Despite blowing a 3-1 lead in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are still committed to playing in Los Angeles.
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00:00 When the LA Clippers brought in both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George last summer,
00:03 the idea was that they'd be around for the long run and create a team to at least one NBA title.
00:08 Now the first year their partnership obviously didn't go according to plan with LA losing in
00:11 the second round, but that hasn't changed their plans. According to Athletic's Shams Cherania,
00:16 despite blowing a 3-1 lead in this year's NBA playoffs, Leonard and George are still committed
00:20 to playing together in Los Angeles. Moreover, Cherania reports the team about the bubble
00:24 feeling dejected but optimistic about the coming season. Now obviously this is great news for
00:29 Clippers fans as Leonard and George are two of the best players in the league right now,
00:32 and while the duo definitely struggled in their Game 7 loss to the Denver Nuggets,
00:36 it's quite the stretch to say that both had a disappointing series.
00:39 Coming into Game 7, George was averaging 23.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists against
00:45 Nuggets and hitting a 43% clip from 3-point range. Leonard was equally impressive through Game 6,
00:50 posting averages 26 points, 9 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 2.3 steals, while shooting above
00:57 47% from the field. The two combined to score just 24 points in Game 7, but they weren't the
01:02 only players to have an off night. Marcus Morris and Lou Williams combined to shoot 520 from the
01:07 field. Ibiza's Zubats picked up three early fouls and played just 14 minutes, and Doc Rivers made
01:12 some more head-scratching decisions with his rotations. With that said, the pressure will
01:16 be on Leonard and George to carry the team to new heights in 2021, as well as the Clippers'
01:20 front office. Both could opt out of their current contracts and sign elsewhere after the season,
01:25 which would make this whole experiment a colossal failure. For now, though, LA needs to focus on
01:29 surrounding its two stars with more talent and making this a more cohesive group. If that doesn't
01:34 happen, the Clippers could be heading for another disappointing postseason.