The Los Angeles Clippers have lost six of their last nine games after a 133-116 loss to the Indiana Pacers. A disappointed James Harden mentioned that the team needed to find their identity as they’ve plummeted to fifth place, once sitting in first place. This Clippers team is far removed from the team that was on a roll before the All-Star break. Injuries and their defensive communication have hurt their rotation as well.
After losing to the Pacers, Clippers’ Head Coach Tyronn Lue called his team “soft” when asked to describe their current identity.
“So identity for us, it’s got to be toughness,” Lue told the media. “Which means physicality, mental, and physical toughness, a high-powered offense… we can score in a lot of different ways and we have to have a defensive mindset.”
He continued, “Right now do we have an identity? I think, yeah. We’re soft. That can be an identity if you want to call it that. We got to be tougher, mentally and physically. But we do have an identity. When we were 26-5, we had a great identity. You can’t pick and choose when you want to lead. You can’t pick and choose when you want to have identity. You can’t pick and choose when you want to do things the right way. And so just do the right things every night and everything else will fall in order.”
Russell Westbrook returned three weeks after a fracture in his left hand. Hopefully, that helps the team turn the corner, and he has also mentioned that their team unity is essential for their success.
“Adversity to me is a real measure of who you are as a man and two who you are as a team,” Russ told the media. And I think now is a perfect time for us to be able to pull together, use what we know how to win games, and help each other out to win games.”
“When we were 26-5, we had a great identity,” Lue said. “So you can’t pick up and choose when you want to lead. You can’t pick and choose when you want to have an identity. You can’t pick and choose when you want to do things the right way. Just do the right thing and you could be able to get out of this rut.”
The four-game series starting Wednesday in Philadelphia allows the Clippers to bounce back as the Sacramento Kings only sit two and a half games back of them in fifth place.
Take a look at Lue’s comments below.
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