LOS ANGELES – For the Clippers, the return of the postseason means a reminder of their failures, the painful and fluky exits from the playoffs in three straight seasons.
“At moments,” Jamal Crawford said, “you’re like, ‘This is frustrating, to keep going out like this, to keep having good regular seasons and keep going out like this – whether it be through injury or self-inflicted (wounds).’”
The Clippers, more than any other team, have playoff demons. In 2014, Chris Paul turned the ball over twice in the final minute of Game 5 against Oklahoma City as the Clippers coughed up a seven-point lead.