Swanson: Clippers can’t complete Game 5 rally against Suns, close frustrating season
The undermanned Clippers nearly erase a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but a 136-130 loss leaves them still searching for an NBA Finals berth four years after Kawhi Leonard and Paul George joined the team
Clippers players, including injured Paul George, second from left, Russell Westbrook, center, and injured Kawhi Leonard, second from right, watch from the bench during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. The Clippers lost, 136-130, ending their season. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook brings the ball up the court during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers center Mason Plumlee (44) moves the ball up the court during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Eric Gordon passes the ball around Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton, left, during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul watches a free throw during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Norman Powell looks to pass during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Bones Hyland shoots the ball as Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker defends during the first half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Clippers guard Norman Powell loses the ball while under pressure from Phoenix Suns center Bismack Biyombo, left, and guard Landry Shamet, right, during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul and Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr., left, collide during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant drives as Clippers guard Eric Gordon defends during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant gestures after a basket during the first half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue yells from the sideline during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook attempts a 3-point shot during the first half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns center Bismack Biyombo, right, fouls Clippers center Mason Plumlee during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. drives on Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams, left, looks toward the court as center Deandre Ayton walks to the bench during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook drives to the basket as the Phoenix Suns’ Cameron Payne defends during the first half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker handles the ball as Clippers guard Terance Mann defends during the first half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook looks to pass during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Eric Gordon drives as Phoenix Suns forward Torrey Craig defends during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, left, celebrates a basket with teammate Chris Paul during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr., right, talks with center Ivica Zubac during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Norman Powell shoots between Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton, right, and guard Chris Paul during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Norman Powell reacts during the first half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Clippers guard Terance Mann takes a 3-point shot during the first half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook loses the ball as Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul defends during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook motions to a teammate during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Norman Powell (24) tries to shoot while under pressure from Phoenix Suns center Bismack Biyombo, left, and forward Josh Okogie during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Norman Powell loses the ball while under pressure from Phoenix Suns center Bismack Biyombo, left, and guard Landry Shamet, right, during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Norman Powell, right, and Phoenix Suns center Bismack Biyombo chase down a loose ball during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant shoots during the first half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue gestures on the sidelines during the first half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Clippers guard Terance Mann attempts a 3-point shot as Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant defends during the first half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook handles the ball as Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker defends during the first quarter in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. Westbrook and the short-handed Clippers pushed the Suns again, but their season came to an end with a 136-130 loss. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook drives to the basket as the Phoenix Suns’ Damion Lee defends during the first half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns center Bismack Biyombo looks to referee Zach Zarba after a foul call during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Bones Hyland shoots the ball over the Phoenix Suns’ Damion Lee during the first half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant celebrates a basket during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers center Mason Plumlee passes the ball as Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton defends during the first half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Clippers guard Bones Hyland dribbles as the Phoenix Suns’ Damion Lee defends during the first half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker shoots as Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. defends during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul celebrates after making a 3-point shot during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker calls a play as he handles the ball during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker dunks in front of Clippers center Mason Plumlee (44), forward Nicolas Batum (33), and guard Norman Powell (24) during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. Booker had 47 points (25 in the third quarter) and 10 assists to lead the Suns to a 136-130 win that clinched the series. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker dunks in front of Clippers center Mason Plumlee (44), forward Nicolas Batum (33), and guard Norman Powell (24) during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. Booker had 47 points (25 in the third quarter) and 10 assists to lead the Suns to a 136-130 win that clinched the series. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker celebrates a basket during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns fans cheer during the second half of Game 5 of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, right, looks to pass as Clippers guard Terance Mann defends during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker shoots the ball as he is defended by Clippers center Mason Plumlee (44) during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul celebrates a basket during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
The Clippers’ bench looks toward Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul (3) after Paul made a basket during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers center Mason Plumlee drives to the basket during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, left, celebrates a basket in front of his bench during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker celebrates a basket during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers players, including injured Paul George, second from left, Russell Westbrook, center, and injured Kawhi Leonard, second from right, watch from the bench during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. The Clippers lost, 136-130, ending their season. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Norman Powell drives to the basket as Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton looks to shoot as Clippers center Ivica Zubac defends during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
The Clippers and the Phoenix Suns compete during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Terance Mann handles the ball as the Phoenix Suns’ Bismack Biyombo defends during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) high-fives teammate Eric Gordon, left, during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Clippers’ Norman Powell, right, celebrates in front of teammate Nicolas Batum after scoring during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant watches a free throw during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant is fouled by Clippers guard Eric Gordon during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant celebrates a basket during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant gestures after making a 3-point shot during the second half of Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook, left, greets Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker after Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook, left, visits with Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker after Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, right, greets Clippers guard Terance Mann after Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns fans reach toward Suns forward Kevin Durant after their Game 5 victory over the Clippers on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant leaves the court after their victory over the Clippers in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Clippers and the Phoenix Suns tip off to begin Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Sticks, stones, and four little letters with the power to break hearts and wreck dreams and spoil the best-laid plans.
