"We’d beat the s--t out of them" - Marcus Morris claims LA Clippers wouldn't have blown 3-1 lead against Denver Nuggets if not for the NBA bubble
When the LA Clippers blew a 3-1 lead in the 2020 NBA playoffs, despite having Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the basketball world took notice. But the collapse largely hasn't stuck because of the nature of the bubble season.
Biggest Game 7 NBA Upsets in the Last 20 Years:
+7.5: Nuggets (2020 vs. LAC)
+7.5: Clippers (2012 vs. MEM)
+7: Bulls (2013 vs. Nets)
+6.5: Hawks (2021 vs. PHI) 💰
Atlanta is off to the Conference Finals! https://t.co/m7R2uBMJSD
After being up 3-1 in the Western Conference semifinals, the Clippers blew large leads to lose the series in seven games. In an interview with ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, Reggie Jackson said this about the bubble:
"Off the court was damn near hell." (h/t) ESPN
On Serge Ibaka's "How Hungry are You?" George opened up about his depression in the bubble and what he went through:
"For one, I wasn't sleeping. I don't know what it was. ... No lie, I probably went a good week-and-a-half to two weeks of zero sleep, zero sleep. No lie."
In an interview with Youngmisuk, Marcus Morris Sr. of the Clippers shared his thoughts about the series loss:
"We only lost that s--- because we were in the bubble. (If) we weren't in the bubble, we'd beat the s--- out of them. Put that on the record. ... Guys are out of their comfort zone. Kudos to Denver."
Marcus Morris on Clippers blowing 3-1 lead to Nuggets in 2020 playoffs
“We only lost that s--- because we were in the bubble. [If] we weren’t in the bubble, we’d beat the s--- out of them. Put that on the record." ahnfiredigital.com/nba/los-angele…
LA Clippers' and the NBA playoffs
The LA Clippers have had some terrible playoff runs, going back to the Lob City era (2012-17 playoffs) with griffin" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.
Clippers playoffs since 2014:
2014 — Controversial G5 vs OKC
2015 — Blew 3-1 lead to Rockets
2016 — Chris Paul broken hand
2017 — Blake Griffin toe injury
2019 — "I promised we tried"
2020 — Blew 3-1 lead to Nuggets
2021 — Kawhi knee injury
Is this franchise cursed? https://t.co/508hOsBdtp
The Clippers have never reached the NBA Finals. They have blown 3-1 leads twice since the 2012 playoffs, suffered some bad luck with injuries and haven't gotten past the Western Conference finals.The franchise's only Western Conference finals appearance came last year. They lost to the Phoenix Suns in six games after the series was tied at 2-2.
The franchise has been subpar for a very long time now. Before the Lob City era, the Clippers had only made the playoffs eight times in 42 years. The Donald Sterling fiasco during the 2014 playoffs only made things worse for the reputation of the franchise.
On "The Old Man & The Three" podcast, Blake Griffin talked about what he thought of the Clippers teams in 2014 and 2015:
"I think our best chance was ... I thought we had a chance in 2014 playoffs, '14 and '15 playoffs (reaching the Western Conference semifinals both seasons)."
Griffin also alluded to his and Chris Paul's rivalry:
"(20)15 was just a complete mental breakdown. ... Pettiness didn't lose those seasons for us. ... So those two years (2014 and 2015) were the years we really could've won. Before that, we weren't ready. We didn't have the right team."
The Clippers are 36-37 this season, with Kawhi Leonard having missed the entire season and Paul George only playing 26 games. As they appear headed to the play-in tournament, they go against the Denver Nuggets (42-30) on Tuesday night.