The Los Angeles Clippers find themselves in a tough spot, as they are down 3-1 against the Golden State Warriors in the opening round of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Playoffs.
Game one of the series ended with a historical performance from the Warriors’ point guard. Stephen Curry broke Hall of Famer Ray Allen’s record for three-pointers made in the playoffs.
Curry’s 396 three pointers (and counting) surpasses Allen’s previous record of 385.
However, most of the attention was turned to the Clippers’ point guard Patrick Beverley and his defense against Warriors’ small forward Kevin Durant. The aggressiveness between the two stars eventually led both players to be ejected from the game.
The Clippers dropped the opening game, 121-104 and looked to regroup in game two.
After a historical Game 1 from Stephen Curry, the Clippers decided to answer with an even more historical night.
Early in the first quarter, Warriors’ center Demarcus Cousins came down with a playoff ending quad injury. As if things could not get any worse for Golden State, the Clippers accomplished the biggest comeback in playoff history.
After trailing by 31 points in the third quarter, the Clippers outscored and stunned the Warriors 72-37 to win, 135-131 and tie the series 1-1.
According to ESPN, the Clippers had a .01% win probability in the third quarter. The Clippers held Durant to only eight field goals attempted and the dynamic bench duo of Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell combining with 66 points off the bench.
The storyline prior to game three was how Warriors would respond to a historical loss.
Unfortunately for the Clippers, they were unable to stop Durant as he scored 27 points in the first half. Williams and Harrell were held under 20 points each as Golden State blew them out, 132-105.
Looking to tie the series, “the Clip’ Show” began this game four with an aggressive defensive mentality. The Clippers’ defense held Curry to only 12 points, for his lowest scoring game of the series.
The Warriors had another weapon on their hands, as their guard Klay Thompson stepped up for his team and erupted for 32 points, his highest scoring game of the series.
Unfortunately for L.A, Williams and Harrell were shut down by the Warriors as the duo only combined for 22 points.
The Clippers lost game four, 113-105 and they are one game away from elimination.
The Warriors are more than capable of holding on to their lead, but history has not been on their side. In the 2016 NBA Finals, the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Despite being down 3-1, Clippers showed in game two that they will not give up and continue to battle to till the end.
The Warriors look to finish off the series, while the Clippers attempt to keep their season alive, as the two teams battle in game five of the series on Wednesday at Oracle Arena.
