Lou Williams hasn't been able to make deep playoff runs in his career, so his epic performance for the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night against the Golden State Warriors carries extra resonance.
Williams, who established himself long ago as one of the NBA's best sixth men, crafted a performance which was statistically rare and profoundly decisive in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference first-round series between the Clippers and the Warriors in Oakland:
Lou Williams becomes second player since 1985 to log 30+ points & 10+ assists off the bench in a playoff game. First was assistant coach Sam Cassell on 5/30/95 at San Antonio. (per #Clippers PR)
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 16, 2019
Lou Williams didn't just hang huge numbers which looked cosmetically attractive in a loss to the two-time defending NBA champions. The numbers would have elicited a “Yeah, but…” response had the Clippers lost. Yet, because Los Angeles was able to overcome a 31-point deficit and deck the Dubs with a 41-23 fourth quarter, Williams' amazing night becomes far more significant than it otherwise would have been.
The 36 points and 11 assists off the bench are eye-popping in their own right for Lou Williams, but because he has knotted up this series at 1-1 with DeMarcus Cousins hurt and the series shifting to Staples Center for Game 3, he has abruptly altered the trajectory of these NBA Playoffs.
Did Lou Williams just become a puzzle the champions can't solve? Did he become the nightmare the Warriors will not be able to banish from their minds?
The answer might be no… but we don't know anything for certain after watching THAT performance from Lou Williams, Landry Shamet, and the rest of the Clippers in Oracle Arena on Monday.
At a time in sports when everything seems possible, and Tiger Woods has won The Masters for the first time in 14 years, why can't Lou Williams engineer an all-time great NBA upset? Why can't he play three more epic games in the next week and a half?
This is why we watch.
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