Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
L.A. Clippers 2019 In Review
The Clippers started off 2019 as a scrappy underdog hoping to simply make the playoffs. They end the year as a juggernaut with designs on capturing their first title in franchise history.
Here are 10 moments that defined a year of transformation for the L.A. Clippers.
Feb. 5: The Clippers trade Tobias Harris to Philadelphia
Harris was the team's highest-profile player to that point and had won Western Conference Player of the Month for October/November. That day, he hit a game-winner in Charlotte as the Clippers came back from a double-digit deficit, and he was traded at night while watching a Ted Bundy true crime documentary on Netflix.
The full terms of the trade were Harris, Boban Marjanovic, and Mike Scott to the 76ers for Landry Shamet, Mike Muscala, Wilson Chandler, Philly's 2020 first-rounder, Miami's 2021 first-rounder, and two second-round picks.
The Clippers had been a feel-good story in the NBA, but this move telegraphed their intentions for 2019 and beyond. They were already the prominent suitor for Kawhi Leonard, and clearing Harris from their cap sheet indicated that they wanted to pair him with another superstar in the offseason.
Feb 9: Landry Shamet sparks a 28-point comeback in Boston
The Harris trade seemed to suggest that the Clippers were content to not make the playoffs in 2019 given all the future assets they had acquired at the trade deadline. Two smaller moves to acquire Garrett Temple, JaMychal Green, and Ivica Zubac slightly complicated that calculus, but the Clippers were still thought to be a worse team after the trade deadline than before.
Their first game together with the new roster quickly dispelled those notions.
After falling behind by 28 points to the Boston Celtics on the road, the Clippers executed the biggest comeback in franchise history, breaking a record set one week earlier. Shamet hit four fourth-quarter 3-pointers, Zubac and Temple each chipped in double-digit points, and the Clippers announced to the rest of the league that were still a team to be reckoned with.
Shamet came off the bench in this game and showed enough to earn a starting role the rest of the way in his rookie season.
Mar. 17: Lou Williams hits his first career buzzer-beater to beat the Nets
The Clippers were on a hot streak after the trade deadline, and were in the midst of winning 11 of 12 games. Perhaps the most exciting win of that stretch came on a Sunday at home against Brooklyn. The team wasn't at its best that day, needing to claw back from a 19-point deficit before conceding a 12-point lead in the first quarter. It was sloppy, but nervy and entertaining all at once.
With the game tied and the Clippers needing a score to avoid overtime, the ball found its way into Lou Williams' hands. He went left and drained a 28-footer from the top of the key for the first true buzzer-beater of his NBA career. He had hit game-winners before, including one against Milwaukee earlier in the year that left just a few tenths on the clock, but this shot went through the net with all zeros.
Williams was phenomenal for the Clippers all year, and took an additional scoring load after Harris was moved. This was the signature moment that defined his third Sixth Man of the Year campaign, and likely the loudest celebration at Staples Center all season.
Apr. 15: The Clippers erase a 31-point deficit to beat the Warriors at Oracle Arena in Game 2
No one really gave the Clippers a puncher's chance in the 2019 postseason, not against the two-time defending champs. Game 1 was a relatively easy win for the Warriors, and they were firmly in control of Game 2, up 31 in the third quarter.
Then the Clippers found their comeback mojo.
The Clippers not only recovered from a 31-point deficit, but they out-executed Golden State in crunch time, capped off by two rookies making the play of the game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assisted to Shamet for the game-winning 3-pointer as the Clippers headed back to Los Angeles tied in the series.
The victory didn't fundamentally change the series, as the Warriors still won in six, but it was a resume boost for the Clippers during the offseason. This was their pitch to superstar free agents: Look what we can do without any All-Stars. Imagine how good we can be with one, or even two.
Apr. 29: Trent Redden turns down Pelicans job after Michael Winger rejects Wolves offer
The Clippers front office became the envy of others in the league under the stewardship of Lawrence Frank last season. The team had some of the sharpest minds in the NBA all under one roof in Frank, Michael Winger, Mark Hughes, Trent Redden, and of course, Jerry West.
