2020, through the bizarreness of the Pandemic, the LA Clippers gave up their second 3-1 postseason lead within five years, this time to the Denver Nuggets. Everything was in their favor, but the fourth win was the most difficult, and LA had mentally drained themselves out of 'The Bubble.'
Similar to how they play now, the Nuggets were completely reluctant for Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to thrive with the season on their shoulders. Their pick-and-roll was immaculate, and often, even when the cutter did not score, another player was in the right place at the right time to catch a sneaky dime from Jokic.
Nevertheless, in game seven, Jokic had a triple-double, Murray poured in a 40-point scoring performance, and the Nuggets won by 15 to reach the Western Conference Finals.
The feeling of defeat, especially with Kawhi Leonard healthy, was a sharp, unforgettable pain that still aches. LA should have been in the third round to compete with the Los Angeles Lakers, but Leonard's availability was taken for granted, and the locker room could not swamp adversity.
The coaching, players, or front office could have been blamed, but in retrospect, each caved to the illuminance of being up three games to one.
Five seasons later, the Clippers have the perfect way to fulfill their revenge story as another seven-game series has arisen with the Nuggets.
Defeating the Denver Nuggets years after being upset will have the LA Clippers feeling on top of the world
Any playoff series is significant for the LA Clippers, but having a clean slate against the Denver Nuggets is substantially more important, as the completion of their revenge story is at hand. The Clippers finally get to return the feeling of being booked for a vacation to Cancun.
Furthermore, this seven-game series will be of supreme motivation for Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac, and head coach Tyronn Lue. These three were around when LA lost 4-3 in 2020, and Lue, in particular, was told by former head coach Doc Rivers, "It ain't going to be much different."
Moreover, the Nuggets may be one of the top four teams in the Western Conference record-wise, but they are on a hill full of bumps and rocks, as they just fired their general manager and head coach.
That said, a Clippers first-round victory lap would essentially send the Nuggets' franchise into reconstruction mode in the offseason, making LA's rivalry sequence ten times better.