The LA Clippers headed into their game on Monday with a monumental task in front of them: take down the Western Conference-leading Golden State Warriors who held a 10-2 record entering the contest. They went in with the confidence of knowing that they had already defeated this squad in the current season, but knew that replicating that result would be difficult to say the least.
Fast forward a few hours later, and the Clippers were walking away with their second win of the young season over a formidable Warriors team. They did it the same way they have won most of their games this season: behind a strong team defensive performance.
After the conclusion of the contest, Steve Kerr spoke with media and shared an interesting insight into why he believed the Clippers have had the upper hand over the Warriors through the first month of the season. He pointed out that the two games Golden State has lost to LA were the "slowest" games the Warriors have played.
Kerr said that the reason behind this was the Clippers' strong defense and James Harden's playstyle offensively. Both of these factors have been observable to even the casual viewer in these wins, so it is far from surprising that the Warriors' coach sees it this way.
Steve Kerr says the two losses to the Clippers are the slowest games the Warriors have played this season because of the Clippers’ defense and James Harden’s style of play on offense.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) November 19, 2024
Kerr: Clippers' defense, Harden's offense affected game
We knew coming into the season that the Clippers were going to have a chance to look like a totally different team this year because of their massive roster changes. Bringing in more young and athletic talent changed the outlook for this team overnight, and it totally transformed their capabilities at the defensive end.
Now, the Clippers' role players with strong physical tools and defensive IQ are stepping up to the plate, and probably catching some opponents by surprise. As Kerr points out, Harden's steady play has been a big lift for LA as well. In Kawhi Leonard's absence, number one has been the driving force behind the Clippers' offensive philosophy.
Norman Powell has probably still been the most impactful offensive player on this team with the way he has stepped up and taken on the responsibility of the leading scorer. But at the end of the day, the offensive philosophy is centered around Harden and his distributing ability.
Both factors that Kerr points out have been big reasons why the Clippers have exceeded expectations to this point and still have a winning record through 15 games. The more LA achieves, the more excitement grows about what this team could look like once Kawhi Leonard finally returns to the court.