The LA Clippers Knock 1st Seeded Utah Jazz out of the Playoffs!

Upset SZN!

In one of the most exciting playoffs of recent years, one of the craziest series to come is the LA Clippers vs the Utah Jazz. The Jazz has reigned in the west as the No.1 seed, while the Clippers have sat tensely at No.4. Clearly, the seeding doesn’t matter, because on Friday, June 18th, the Clippers knocked the Jazz in the sixth game of the second round matchups, overcoming a 25-point deficit.

The Clippers are seeing their first conference finals in franchise history against the talented Phoenix Suns. Usually the middle child team of California, the Clippers are now farther than both the Lakers and the Warriors this year, a possible foreshadow of where the new Cali dominance will be. With names like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and now Terance Mann,  it looks like a new superpower is on the rise.

Terance Mann is the man!

The biggest surprise of the Clippers dub is that the team’s best player, Kawhi Leonard, is out with an injury, missing the last two games. 24 year old Terance Mann―who has been a help throughout the playoffs―seemingly channeled Kawhi’s energy, bringing home 39 points. Mann made seven 3-pointers and was 15/21 from the field, breaking his records from both his college and NBA career. This was certainly “The Terance Mann Game.”

We also gotta give flowers to Paul George. With Kawhi out, George had no other option but to bring it, coordinating great plays while masterfully knocking down 3’s, midranges and countless drives. PG13’s leadership and talent is proof of how much a team can still succeed without their star.

Sad note for the Jazz

While we’re happy for the Clippers, we do feel for the Jazz. Led by the brilliant Donovan Mitchell, supplemented by many other stars like Mike Conley, Rudy Gobert and Jordan Clarkson, it’s a shock to see them out. Their work in the playoffs was admirable and we hope to see Mitchell lead them even further next year.

What an absolutely mad series! Do you think the Clippers can maintain this energy against the Suns and dub it all?

Jason Heilbronner | Twitter: @JasonHeilbronn1