"Lakers screwed the Clippers" - Draymond Green says LeBron James and Stephen Curry destroyed the LA Clippers’ title hopes
The LA Clippers and the Phoenix Suns will play Game 4 on Saturday. It will be their fourth game over the last seven days, the most by two teams in the 2023 NBA playoffs.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green had this to say about why the scheduling has doomed the Clippers’ chances this postseason:
(20:10 mark)
"What this series look like is ultimately boiling down to this: the Lakers screwed the Clippers. How? … Because the Lakers getting in [the playoffs], LeBron James is in. LeBron James is always going to be marquee game. Steph Curry is always going to be a marquee game.
"So in turn, the Clippers end up playing every other game and you got Kawhi Leonard playing 40 minutes. I saw Kawhi play 40 mins and Ty Lue said, ‘This is what we’ve been preparing for.’ … And then he’s out for Game 3.
"If there’s two days in between, it’s totally different. All of that stuff is based on TV schedule. TV slots matter. ... It’s been tough, changes everything, changes the series.
The LA Clippers and Phoenix Suns opened their series on Apr. 16 while the LA Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies started theirs the next day. Game 4 for the Clippers-Suns will be on Saturday while the Lakers-Grizzlies will square off for Game 3 on the same date.
Leonard played 42 minutes in Game 1 when he sprained his right knee and followed it up with 38 in Game 2. He was able to play through the injury, but the knee just got worse for Game 3.
“The Claw” was arguably the best player in the first two games of the series. Without him, the LA Clippers, behind Russell Westbrook and Normal Powell, gave the Phoenix Suns a scrappy fight but couldn’t win. The Clippers could return to Phoenix staring at a possible elimination.
The LA Clippers and Phoenix Suns will finally get a two-day break after Game 4. By then, the Clippers might be in too big of a hole to win the series.
LeBron James complained about the NBA’s scheduling during a crucial regular-season game against the LA Clippers
On Apr. 6, the LA Lakers were set to play the second night of a back-to-back against the LA Clippers. LeBron James and his teammates won the previous night in overtime against the Utah Jazz and weren’t thrilled to take on the Clippers on short rest.
The Lakers desperately cleared James and Anthony Davis to play the second night in consecutive games.
“King James” played the worst half of his 20-year NBA career when he tallied just three points. He ultimately finished with 33, but still couldn’t drag his team to a crucial win over their rivals.
LeBron James had this to say about the game:
“It was one of those scheduling conflicts. It definitely got the best of us tonight.
LeBron James: "This is one of those scheduling conflicts in the season. Definitely got the best of it tonight."
https://t.co/YWR4NmKfJv
Fortunately for them, the playoffs are a different matter. The NBA has made sure they get prime TV slots with just enough rest in between games. The LA Clippers, on the other hand, couldn’t get the same treatment.