LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – JULY 30: Danny Green #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Danny Green had some harsh words for the Los Angeles Clippers
While he was a frequent target for the ire of Laker Nation for his poor start to the 2020 NBA Finals, Los Angeles Lakers guard Danny Green came alive in Games 5 and 6 to help LeBron James take home his fourth championship ring. That ring stung the Los Angeles Clippers more than any other Laker title, as the conference favorites had to stomach a second-round exit.
Green thinks that the Clippers getting ahead of themselves and being so brazen in declaring themselves the class of the West ultimately did them in, claiming that not playing the game “the right way” will cause the basketball gods to “humble” you.
The Clippers choked away several postseason leads
The Clippers had a lead in Game 5 of their series against Denver Nuggets, who trailed three games to one, but they allowed that lead to slip through their grasp in a comical fashion. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George held a lead in all three of those potential closeout games, and they lost those leads in all three. The Clippers were a loud and braggadocious bunch that were quick to start yapping whenever they pulled out a dominant win or the Lakers slipped up, but their postseason stumble flipped the script instantly.
LA started the offseason by firing Doc Rivers and inserting Ty Lue in his place. While they have some heavy lifting to do as it pertains to filling out their bench, this is at least a step in the right direction if they want to avoid another embarrassing exit.
Steve Ballmer set his team up with the express purpose of beating the Lakers, but their own pride and struggles to put the Nuggets away ended in their untimely downfall. Hopefully, they learn from this.