Chris Bosh Details Real Reasons Behind Kawhi Leonard and LA Clippers Collapse in NBA Playoffs

Published 10/18/2020, 7:59 AM EDT

The LA Clippers are coming off a disappointing performance in the NBA bubble. They were knocked out by the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Bubble. Players like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are facing criticism for not playing to their superstar level.

What is more painful for the Clippers is that the Lakers, their ultimate rivals, performed much better than them in the Playoffs, winning the NBA Championship. At the start of the season, a clash between the two teams was much anticipated. The Lakers and the Clippers were both favorites to emerge from the Western Conference.

Doc Rivers is now with the Philadelphia 76ers following the Clippers’ collapse. The Clippers and Rivers have mutually parted ways after the season was over. Reports throughout the entire season about dissension amongst the Clippers organization illustrate their problems.

Article continues below this ad

This next season, the Clippers will look to go again. With assistant coach Tyronn Lue promoted to head coach, the team wants to redeem themselves. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George want to prove to the world that it wasn’t a mistake for them to play together. Moreover, the entire Clippers organization is desperate to usurp the Lakers and become the dominant team in the West.

Chris Bosh Believes LA Clippers Were Complacent

Article continues below this ad

Two-time NBA champion Chris Bosh joined Shannon Sharpe on his ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast. When discussing the Clippers’ collapse, Bosh spoke on the team’s challenges.

“I think it’s motivation. You can get to a complacent place as a team. It’s not easy, and with those guys, they had to have the gap in between shutting down the season and the bubble.

“I think that took them out of their rhythm. And it’s a hard lesson learned. Hopefully, those guys can learn from what transpired. All in all, they still have the talent and they can be a championship contender. It will be harder next year because you have guys like Golden State, who have guys like the Splash Brothers (Steph Curry and Klay Thompson) and Draymond (Green) rested up and a high draft pick.

Article continues below this ad

“We’ll see how that goes, but I think they didn’t play with much urgency, the edge that they needed to put Denver away and sustain their great play.”

Chris Bosh is a two-time NBA Champion, with the Miami Heat. He, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James formed the Big Three and dominated the East for four years. Having experienced failure while being championship favorites is not new to Bosh. The Miami Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 Finals, when they had a much more talented squad.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Aaditya Krishnamurthy is an NBA & NFL journalist for EssentiallySports, before which he worked at BusinessWorld magazine. He has been a fan of Basketball for over 10 years now, since Shaquille O’Neal was a Phoenix Suns player. During his time at Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, he started a sports magazine for the college called the Overtime Tribune and hosted the Overtime Tribune Podcast until he graduated.

Chris Bosh Details Real Reasons Behind Kawhi Leonard and LA Clippers Collapse in NBA Playoffs

Chris Bosh Believes LA Clippers Were Complacent

Trending

Shaq Makes Big Claim That Can End LeBron James’ Future With Lakers After Nuggets Series

Possible Shohei Ohtani Ban From MLB Has Shaq Questioning $700 Million Contract

Is Dawn Staley Married? Details on South Carolina Coach’s Love Life and Special Bond With Lisa Boyer

Why Is Gabbie Marshall Not Invited to the 2024 WNBA Draft Despite Graduating From Iowa?

Dwyane Wade’s Competitive Daughter Wouldn’t Let Mom, Gabrielle Union, End the Day Peacefully