Richard Jefferson: LA Clippers Went 'Full Chernobyl' in NBA Playoffs
Just over a month has passed since the LA Clippers were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs, although we'd be lying if we said it wasn't still fresh in our heads.
To say the Clippers suffered a meltdown is an understatement. LA held double-digit leads in Games 5, 6 and 7 but never managed to put the Denver Nuggets away.
The Clippers have taken their fair share of jabs since then, but ESPN analyst and former NBA player Richard Jefferson threw one more at them on a recent episode of The Jump, comparing their meltdown to the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.
"As the series got closer, the Clippers really struggled. And, you know, when they go back to the Lakers to that must-win, they've seen so many 3-1s and so many other stuff that you want to get a stranglehold of this series as quickly as possible. And the Clippers had that against Denver and just couldn't closeout. But that's not the worst part. The worst part of this was the fourth quarter of Game 7 when they went full Chernobyl. They went full meltdown, there was nothing left... We had not seen a meltdown like that since Chernobyl."
It's a harsh take, but there's certainly some truth to it. That one series has already resulted in some change within the franchise, and there's still plenty to come.
Doc Rivers departed the organization amid the aftermath, and the Clippers still have to deal with the NBA Draft and free agency before the team can take the floor for the 2021 season.
Until then, fans will be left with difficult reminders of what could've been had LA managed to finish off the Nuggets earlier in the series.