At the end of the regular season, it appeared that some of the team's talent would be poached. The Timberwolves offered Winger the job of President of Basketball Operation and the Pelicans reached out to Redden to become their new General Manager. Both roles would have been promotions, and yet both executives chose to stay in Los Angeles.
Clearly, there was belief that the Clippers were doing something special and those in the front office wanted to stick around. This was also a sign that Steve Ballmer was willing to pay what it took to keep his best people in Los Angeles. Long the laughingstock of the league, the Clippers were projecting real organizational strength.
May 31: Doc Rivers is fined for tampering with Kawhi Leonard
While on an NBA Finals pre-show, Doc Rivers compared Leonard to Michael Jordan, saying the then-Raptor was the closest the league had seen to Jordan since his retirement.
Because Rivers spoke about a player on another team, even though it was in the context of discussing the Finals while part of a broadcast from one of the league's partners, Rivers was fined for his comments. In addition to being a rather silly application of the NBA's rules, the fined served to suggest that the Clippers were a true threat to acquire Leonard in free agency. That premonition proved accurate.
July 1: The Clippers re-sign Patrick Beverley and acquire Moe Harkless in a four-team trade
While the league waited for Leonard to make his decision in free agency, the Clippers completed some other very important business. They re-signed the heart and soul of their team in Patrick Beverley to shore up their point guard position.
They also used some of their extra cap space to participate in the Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade to Miami, earning a first-round pick from the Heat for the burden of taking on the final year of Moe Harkless' contract. Suffice to say, it has been a privilege for the Clippers to have Harkless this season, and the extra draft pick came in handy a few days later.
The Clippers continued to build the deepest roster of any contender in the league even as they retained space for Leonard and benefited from smart cap maintenance to add Harkless to their team.
July 5: Kawhi Leonard signs with the Clippers, and the team trades for Paul George
There isn't much else to say about the team's free agency coup this summer. The Clippers' master plan was to sign Kawhi Leonard in the 2019 offseason. When it became clear that Leonard only wanted to join the team with another superstar, they cashed in their pile of draft assets, along with young phenom Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, to trade for Paul George and create the most dynamic wing pairing in the league.
It was a stunning set of events that transpired late on a Friday night on the West Coast, the ultimate Friday news dump. The Clippers had been setting the table for a big splash, and this was their moment.
Oct. 22: Kawhi owns opening night as the Clippers beat the Lakers without PG
The Battle of L.A. had been brewing throughout the offseason, as both Los Angeles teams had superstar duos and championship aspirations. The league paired the two on opening night, but the Clippers were underdogs without Paul George as he recovered from shoulder surgeries.
It didn't matter. Kawhi Leonard earned the title of best player in the league when he won the Finals MVP with Toronto four months prior. He reasserted his claim to that throne by outshining LeBron James and Anthony Davis. In the process, he established the Clippers as the team to beat in the 2019-20 season.
Nov. 20: The Clippers beat Boston in Kawhi and PG's first game together
This feels like the wrong L.A. team to have two games against the Celtics in the top-10 moments, but this was the official coming-out party for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Clippers started 9-5, playing most games with one superstar and some without either. They had flashes of dominance, but also expected inconsistency without both stars playing.
The two players finally took the court together at home against Boston and delivered one of the best games of the young season. George and Leonard dazzled with their brilliance on both end of the floor, capped by Leonard blocking a potential game-tying shot from Kemba Walker in overtime.
After months of anticipation, it was thrilling to see both players on the same team. The combination of their scoring, playmaking, and defensive IQ was on display in spurts and a warning to the rest of the league of what was to come.
Honorable mention:
- Jan 12: Blake Griffin scores 44 points in his first game back in Los Angeles against the Clippers
- Feb. 7: The Clippers acquire Garrett Temple, JaMychal Green, and Ivica Zubac for Avery Bradley and Mike Muscala at the trade deadline
- Apr. 24: The Clippers lead throughout and win Game 5 in Oakland
- Dec. 11: Leonard gets a reception like no other in his ring night in Toronto
- Dec. 25: The Clippers come back to defeat the Lakers on Christmas Day
