LOS ANGELES (AP) — It's playoff time in the NBA, and the Los Angeles Clippers have four Hall of Fame candidates on their roster. However, only three of them will be healthy heading into the first round against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
Kawhi Leonard has been dealing with “very stubborn inflammation” in his right knee, which the team says has been surgically repaired. He has not participated in contact practice and has not played since March 31st.
“I think he's going to be with us at some point,” teammate Paul George said Saturday. “Kawhi wants to be a part of this as much as anyone.”
But that seems unlikely for Sunday's first leg.
Coach Tyronn Lue has named a replacement starter in case Leonard is absent, but declined to say who.
“The players are ready,” Lue said. “This is what you play for, to get to this moment to have a chance to play in a championship. It's everyone's responsibility to produce.”
Last year, George suffered an injury that caused him to miss the final nine games of the regular season and the playoffs. The Clippers failed to make it past the first round, losing to Phoenix in five games.
“We were just lucky to be healthy,” George said.
They are now facing Dallas for the third time in the last five years. The Clippers defeated Dallas in six games played in the bubble in 2020 and won Game 7 at home in 2021.
According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the fifth-seeded Mavs are favorites by 2.5 points after Game 1.
The Mavs have Hall of Fame candidates in Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
“They're going to score the basketball,” Clippers guard James Harden said.
The Clippers have taken two of three games from Dallas this season.
“We always knew we had enough power to win regardless of who was in or out. This is a very talented group,” George said. “I think we’re OK in terms of somehow maintaining that.”
The Mavs are 25-16 on the road this season, winning 16 of their last 20 games to finish the regular season. The fourth-seeded Clippers went 4-4 in their last eight games without Leonard, including wins over playoff teams Cleveland (by 26 points), Denver and Phoenix.
“It was huge to get these wins,” Luu said. “It's been difficult to win without Kawhi.”
kylie deja vu
Irving is in a similar situation to the last time he was part of a deep playoff run with LeBron James and Cleveland in 2016 and 2017. The Cavaliers faced Golden State in every NBA Finals, winning the title in 2016, but losing in the rematch.
Irving said he and James learned how to give each other time to take over the game and how to challenge each other without playing loud matches.
“Me and Luka are doing the same thing here,” Irving said of his Slovenian teammate. “When I have someone to challenge me to, I can look at Luka and say, 'Come on, step it up a little bit.' Or he'll say, 'Come on, Kai,' and say something in his language, You can also say or do something. Even if it's just a moment of encouragement or celebration, just making someone feel positive can go a long way. ”
Rookie center status
The biggest question regarding Dallas' health pales in comparison to Leonard's. But it's still important to the Mavs.
Rookie center Derek Lively II missed the final eight games of the regular season with a right knee sprain. He practiced all week, but coach Jason Kidd remained vague about his availability.
Lively made an immediate impact as a first-round pick out of Duke University and is now part of a two-center rotation following a midseason trade for Daniel Gafford. He plays in a similar style as a dunker and rim protector.
“Everything is moving in the right direction,” Kidd said.
increase speed
Kidd believes pace is one of the reasons the Mavs have improved since last season. Dallas was the third-slowest team in 2022-23 and wasn't much better than that after the Irving trade. This season, pace was emphasized from the beginning, and Dallas finished in seventh place. The Clippers were paced in the bottom third of the league both seasons.
“Talking about the playoffs tends to slow things down,” Kidd said. “For us, we don't want to slow down. We've got to continue to play at that pace. Utilize and understand our depth and use it to our advantage.”
