The Clippers Are Struggling Bigtime.

“I think internally, we always felt this was not a championship-or-bust year for us,” George told reporters after Game 7.

Determined to match the load-management blueprint laid out by the Toronto Raptors a year ago, the Clippers only played Kawhi Leonard and Paul George together in 37 regular-season games.

A Clippers team that branded itself “grit over glam” finished 26th in the NBA in loose ball recoveries per game and 20th in deflections.

A year ago, Leonard found himself in an identical position: leading a favorite into a Game 7 in the second round.