The Los Angeles Clippers’ season ended in stunning fashion Saturday night with a 120-101 Game 7 collapse against the Denver Nuggets, leaving team president Lawrence Frank searching for answers.
“What happened in Game 7 that was extremely embarrassing and also uncharacteristic of the determination resilience we demonstrated all all year,” Frank told reporters Monday in his end-of-season press conference.
The Clippers’ meltdown was comprehensive – they were outscored 72-40 across the second and third quarters while James Harden was held to just 7 points. “We know ultimately um we’re judged by what we do in the postseason and we’re disappointed with our playoff exit,” Frank admitted. “The loss is still raw, our season being over is still raw… right now we all still want to be playing our players are embarrassed about Game 7 and they’re really, really upset that we lost the series as well as our coaches.”
Despite owning just one first-round pick in the next five years, Frank was adamant about the organization’s philosophy: “Regardless of the fact that we don’t own our own draft for four years, just from an organizational philosophy from Steve [Ballmer] it’s always about competing and giving our fans every single night. He wants them knowing we’re trying to win. We’re never trying to tank. And so sometimes that’s where the rubber meets the road for young guys versus an experienced veteran.”
The Clippers finished 50-32 despite Kawhi Leonard missing 45 games, marking their second straight 50-win season.
All eyes now turn to James Harden’s $36 million player option. “I haven’t given really any thought [to him leaving],” Frank said, “Now, because James has a player option, it’d be irresponsible for me not to have contingency plans with it.” The 35-year-old guard played all 79 games, averaging 22.8 points and 8.7 assists. Frank praised Harden’s leadership, recalling his 50-point outburst against Detroit in March that sparked an 18-3 run.
“People associate injured players as a character flaw. It has nothing to do with character. These are your body parts,” Frank said when discussing Leonard’s injury history. He noted that the two-time champion is entering his first healthy offseason since 2020: “There’s another level for him out there that he’s going to get to next year.”
Frank outlined several offseason needs:
- Frontcourt depth after Denver’s Aaron Gordon dominated
- Additional playmaking to relieve Harden
- More shooting after the Clippers shot just 29% from three in Game 7
While acknowledging they’re the NBA’s oldest team, Frank stressed: “It’s important to have have balance on your roster. And in terms of building a sustainable roster, you do need to have young players that you do a good job drafting and you do a good job developing and that they can make it sustainable so your whole roster isn’t north of 35 years old.” He highlighted development of young players like Kobe Brown and Jordan Miller as crucial.
The new arena proved its worth as the Clippers went 30-11 at home after an 0-4 start. “Intuit Dome is a game changer, it’s a difference maker,” Frank said. “Our fans gave us a home-court advantage we’ve never had before.”
Frank believes the core remains championship-caliber: “If you have two top-15 players in Kawhi and James, plus Zu [Zubac] playing at an All-Star level, we can contend.” But he cautioned: “The West is a bear. It doesn’t get easier.”
With financial flexibility and potential roster upgrades, Frank vowed: “We’ll keep taking cracks at it. The goal remains bringing a championship to LA.” The Clippers’ offseason begins now, with the draft on June 26 and free agency opening June 30.
