Kawhi Leonard says LA Clippers' TItle Chances Come Down to Execution
LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard says execution is the biggest factor in winning an NBA cha
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 A lot goes into winning an NBA title. The players and coaches have to be great, of course.
00:05 The front office has to make near-perfect decisions for multiple years leading to a potential postseason run.
00:10 It makes me a little bit of luck along the way as well.
00:12 Ultimately, though, as Elliott Clipper's star, Paul Wilde, puts it, it comes down to execution.
00:17 "I knew we had a pretty deep squad," Leinart told reporters Wednesday morning.
00:21 "I knew how talented we could be. It's about executing now."
00:25 At 44-20, the Clippers have done a solid job of executing so far, all things considered.
00:29 Even with key pieces in Leonard, Patrick Beverly, and Paul George, this combined 51 games on the year,
00:35 LA has the second-best record in the Western Conference, and sits just 5.5 games with the Los Angeles Lakers in the standings.
00:41 That said, Leinart feels this is essentially the beginning of a new season rather than a continuation of one,
00:46 which calls into question just how much that 44-20 record really matters at this point.
00:51 "Basically, it's a new season, pretty much. After you win or lose in the playoffs,
00:56 probably have about three months or so to get back to training camp and then go through the same process again."
01:01 Of course, LA's record to 64 games, along with the eight seeding games to begin on Thursday,
01:05 will determine who they face off with in the postseason.
01:08 But besides that, almost nothing from the earlier part of the season applies here.
01:12 One could argue that executing a game plan is more important now than ever before, given the circumstances.
01:17 Without fans, there's no home-court advantage. Without home-court advantage, playoff seeding takes on less importance.
01:23 There's so much less happening in the NBA bubble that interferes with how a team performs in the postseason than usual.
01:29 With the playoffs less than a month off, it won't be long before we see how the Clippers carry themselves
01:33 and what should be their most favorable run to the NBA title to date.