Clippers-Suns Storylines To Watch
The 82-game regular season is a wrap, and playoff opponents are locked in. For some NBA teams, it means an early off-season. For others, a championship is the only thing on their minds these days.
If you’re a team in the Western Conference where the race for the number six seed became as tight as it could get, avoiding the need to play in the play-in tournament became a priority- especially for an injury-plagued team such as the Los Angeles Clippers.
And when you’re playing against a loaded squad such as the Phoenix Suns in a best-of-seven first-round series, you’ll need every healthy body available.
Unfortunately, the Clippers will be without Paul George to kick things off. PG13 sustained a sprained knee after hyperextending it in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. While George’s injury is rightly taking centre stage at the moment, it’s far from the only storyline to watch in the Clippers-Suns series.
Westbrook-Durant Rivalry
If anything, the series between the Suns and the Clippers will feature fireworks as it will pit Kevin Durant against Russell Westbrook. Whenever these two former OKC Thunder teammates face each other on the floor, there’s a healthy dose of gamesmanship going on at both ends of the court.
Westbrook joined the Clippers after being waived by the Utah Jazz, who acquired the former league MVP from the Los Angeles Lakers. In 21 starts for the Clippers, Westbrook averaged 15.8 points, 7.6 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 48.9% three-point shooting in 30.2 minutes per game.
In the Clippers’ final game of the regular season, ironically against Phoenix, Westbrook finished with 25 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, one steal, and shot 50% from three. Expect number zero to remain a large factor for the Clippers in the first round, especially with the uncertainties surrounding George’s injury.
Much like his former running mate in Oklahoma, Kevin Durant joins his new team after a dramatic stint in Brooklyn. Even though he only played eight regular-season games for Phoenix, the Suns went 8-0 in those games. Durant averaged 26 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 blocks, and shot 53.7% from 3 during that small sample size.
Interestingly, this is the first time Westbrook and Durant will face each in the playoffs. The all-time head-to-head battle currently stands at 6-5 in favour of Westbrook. A fact that Durant won’t admit publicly, but is likely keenly aware of.
Will Phoenix’s Big Three Co-Exist in the Playoffs?
The fact that Durant only logged eight games for Phoenix since switching addresses begs the question: how will the Suns’ Big Three co-exist in the playoffs?
In three of those games, Chris Paul had ten assists or more. CP3 averaged 13.9 points, 7.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 40.% three-point shooting in 33.1 minutes.
Devin Booker, meanwhile, averaged 28.5 points, 6.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds, on 49.4% field goal shooting. If anything, Durant’s arrival means Booker doesn’t need to carry as much of an offensive load. Especially if Paul’s injury history rears its ugly head once more. If the trio can work together, the Suns will have a deep playoff this spring.
The Clippers’ Injury Woes
One final storyline to keep an eye on in the Suns-Clippers series is the Clippers’ injury problems beyond the aforementioned PG13.
In addition to George, Marcus Morris Sr. is listed as out for the series opener due to back problems. Then of course there’s Kawhi Leonard’s ability to stay healthy, which is never a guarantee. Leonard missed 26 games already this season due to injuries, and with the intensity of the playoffs being ratcheted up several notches, bodies will be taking additional punishment in the coming weeks.
If PG13’s absence extends beyond the first two games of the Phoenix series, the Clippers may not make it beyond the first round. And if the free spending Clippers bow out early, could the front office look to blow things up in the offseason?
Game 1 tips off Sunday at 8pm ET.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: Kevin Dooley. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.