The Clippers' Meltdown Is Much Louder Than Denver's Triumph

Welcome to the latest and loudest bubble catastrophe.

Milwaukee's early exit was embarrassing and bizarre but still something that had some tether to the way events can unfold. 

The Clippers' disintegration, though, is a step further – when it's all broken down, it might be the most improbable and farcical series meltdown the NBA has ever seen. 

After taking a 3-1 lead, L.A. were 7+ point favourites in the remaining three games and held double-digit edges at various points in each. 

While not quite the vicious scoreboard swing of Game 6,  Game 7 was the most magnificent debacle for LA. 

The Clippers scored two points in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter with their season on the line.

On the first possession of the fourth quarter, after a stoppage and a chance to gather themselves, the Clippers had no idea who they were supposed to be guarding and gave up a wide-open three. While Jamal Murray had 20 points in the second quarter alone, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combined for 24 total for the match and one paltry free throw attempt. In the fourth quarter, neither Clipper superstar scored, shooting 0for 11 between them as the game creeped towards farce.

In a monumental Game 7 at the heels of a 3-1 series lead, Kawhi and Paul George have combined for 24 points on 37 true shot attempts. No other way to put it: Embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/9JDzjMvrmM

— Positive Residual (@presidual) September 16, 2020

Defensively, L.A. were clueless, and possession after possession they were eviscerated and unhinged by Nikola Jokic's passing and Murray's shot-making. They missed rotations and gave up easy shots. On offence, they bricked everything and played without rhythm. Coaching decisions were inexplicable. Montrezl Harrell, completely unplayable defensively, played and played and played. Reggie Jackson made a bizarre, unfortunate cameo, like an extra looking for the bathroom and then wandering into the biggest scene of the film, while the director makes the decision to just keep on rolling.

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The Clippers' meltdown is much louder than Denver's triumph. 

What Denver has achieved will not be overlooked - if only because of the ocean of words that will be spent saying that Denver's achievement is being overlooked. But its scale of improbability is historic. 

Repeatedly, the Nuggets have found their season so close to finished that it was, by all reasonable measures, effectively finished. Down 15 in the third quarter of Game 5 against Utah. Down in the fourth quarter of Game 7 against the Jazz, with no legs or momentum left. All the deficits against the Clippers - perceived talent deficits and then deficits on the scoreboard. They overcame it all. This team just wins, as if ignited and propelled by the unlikeliness of circumstance.

Montrezl Harrell and Nikola Jokic went head-to-head for 35 minutes over the final three games of this series. The Los Angeles Clippers were outscored by 47 points in those minutes.

— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) September 16, 2020

Jokic is completely unstoppable on offence, an unsolvable problem and a never-before-seen blend of heft and vision and genius. On defence, his effort improved immeasurably over the course of the Clippers series, and by the end of it he was more of an impediment to LA than a liability to Denver. Murray is fearless - now with a 40-point Game 7 to go on his career resume, adding to all the absurd things he did in the Utah series. When Murray is on, he looks like a version of Stephen Curry that sweats more, the smooth jumper just pushing the ball into the net.

Defensively, the return of Gary Harris has transformed the Nuggets - going from two stout defenders in the closing line-up to three has made Denver much more complicated to deal with. The length of Paul Millsap, Jerami Grant and Torrey Craig has been disruptive, and the explosiveness of Michael Porter Jr. gives Denver a necessary wild card night-to-night.

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The Clippers slowly revealed themselves as deeply flawed as the series unwound - the next L.A. team on Denver's hit list likely will not unravel in the same way, given they have the greatest bed-rock in the sport to fall back on. 

The Clippers' best line-ups barely played together all year and their bubble preparation was heavily disrupted (though no more than Denver's). The Lakers have more continuity and less vulnerability to complete implosion.

The Clippers are now 0-8 all-time when they have a chance to clinch a conference finals berth.

It's the longest streak in NBA postseason history, per @EliasSports. pic.twitter.com/dMd9lK3W5L

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 16, 2020

The Rockets hoped that their drastic shift to small-ball would pave the way to a title, and it may have, but for the Lakers. 

Worrying for Denver is that Houston might have awoken the sleeping giant, which is the Lakers playing small - as 'small' as a team can be with LeBron James and Anthony Davis still on the court. 

Those Lakers line-ups, with ball-handling and shooting around James and Davis, were relentless against Houston. Much of the space, though, came from Rajon Rondo and Markieff Morris combining to shoot 47% from three. If Rondo becomes an offensive liability, the Lakers’ small lineups may not be as vicious.

Davis looms as the key to the series. Rudy Gobert's ability to contain Jokic one-on-one destroyed Denver's offence, which was only salvaged by Murray's extra-terrestrial light show. If Davis can replicate Gobert's effectiveness on Jokic, Denver will likely have too much ground to make up.

But the Nuggets have thrived on the last scraps of probabilities and now, after all the madness, stand four wins from the Finals - writing them off, trusting convention and what 'should' happen after everything that has transpired would be the maddest thing of all.

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