“We are here”: Tyronn Lue knew that the clipper could exceed the expectations

Tyonn Lue slid into the Clipper’s interview room on Sunday afternoon and clapped and clapped and clapped. He beamed when his head moved up and down.

His Clippers squad had just qualified for the Western Conference playoffs and in the last game of the regular season with a victory against the Golden State Warriors, who was also looking for a playoff base when he played at home in the Chase Center.

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The Clippers had opposed the pre -season chances of a playoff participant. Lue refused to make his group think differently during the season, and now in the first round they will face the Denver Nuggets in the Ball Arena in the first round.

“You counted me. You counted us,” said Lue. “I know you did it. I know. But we’re here.”

At that moment there was a feeling of performance and satisfaction from Lue and the Clipper because they exceeded expectations and ended in fifth place in the competitive western conference of the NBA.

At best, the clipper were viewed by the critics when the season started as a possible team of play and probably even fought nine or ten points.

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Read more: How do the Clipperers get together against the nuggets that enter their playoff series?

They didn’t want to start the season Kawhi Leonard because he recovered from a violation of the right knee, which finally led to the first 34 games.

They would no longer have the former all-star striker Paul George because he took the money from the 76s and screwed to Philadelphia.

They were the best players in the clipper, and with Leonard injured and George, many were skeptical about this team.

But the clipper ended with the Lakers and Nuggets with 50-32, some records that can only predict a few.

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“I think our group played on its shoulders all year round with a chip,” said Lue. “We only found ways to win. We only found ways to win. No matter which night it was, we only presented this guy, played hard and started defensively and we played together.

In the Clipper’s changing room after the victory in San Francisco, Leonard and All-Star Guard James Harden were two of the last players who had left the shower. The two stars and managers of the team stood side by side and smiled and knowingly looked at their teammates.

On one side of the changing room, Center Ivica Zubac and Bogdan Bogdanovic sat side by side and looked at the master’s golf tournament on TV while drinking a beer.

On the other hand, the security guard Norman Powell and the defensive ace -Kris Dunn about the clipper who reached this point and what it needed.

But Leonard had come the farthest of everyone.

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He played in just 37 games and only one set of back-to-back games. But in the course of the season, Leonard grew stronger.

Everything culminated over the weekend when Leonard played 42 minutes against the kings in Sacramento on Friday evening and on Sunday against the Warriors against the Warriors a season height. At 33 against the warriors, he was his season high with 33 points.

His knee injury is no longer an issue.

“I am glad that I have a great organization behind me that allowed me to get healthy and know exactly what I have to do,” said Leonard. “They let me turn on external sources, combine them and work together. As I said, it is not over. We still have a playoff series to win and just want to go from there. As I said, you have good playoffs and a healthy low season and just go on.”

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Even Lue missed games for back pain, but the Clippers went 4-1 during his absence, the coaching team, who was led by assistant coach Brian Shaw, kept the train on the move.

The Clippers saw hardy shine with an average of 22.8 points and 8.7 templates, the latter statistical fifth best in the NBA.

Powell scored an average of 21.8 points per game in the career, while Zubac scored in points (16.8), rebounds (12.6) and assists (2.7) on average career height (2.7).

So the Clippers have found consolation to make their doubts wrong.

“We are people. We know what is said about us, what is being brought out there,” said Powell. “Tlue, he went through it, the heights and depths. People don’t want him here. The people who did what he did annoy. In the past seasons, not being able to have a full healthy list and have no great efforts to win a championship.

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“Especially this year nobody achieved 50 victories and currently went to the playoffs.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.