The Los Angeles Clippers, on one fateful day in February, was the number one seed in the Western Conference. That was quite a turnaround for a Clippers team that lost six straight immediately after trading for James Harden. Since then, however, the Clippers have fallen off their torrid midseason pace, and they are now just ahead by half a game on the New Orleans Pelicans for the fourth seed following their rough 1-4 stretch over the past week punctuated by their embarrassing 110-93 defeat this past Sunday against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Clippers have not looked like a championship contender over the past month or so; their defense has fallen off a cliff, their identity problems have resurfaced, and the team seems to be going through a lethargic stretch. With the playoffs approaching, the Clippers must right the ship — and soon.
At the very least, Terance Mann, the Clippers' starting glue guy alongside the three stars and Ivica Zubac, has the utmost belief in their ability to find their midseason groove yet again given the quality and amount of experience they have on the roster.
“It comes from Russell Westbrook, who's been to the Finals. It comes from Kawhi Leonard, who has multiple rings. It comes from [Paul George] and James [Harden] have been far into the playoffs. When it's time, those guys are gonna check those boxes. They know what it takes to get there. That's why my confidence doesn't waver, because those guys are on my team,” Mann said in a press conference, via Tomer Azarly, Clippers beat reporter for ClutchPoints.
Terance Mann on where his playoff confidence in the Clippers comes from:
“It comes from Russell Westbrook, who's been to the Finals. It comes from Kawhi Leonard, who has multiple rings. It comes from [Paul George] and James [Harden] have been far into the playoffs. It comes from… pic.twitter.com/kiORSlMfFH
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) March 20, 2024
Indeed, there are plenty of battle-tested veterans on this Clippers squad. Terance Mann (who has had plenty of playoff battles himself over the past four years) mentioned the big names, but the likes of Norman Powell, Daniel Theis, PJ Tucker, and even Mason Plumlee all have considerable experience when it comes to playing for winning teams.
Powell and Tucker have won one ring, Theis has made it to the NBA Finals (in 2022) and Mason Plumlee has a Western Conference Finals appearance to his name. Combining that with the ever-reliable emergence of peak Kawhi Leonard during the postseason, then it's not too difficult to see where Mann is coming from in his belief.
Nonetheless, the regular season is important too, as homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs is on the line, so the Clippers have to start playing well as soon as possible, beginning with their contest later tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers.
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