Without Kawhi Leonard, the three-point shot will have to be big for Los Angeles in this series
As of right now, Kawhi Leonard is not in Phoenix and is expected to be out for Game 2 on Tuesday night as he attends to a knee injury that has kept him out since Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Utah Jazz. Nothing has been said from the Clippers about the nature of the injury, but reports have surfaced that he is dealing with an unknown ACL sprain in his right knee.
Who knows when/if Kawhi will be able to return to action against the Suns in this series, but as of right now, the Clippers are preparing for each game like they will not have him. As a result, they have adjusted their game plan a bit over the last few games and have gone back to putting more emphasis on outside shots, something they found a lot of success with during the regular season.
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Over their last three games, including this one against the Suns, the Clippers are shooting 56-126, which is about 44.4%, from three-point range. They have now made 20+ three-pointers in back-to-back games now and are playing really well from the perimeter on offense.
Against a team like the Suns, who were one of the best defensive teams during the regular season, the three-point shot means a little bit extra in this series, especially since points may be hard to come by when Chris Paul returns to the court. Taking advantage of the three-point line and not being afraid of taking perimeter shots is going to be big for the Clippers In this series and could ultimately decide their fate, especially if Kawhi remains sidelined.
Not only will Paul George have to continue to step up and be the leader of this Clippers’ team, which he is more than capable of doing, but guys like Reggie Jackson, Terance Mann, Nic Batum and even Luke Kennard off-the-bench will have to step up and continue to knock down shots from the perimeter.
When Chris Paul returns, the Suns are going to be that much better defensively than they already are, which is why any extra production the Clippers can get from the perimeter will be vital. Game 2 of this series will tell us a lot about how the rest of this series could play out, but if the Clippers lose again, it is not the end of the world.
The Los Angeles Clippers became the first team in NBA history to win two different playoff series in the same postseason after trailing 0-2 in both of them, so they are more than capable of making it three series in a row if they lose Game 2 in Phoenix! Whatever the case may be, this is going to be a very exciting series and history will be made regardless of who advances to the NBA Finals this season in the Western Conference.
