One of the most anticipated matchups in the first round of the NBA playoffs is the Los Angeles Clippers going up against the Phoenix Suns.
This first-round battle between these division rivals will get underway on Sunday, with Game 1 set to be played at Footprint Center in Arizona.
Along with a ton of storylines in this game, like Kevin Durant going up against former teammate Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul taking on his old team, the Clippers are considered underdogs, with superstar forward Paul George likely unable to play in this series.
According to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue talked about being the underdog heading into this series and how that is what he’s been used to throughout his life.
Ty Lue on LAC entering playoffs an underdog:
“I’ve been an underdog my whole life. I ain’t supposed to be here, so you know, you just deal with it. You prepare and we got a confident group over here. So being an underdog is no excuse for us not to be able to win the series.”
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) April 15, 2023
Lue has the right mentality heading into this series with the team that most believe will be the squad to eventually advance to the NBA Finals to face the best of the best in the Eastern Conference.
However, not having George in this series will prove costly as he’s arguably the best defender on the team behind two-time NBA champion Kawhi Leonard.
There’s no doubt that Leonard will be a handful for the Suns on both ends of the floor, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be enough even to make this series competitive with Phoenix having so many weapons.
The addition of Westbrook has definitely helped this Clippers squad, but he has struggled over the years to make an impact defensively, which may be a problem for Los Angeles.
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Kawhi Leonard Comments On Facing Kevin Durant In Playoffs