The fifth-seeded Clippers mounted a wild, willful comeback on Tuesday night but finished just short, 136-130, against the fourth-seeded Phoenix Suns in Game 5 at the Footprint Center.
That wrapped up a valiant, undermanned effort in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round playoff series that was reminiscent of scrappy efforts of years past. It also ended probably the most frustrating season in Clippers’ history – leaving them 0-4 since Kawhi Leonard and Paul George joined the team.
The Clippers, you remember, raised hopes precariously on July 5, 2019, the night the news that All-Stars Leonard and George were teaming up in L.A. It turned a historically downtrodden franchise into something previously unimaginable: A bona fide championship contender. The odds-on favorite, in fact.
But for all the excitement surrounding that announcement – for all the hope – there remained a streak of hard-boiled trepidation running through a fan base conditioned by nearly 50 years of failure and discord: “There’s really no reason for Clippers fans to think this is going to work out the way it should,” longtime Clippers devotee Matt Johnson told me a couple of days after the deal got done, a prescient sentiment shared by other fans too.
Four years – a presidential term – in, and there’s been no joint NBA Finals appearance for Leonard (No. 2) and George (No. 13).
Four years, a whole high school career, and only one Western Conference finals appearance.
Four years, an entire Olympic cycle, that will be remembered for Leonard’s torn anterior cruciate ligament, for George’s sprained UCL in his elbow, for Leonard’s on-off routine in back-to-back sets of games, for George’s hamstring issues. …
Year 4 started with the greatest expectations yet, Leonard and George both professing to be healthy, ready to lead their deepest supporting cast so far.
It ended Tuesday night in the desert with Leonard, the five-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP, and George, an eight-time All-Star, on the bench, nursing a pair of right knee sprains, the billboards around L.A. also proving prescient: “One of a kind, but we’ve got two!”
It’s wrong, it is, to feel any sort of way but bummed about injuries – though not about the Clippers’ bedside manner, the organization’s unsteady drip-drip-drip of painful news. Just tell your long-suffering fans: Is the patient going to make it back soon or what? By season’s end, or not!?
It’s not wrong to lament what coulda been. This season, the Clippers were 24-14 when Leonard and George both played. They were 3-9 when neither did – and 0-3 in three hard-fought postseason games, following Leonard’s surprise scratch hours before Game 3.
Said Coach Tyronn Lue postgame: “The encouraging thing, with PG and Kawhi healthy, we haven’t lost a series yet.”
That left Russell Westbrook – in a plot twist no one could have seen coming to start the season, when he was still a Laker and the Clippers’ roster seemed impeccably set – sparking a short-handed Clippers contingent against a star-studded Suns squad that proved too much.
On Tuesday, the Clippers built a nine-point halftime lead, lost it and then clawed with all their might to save their season in the final few minutes, cutting a 20-point lead to 132-130 with 1:02 to play. They missed multiple chances to tie the score in the final three minutes.
So what now? How are the Clippers ever going to get over the hump?
Norman Powell, a champion with Leonard in Toronto, expects it will happen eventually – if the Clippers can stay healthy.
“In those teams when we (could finally) break through, we had a full healthy team,” he said. “We could figure out what happened this series, who do we need to bring in, what improvements we need to make. … This group, even before I got here, haven’t had that togetherness and health to make a deep run and see what happens.”
As it stands, Leonard and George, the Clippers’ reliably unreliable top-tier talents, are signed for at least another season, with player options for 2024-25 – when Intuit Dome opens in Inglewood. They’re owed $94 million apiece in that span.
It’s hard to imagine that trading either of their injury-prone stars now would return players of commensurate skill sets or abilities – save for the crucial one: availability.
But rebuilding? In a new building? Seems unlikely.
On Tuesday morning, before the Clippers’ final shootaround of the season, George said he thinks the 213 Era still has legs. He talked about the team’s future more like a marathon than a dash, the smooth-operating wing professing patience shared by few of the fans who let themselves hope four years ago, whether a lot or a little.
“I think I got a lot of good years in me,” George said. “I know Kawhi thinks he’s got a lot of good years in him. I mean, I’m not going to put any pressure on that anytime soon. The only thing I can do is continue to just work on my game, work on myself, and just try to be available as much as possible.”
Forgive Clippers fans if they don’t hold their breath, hoping.
As Johnson, who once penned a song about his Clipper fandom under the moniker Mattafact, rapped: “You think you got it bad / your team is making you sad / I’m a Clipper fan / sadness is all that I’ve ever had.”
Mirjam Swanson is a sports columnist for the Southern California News Group. For the previous four years, she covered the Clippers, the NBA and the L.A. Sparks. Before that, she wrote about LeBron James and the rest of the Dream Team at the 2004 Olympics (where, yes, they took bronze), Tiger Woods winning the U.S. Open on one leg, and also had a tour reporting on city government, education and the occasional bear in a backyard
