LOS ANGELES - The LA Clippers are the only team to bounce back from a 2-0 loss in the first two rounds, and head coach Ty Lew says they can continue their comeback post-season, albeit with historically low chances. be.
The Clippers went cold in the fourth quarter, with the potential to tie the score or advance to one of the worst shooting droughts in recent playoff history, a grueling 84-80 loss to the Phoenix Suns in Game 4 on Saturday night. faced. Western Conference Finals.
Now down 3-1 in the series, the Clippers now must prevent an elimination in Game 5 on Monday in Phoenix, even thinking of trying to do something only four times in NBA Conference Finals history. first.
“We beat Utah and won four games in a row,” Lew said of the Clippers winning second-round matchups in six games. "So it's very doable."
Teams that lead 3–1 in a best-of-seven series have won 95% of the time (251–13), including going 52–4 in conference finals history.
But if anyone knows what it takes to beat the odds, it's Lew. As head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, he helped the Cavs win the championship by overcoming a 3–1 loss to a stunned Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Lew's Cavaliers lost to the Warriors 3-1 in the 2017 NBA Finals.
The Clippers, however, will rely on their experience of winning when facing eliminations, as they did at Dallas in Game 6 of the first round when they went 3-2 down. They defeated the Mavericks in seven matches.
But that was when they had Kawhi Leonard, who scored 45 points in that game and won in Dallas. Leonard has missed six straight games due to a sprained right knee and his position is in doubt for this series.
Paul George, who had 23 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, does not want Leonard to try to return for Game 5 if it would put his health at risk.
George said, "I can't speak for him, about Kavi's health." "If he's not 100, we don't want to put him out there. I mean, he's there as a brother, as a teammate. His health is longer than what's going on now." far more important. I can't speak to the extent of his injury or, you know, what [can] and can't give us. As I'm saying, his health is more than anything is important."
Even without Leonard, the Clippers had every chance of winning Game 4. They trailed 52-36 at the start of the third quarter, but went within one later in the quarter as the Staples Center crowd roared.
But the home fans never got what they so desperately needed. The Clippers were within 71-70 with 10:07 after George made a free throw. But he missed the second foul shot, and the Clippers missed 15 of his last 17 shots from the field. George's missed free throw was one of five missed foul shots in the final 10:07.
Both teams went through an ugly stretch that saw them combine to miss 16 consecutive shots in the fourth quarter, following consecutive missed shots by both teams in the fourth quarter of the playoff game to the Celtics and Knicks in their Game 3 straight 17. missed out. The series for the first round of 2013 according to data from ESPN Stats & Information.
Playing just eight main guys in the rotation, the Clippers went dry. After playing 13 games over 25 days this month, the Clippers finished 0-for-12 in the fourth quarter on shots that could tie the game or take the lead. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the fourth quarter of a playoff game in the past 25 postseasons has the most such attempts without a make.
Lew admitted that cold shooting in the fourth could be due to tired legs, but added, "It's no excuse at this time of the season. People can be a little tired. We just have to fight. The way I do." We fought, no problem with the way we competed. Every single guy on the floor gave us what they had and aggressively it didn't happen tonight."
Adding to the disappointment was an out-of-bounds call that the Clippers thought should have been reviewed after a ball went out of bounds off Nicholas Buttum. Battam felt he left Cameron Payne's ball with 7.8 seconds left. At the time, Sun was holding a 79-78 lead.
"By rule, game review is not used if the calling officer has any doubts on the play," crew chief Zack Zerba told a pool reporter after the game. "The play may be reviewed if the official suspects it. In this case, there was no doubt on the play out of bounds, so replays were not used."
Now, the Clippers fly to Phoenix on Sunday before playing to survive their season in Game 5 on Monday. The last time they were at the Phoenix Sans Arena, George missed two crucial free throws, with 8.2 seconds left and the Clippers up one. The Sons would steal the game 104–103 on an alley-up pass, with seven-tenths of a second remaining from inbounds from Jae Crowder to Deandre Ayton.
"It's going to be tough," George said of coming back to win this series. "It's going to be tough. But it has to be one game at a time. It's win or go home."
Reggie Jackson added, "We've lost before. It's tough. We've patted our backs against the wall and we've been in the elimination games. The team is ready and this team is confident."