It’s the moment the Los Angeles Clippers fans were awaiting. Their team looks to have shaped itself well after a series of wild trades over the past seasons. Tonight was arguably one of their best showings. They dismantled and left the Timberwolves beaten up. This was one of the best teams in the conference that they mauled, with Kawhi Leonard leading the pack.

And it comes down to their intentions. With Ty Lue as the head coach, even the early-season suffering didn’t change the objective. The Clippers, forced by their draft transactions and desperation, are looking forward to making it to the postseason.

“Yeah, I mean we’ve always been trying to contend for a spot. Um, so you know we still got ways to go. A lot of games and we’re going to keep working hard and trying to get better every night,” Kawhi Leonard said about the Clippers’ aim this season.

It didn’t seem possible at one point. Fans were dreading that the Clippers’ downfall would result in the Thunder landing a lottery pick. But that’s become an afterthought. It’s been replaced by the notion that the Clippers aren’t an easy matchup at all. Their clinical display against the Minnesota Timberwolves proved this team can’t be counted out.

Kawhi Leonard expertly sliced through one of the top-ranked defenses in the NBA. He scored 45, missing just five of his 20 shots. And as a group, the Clippers have a dynamic roster. In simple words, they can guard just as well as they can score. They look unrecognizable from the time the season started in October.

The quick turnaround has been nothing short of remarkable. And tonight, the Clippers did something no team has done before.

The Clippers prove it’s never too late

After 27 regular-season games, the Clippers had won just six games. They were the 14 seed in the West at their lowest. But since Kawhi Leonard’s been healthy and available, their fortunes have changed.  The Clippers are officially one game over .500 for the first time this season.

The march from almost being at rock bottom to having a realistic chance at making the playoffs in itself is absurd. But there’s some historical significance to what the team has managed to do this year.

According to Marc J Spears, “The Clippers (33-32) are the only team in NBA history to move above .500 after falling at least 15 games below .500 in the same season”.

They’ve achieved this while the team has dealt with every fiasco possible. They got a bad rep for dealing with Chris Paul’s retirement season. James Harden left at the trade deadline, forcing the Clippers to change their entire system. Yet, in this short amount of time, you must have realised that the culmination of these events is the reason the Clippers look so lethal.

As they get healthy, everything just fell into place. Kawhi Leonard is having the season of his life. Since Zubac left, Brook Lopez’s floor spacing has unlocked a new dimension for the Clippers offense. And now, Darius Garland is beginning to find his footing with the Clippers as well.

Since falling to 7-21, the Clippers have lost fewer games than the Oklahoma City Thunder. Only the Spurs and Celtics have managed to win more games than them. That’s the indication of the Clippers being a top-level team. The standings won’t showcase these numbers.

Without a question, the Clippers are a threat. The roster has fallen behind Kawhi Leonard. With his leadership on the floor, there are seldom nights when the team falls short of effort. They follow their best player’s lead, who understands basketball with simplicity. Players need to know how to play on both ends of the floor.

Well, the Clippers are doing just that. So don’t be surprised if they just happen to make an improbable postseason run after making history.