Tyronn Lue Believes Clippers “Gotta Wake The Hell Up”
"This team gives me positive vibes. I have confidence. All we have to do is wake up."
Tyronn Lue, the coach of the Clippers, attempted to project optimism despite yet another disappointing loss by recalling a 35-game span in which his club went 28-7 and appeared to be as good as any NBA team. They still think of themselves as that squad at their heart in the Clippers locker room.
“All we need to do is lock in and concentrate; we’ll get there.”
“At times, I don’t think we’ve focused where we should have. Therefore, as a group, we simply need to lock in.”
Paul George
Is it truly as easy as concentrating? Could the Clippers simply turn on the light?
The Clippers haven’t played like a contender since the All-Star break; they are 8-9 with a -1.2 net rating and the 26th-best defense in the NBA. Not when they fell short against a struggling Hawks squad that didn’t have Trae Young and started Vit Krejci. Not when the Clippers held on to defeat Minnesota by one point after blowing sizable leads against the Lakers and Timberwolves.
That victory conveyed the impression that New Orleans would win a series between the two teams (even without James Harden)—not when they were defeated by a Pelicans club that they would probably face in the first round of the playoffs.
Was it merely attention? In a game that didn’t feel all that close, Philadelphia pulled away for a 121-107 victory on Sunday afternoon when the Clippers were at home against a 76ers club missing Joel Embiid, Kyle Lowry, and Nic Batum. It was garbage time for the last six minutes.
Lue remarked, “I mean, losing to a team like this is embarrassing.” “They have excellent players, and Nick Nurse is a fantastic coach, but they enter the game without Joel Embiid, and because you’re playing at home, you have to make the most of those kinds of opportunities. We are aware of how aggravating it might be to continuously provide the same thing while repeatedly get different results.”
The question “What happened to the Clippers?” Cannot have a simple, straightforward solution.
This week marks Russell Westbrook‘s comeback from hand surgery, which is a welcome addition to the team. They will miss his unwavering enthusiasm. His pace is something they lack as well. Even though the Clippers were never a fast team—they were in the bottom 10 in the league—they are now 24th in the league in terms of speed after the All-Star break (95.65 possessions per game). Their decrease in pace since the break is greater than three possessions per game.
The Clippers’ irregular decision-making, especially when under pressure, has become another jigsaw piece.
Despite the Clippers’ relentless pressure on Tyrese Maxey as he came off picks, Maxey moved the ball quickly, which allowed players like Kelly Oubre Jr. and Tobias Harris to score easy early baskets that put the 76ers up. Philly managed to handle that pressure on Sunday.
As Nick Nurse teams have for a long time, Philadelphia paid it forward by dominating Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, but the outcomes were different.
Despite their offensive shortcomings, the Clippers manage to score enough points to win; their defense needs improvement. The focus and effort are crucial there, and it’s where the positive habits formed over that 28-7 run appear to have vanished.
George returned the question to the other end of the court when he was asked if he was worried about the Clippers’ performance at home.
“Only concerning our playing style overall. We just need to play better defense,” George remarked.
Although they have moved past it, the Clippers demonstrated for a few months that they knew what to do. With the playoffs starting in a few weeks, the question now is whether they can “wake the hell up” and get things done.
