The Los Angeles Clippers’ team chemistry wasn’t always there in the series against the Denver Nuggets and that was evident in a Game 2 loss.
Montrezl Harrell and Paul George reportedly got into a “heated verbal exchange” during a timeout, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Early in the second quarter, George committed two turnovers within a minute.
His second turnover was a half-court pass that was picked off by Jamal Murray, intended for Harrell.
Harrell approached George about the risky pass, but George didn’t take responsibility, as he argued that the pass could have been caught.
“Harrell responded with something along the lines of, ‘You’re always right. Nobody can tell you nothing,’ and expletives were uttered from both players. George eventually toned down his rhetoric, but a heated Harrell wasn’t having it. Teammates began clapping on the sideline, in part to disguise what was going on and in an attempt to defuse the situation. The incident deescalated shortly after as coach Doc Rivers took his seat to go over the game plan,” sources told Haynes.
The Clippers reportedly weren’t on the same page off the court after the incident.
“I think internally, we always felt this was not a championship or bust year for us,” George said after the Game 7 loss.
He was the only player to believe that, as head coach Doc Rivers and other players knew the goal was to win a championship this season.
Despite the disappointing loss to the Nuggets, the Clippers are expected to keep most of their key players, but letting Harrell walk in free agency might be a possibility.
Rivers’ job is safe, but the pressure is on to do things more diligently next year, Haynes notes.
