Oh, what we would have given to be a fly on the wall during the Los Angeles Clippers stunning playoff collapse, which culminated in a game 7 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.
Thankfully, Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes is here to fill in the blanks. According to Haynes' sources, Paul George and Montrezl Harrell got into a "heated" exchange during a timeout in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals. Harrell was reportedly upset that George committed two unnecessary turnovers in less than a minute during the second quarter. Harrell tried to approach PG about a risky pass he made to him while Harrell was being guarded by Michael Porter, Jr. and Jamal Murray. Instead of listening, PG reportedly didn't take responsibility for the turnover, telling Harrell that he should have caught the ball.
"You’re always right. Nobody can tell you nothing," Harrell reportedly told George before the two hurled expletives at each other.
Although the incident was defused by Doc Rivers and other Clippers teammates, the spat could be seen as a microcosm of the chemistry issues that plagued the Clippers throughout the playoffs. On paper, the Clippers were the better team. But, despite climbing out to a 3-1 lead over the Nuggets, the Clippers imploded and allowed their opponents to advance to the Western Conference Finals in seven games.
After acquiring Kawhi Leonard and George, the Clippers were immediately seen as title favorites. That perception didn't stop George from trying to downplay the team's stunning exit.
"I think internally, we always felt this was not a championship or bust year for us," George told reporters following game 7.
Despite George's attempts to minimize his team's failure, NBA Twitter wasn't buying it.
