LOS ANGELES — The confetti was ready to fall from the rafters, like a curtain to the past. The Los Angeles Clippers, finally, were minutes away from overcoming their own history.
There was a double-digit lead and a celebratory air in Staples Center that felt like the final minutes of New Year’s Eve. The Clippers – the Clippers! – were on their way to closing out a second-round series with the Houston Rockets to reach the conference finals for the first time in their 45 seasons as a franchise.
“Sometimes you want stuff so bad that you can’t get it because you’re in your own way,” Coach Doc Rivers said later.