![]() It’s perhaps even more frustrating that an injured superstar might be what puts the final nail in LA’s coffin once again. It’s hard to not be frustrated with how the Clippers’ 2022-23 campaign played out. It might not end up mattering, but the Clippers’ accelerated schedule could really cost them as they await a potential mid-series return from George.Ĭlippers fans will be happy to be reminded, after a year away from the playoffs, that local broadcasts continue to carry games through the first round of the NBA Playoffs, meaning that in-market viewers can still catch Brien Sieman and company a few more times this year. The Suns-Clippers series is the only Western Conference first round series without an extra day off during the first four games (Grizzlies-Lakers and Kings-Warriors both have 2 extra days off during games 1-4), and their game 4 will tip off 7 hours before the Lakers’ game 3. What’s that old saying about insult and injury? As if heading into the playoffs without Paul George wasn’t bad enough, the NBA’s schedulemakers went as far as they could to exacerbate the issue by making them play as many games as quickly as possible. Game 7: Saturday, 4/29 – Time TBD – National TV TBD and Bally Sports SoCal Game 6: Thursday, 4/27 – Time TBD – National TV TBD and Bally Sports SoCal Game 5: Tuesday, 4/25 – Time TBD – National TV TBD and Bally Sports SoCal Game 4: Saturday, 4/22 – 12:30pm PT – TNT and Bally Sports SoCal Game 3: Thursday, 4/20 – 7:30pm PT – NBATV and Bally Sports SoCal Game 2: Tuesday, 4/18 – 7:00pm PT – TNT and Bally Sports SoCal ![]() Game 1: Sunday, 4/16 – 5:00pm PT – TNT and Bally Sports SoCal ![]() This year, despite their best caution, an unfortunate late-season knee injury to Paul George has once again left the Clippers facing an uphill playoff battle. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were chronically hurt during the Lob City era’s playoff runs, with the team losing in the first round in back-to-back years in 2016 (without both stars) and 2017 (without Griffin). Their 2021 Western Conference Finals run, the best in franchise history, saw Kawhi Leonard tear his ACL, forcing the team to play, and be eliminated, without their best player. I already noted that they didn’t get to play in the 2022 playoffs despite achieving a top-8 finish due to having their stars unavailable in the play-in tournament. The franchise saw just six postseason appearances in its first 41 seasons, spanning time as the Buffalo Braves, San Diego Clippers, and LA Clippers (technically, with the innovation of the play-in tournament, they’ve made the postseason 11 of the last 12 years).Įven as the Clippers have entered their playoff era after decades at the bottom of the NBA standings, misfortunes have haunted them. Two losses in the double-elimination Play-In Tournament in 2022, both without Kawhi Leonard and the latter without Paul George, led to a rare first round without the Clippers, who will appear in the playoffs for the 10th time in the last 12 years when their series against the Suns tips off Sunday evening. Two years after their elimination in the 2021 Western Conference Finals, the LA Clippers have made their way back to the NBA Playoffs.
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