As coach Ty Lue prepared his Clippers this week to face the Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs Sunday, he was asked if part of his game plan included not having Kawhi Leonard in Game 1.
“No, I’m preparing for him, to have him on the court,” Lue said before practice Wednesday.
That was the strongest statement Lue has made yet about Leonard’s availability, even though it wasn’t a full declaration that his star would play in the first game of the first-round best-of-seven series.
Leonard missed the last eight regular-season games with right-knee inflammation.