Leave it to the Clippers to do the most "Clipper" thing possible.
In a series where nothing made sense, where the team that was supposed to win would lose, and the team that was supposed to lose would win, the Los Angeles Clippers forced a Game 7 only to get blown out at home, 104-91, to the Utah Jazz on Sunday at Staples Center.
Gordon Hayward scored 26 points for the Jazz who advance to the secound round against the Golden State Warriors.
"It was a fun atmosphere out there," said Hayward of playing in his first game 7. "You just want to make sure you leave it all out there because you never know when you'll get that chance again."
DeAndre Jordan had 24 and 17 rebounds for the Clippers, Chris Paul chipped in with 13 points and nine assists, and Jamal Crawford got hot late, scoring 20 points off the bench, but it wasn't enough.
"We were prepared, we had the right intentions, but we really didn't relax and breathe and play like we've been playing," said Crawford. "By the time we settled in and got back in to our game, it was too little too late."
Maybe it was the early start time, maybe Blake Griffin's injury final caught up to them, or any other bevy of excuse you can think of. Either way, the outcome is the same: the Clippers season is over after another underachieving playoff performance.
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
"Not having Blake obviously is a major wound," said head coach Doc Rivers after the loss. "When you take your best scorer, your second best rebounder, your second best passer off a team...but give Utah credit. They won the series."
Only the Clippers could follow up their grittiest and most impressive victory of the season with their ugliest game of the season.
L.A. had just 39 points at halftime, and more turnovers (8) than they had assists (7). The Clippers also were atrocious from beyond the arc, shooting 6-of-25 from the three-point-line.
The veteran-laden Clippers were the ones with more playoff experience, they were the ones with more Game 7 experience, they were the ones with the better player (Chris Paul), yet they were the team that looked like they were not ready to take the court on Sunday.
"It all came down to today to keep us afloat, keep us alive," added Paul. "The start don't mean nothing it's how you finish and once again, we're done."
The entire game was encompassed during a play in the middle of the third quarter. After an impressive defensive effort by Paul on the much bigger, Boris Diaw, the French forward appeared to have traveled, but it was not called. As the clock winded down, the Clippers forced a last second shot by Diaw who naturally drained the three-pointer and a foul was called on Paul Pierce on the shot.
Boris Diaw came to play in Game 7. #NBAPlayoffs
(via: @clippittv) pic.twitter.com/UtMxV75ytq— Basketball Society (@BBallSociety_) April 30, 2017
The Clippers never recovered, and the mistakes snowballed as L.A. said goodbye to Pierce amidst grunts and groans from fans. Even Jay Z and a very pregnant Beyonce who watched the game courtside, could barely watch the final few minutes of another first round playoff exit for the Clippers.
Jay Z and Beyonce checking their watch to see when they should leave this blowout. #Jazz #Clippers #Game7 (credit: AP Photo) pic.twitter.com/TjN2EwXDUC— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) April 30, 2017
The underdog Jazz survive and advance, with their second round series with the Warriors slated to start on Tuesday.
For the Clippers, the spotlight turns to the future as this could be the last time Lob City as we know it are on the same roster.
"We'll figure that out," said Rivers who is also the General Manager of the team. "We've been reading about our obituary for about three months now, so I'm sure everyone will have that."
Both Blake Griffin and Chris Paul can opt out of the final year of their contracts and become free agents, J.J. Redick is an unrestricted free agent, as are many of the role players on the Clippers bench.
"I haven't made a decision yet," Paul told NBC LA reporter Michael Duarte after the game. "Right now, I don't know, but I promise you guys [the media] will be the first to know when I do."
The Clippers could blow the whole thing up and rebuild, an idea called for by many critics. Doc Rivers likely won't stick around for that as he has stated publicly he wants to keep the "Big Three" together.
With the future in doubt, one thing is for certain, the "Clippers Curse" continues to rear it's ugly head, year after year, and this roster will definitely look drastically different next season.
