Tony Allen on the Clippers collapse: 'The stars didn't show up'

Tony Allen doesn't believe Doc Rivers deserves all the blame

The collapse of the 2020 LA Clippers is something that'll be discussed forever. A team that was pegged by nearly everyone to win an NBA championship, but blew a 3-1 lead in the Conference Semifinals. Tony Allen believes that blame shouldn't go solely on Doc Rivers, who recently resigned from the fallout.

"You go as far as the stars go," Tony Allen said on Sirius XM NBA Radio. "The stars didn't show up, in none of those games."

Allen is touted as one of the greatest NBA defenders ever. He's previously shown praise towards Patrick Beverley, and that's why he couldn't believe how poorly the Clippers defended against the Denver Nuggets.

"The best defenders in the league you could say are Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Patrick Beverley," Allen said. "They let these boys go on a scoring clinic. Jamal Murray could have signed a lucrative deal off specifically that series."

In Allen's eyes, the biggest issue was that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George didn't play enough games together; Kawhi Leonard missed 15 games, and Paul George missed 24. By the time it was mid-season in January, George and Kawhi played only 18 games together. The two never really figured out a way to make each other's lives easier, besides pure isolation ball.

"You look at that, and you just can't blame all that on Doc," Allen said. "I don't think those guys were together long enough. Two main stars in and out the lineup." 

The only way the LA Clippers can redeem themselves is by winning a championship next season. There's no other way about it, next season will be the most high pressure season in Clippers history.