Stephen A. Smith drops strong Clippers’ NBA Finals take

“You actually look at the Los Angeles Clippers without Paul George and if Kawhi Leonard continues to look the way that he did in Game 2… not the way he looked in Game 1, particularly in the fourth quarter when he made a couple of mistakes with turnovers and he wasn’t aggressive offensively – but that Kawhi Leonard that showed up in Game 2, if that brother shows up throughout these playoffs looking like that, Clippers could go to the Finals.”

Kawhi Leonard’s playoff form backs Stephen A. Smith’s bold Finals prediction for Clippers

Leonard has led the way for the Clippers in the series, averaging 30.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 70.6% from the field and 50% from three-point range. His Game 2 performance was particularly dominant, finishing with 39 points, five assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block on 15-of-19 shooting, including four-of-seven from deep.

The Clippers entered the 2024-25 season with tempered expectations after the departure of Paul George in free agency, a loss that yielded no return assets. However, the front office remained aggressive, adding key rotation players including Derrick Jones Jr., Nicolas Batum, and Kris Dunn. At the trade deadline, Los Angeles acquired Drew Eubanks and Bogdan Bogdanovic, and later signed Ben Simmons through the buyout market.

Despite the roster turnover, the Clippers finished the regular season with a 50-32 record, securing the fifth seed in the Western Conference. The series against Denver is currently tied 1-1 heading into Game 3.

Los Angeles will host the next two games at the newly opened Intuit Dome, beginning Thursday night at 10:00 p.m. ET on NBA TV. Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday.