The Golden State Warriors finally rid themselves of the pesky Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night, thanks to a 50-point performance by Kevin Durant that serves as his signature performance of these still young NBA playoffs. The Warriors now move on to a rematch with the Houston Rockets, while the Clippers are left to reflect back on what was a surprisingly successful season and playoff effort.
As he is for most teams in the NBA, Durant simply brought too much firepower for the Clippers to stop, dropping 38, 33, 45 and 50 points after Game 2. But as we learned after the game it wasn’t for a lack of trying on the part of Los Angeles.
Can’t hate on this answer. Good series 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/shHHDKzy1Q
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 27, 2019
“We tried everything,” Lou Williams said. “We had several different coverages for KD.”
“They didn’t work!” Patrick Beverley chimed in.
“Sometimes you come across special people,” Williams continued. “It doesn’t matter what you send to them. It’s no scheme, it’s no defense, no nothing that you can do with special people. He’s one of them, and he showed it tonight.”
There was a mutual respect that developed between the two teams as the series went on, especially between Durant and Beverly, with Beverly hounding Durant on the defensive end for a handful of possessions each game. If Durant ends up staying with the Warriors, and the Clippers snag one of the premiere free agents in this summer’s class, Warriors-Clippers could turn into a hell of a playoff rivalry.
