With five wins in a row, the Clippers have found their balance

Without making any noise, the Clippers are in good shape. They even share with the Celtics the best current series in the league, with five victories in a row. If we go back a little, we can even add that they have 9 victories in 13 matches. We then understand why they are in fifth place in the Western Conference.

All this while relying on a mentality established before the start of the season: Kawhi Leonard absent, Paul George gone, it was the collective and the defense which would speak first and become the main weapons of this team.

“It’s always hard when you lose your best player, we know that. Arriving at training camp, and knowing that Kawhi Leonard would be absent at the start of the season, we knew what the team was going to look like,” recalls Tyronn Lue. “And after five or six matches, we understood how the group was going to work, what style we were going to adopt, who suited who. And it works for us. »

The Californian coach's major five has only seen one significant change: Terance Mann has given way to Kris Dunn. And for five matches, with the latest example in Philadelphia, it has worked very well with five victories and an iron defense: only 96.8 points on average conceded.

The rotations are known, but not the hero of the evening

“NBA players are habit monsters. We like to know where we are going,” supports Mo Bamba, who is slowly starting to take his place off the bench and has still not experienced defeat (five wins). “It’s nice when that’s the case, when you know how long you’re going to play. »

Tyronn Lue's rotations are therefore known to the players and, given the results, we can say that the Clippers have found their balance for three weeks. A balance where each element can have its moment of glory.

“We know who we are” summarizes James Harden, second best scorer on his team behind Norman Powell. “Knowing that, and to give ourselves a chance, we are aware that we have to do it night after night. And that's what's exciting. We are happy to do it for each other. Each player can shine in any match. No one will have a bad time, everyone will be happy. Everything won't be perfect but, even in case of defeat, we remain happy for each other. Most of the time, good things will happen. »

This is the case right now and the Clippers can only dream of one last thing: that Kawhi Leonard comes back quickly and takes this group to the next level. “We were able to put a team together. We know who is going to play night after night. But it’s clear that we need him”concludes Tyronn Lue.