Clippers ‘not looking too far ahead’ as homestretch begins

The Clippers have been called old by young players (aka Minnesota Timberwolves) and among the toughest teams in the league by top-tier players. Can they be both?

As one of the older teams by age – an average of 30.4 years in their rotation – the Clippers proved in the first part of the season that age is simply a number.

Behind Paul George, 34, Kawhi Leonard, 33, and James Harden, 34, with significant contributions from 35-year-old Russell Westbrook, the Clippers have risen to the top of the Western Conference. With a record of 36-17 at the All-Star break, the Clippers own the third-best record in the conference, two games behind the Timberwolves and a half-game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.

And with a victory Thursday at the Thunder (37-17), the Clippers could find themselves staring up at only the Timberwolves as the final march to the playoffs begins.

“(The toughest part) is not looking too far ahead,” George told Clutch Sports at the All-Star Game. “With 30 games, just not looking too far ahead, taking it one game at a time. Because that’s what you tend to do in the second half of the season. You start to look ahead and look forward to the playoffs and just try to get to the playoffs. But we just gotta take it one game at a time.”

Despite their imposing play this season in which they are averaging 118.3 points a game and stringing together winning streaks, George said their success is tied more closely to their six-game losing streak earlier.

After a promising start to the season, the Clippers took a downward turn after acquiring Harden and naysayers wondered aloud if the controversial point guard would fit in as their record dropped to 3-7.

“We knew we couldn’t get worse from there,” George said. “We’re going to get better, and we knew once we started to win, things would start to click. So, without that, I don’t think we go on a 33-10 stretch or whatever that stretch looks like. I don’t think we go on that run without those six losses.”

Their recent play, in which they have gone an NBA-best 28-7 since Dec. 1, has not only garnered national attention but praise from players.

When asked during All-Star Weekend which team outside of the Boston Celtics has been the best this year, Celtics All-Star guard Jaylen Brown said, “I would say the Clippers.”

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell agreed when asked by reporters.

“I would probably say outside of us (Cavs), the Clippers are definitely, you know, one of the top teams in the league for sure,” Mitchell said.

Said Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker said: “I mean, it goes in spurts man. The Clippers are playing great. Boston’s playing great. There’s a lot of good teams, a lot of talented teams. I think it’s about peaking at the right time and making sure your game’s right at the right time.”

Even Suns All-Star forward Kevin Durant said based on how the Clippers are playing that, he, too, considers them currently the best team not located in Phoenix.

“The Clippers are playing great ball. If anything, I’ll probably say (the) Clippers and give it to Kawhi as the best player I’ve seen,” he said.

Whether the Clippers can continue to be seen as a top team is going to come down to their health.

In seasons past, their championship dreams have been tripped up by injuries to Leonard and Paul. Last season, both were on the bench as the Clippers lost to the Phoenix Suns in five games in the first round of the playoffs. So far this season, the team’s two stars have stayed relatively healthy, missing only a handful of games.

Leonard, who sat out the Clippers’ comeback victory against the Golden State Warriors before the break because of an adductor strain, is expected to play Thursday. He scored five points on 2-for-4 shooting in 10 minutes without a problem in the All-Star Game. George is also healthy heading into the second half and center Ivica Zubac (calf) is expected to come off his restricted minutes.

While Leonard has previously called out his teammates for defensive lapses, he said before the break that the Clippers are “right there.”

“We’ve been winning games as everybody’s seen,” he said. “And, like I said before, there’s ways for us to get better and that’s scary. We start jelling a little late and now it’s time to kind of turn it around.”