It could be too presumptuous to ring the crisis bells for the Cavaliers. Yes, they’ve lost two games in a row. But their latest loss is a sign of the Clippers’ excellence rather than Cleveland’s complacency. The Lob City is on a 4-game winning streak right now, and the Cavs dub is a perfect reflection of what Ty Lue’s band of misfits are about this season. And after Kawhi Leonard‘s masterclass, there are signs of him back for good. Well, that’s until Stephen A. Smith all but quashed the hype train by deviating the topic from the matter at hand.
“The reason I’m not sold on the Clippers is because I’m just looking at my watch, and I’m just looking at the dates and the calendar and I’m just waiting for Kawhi Leonard to get hurt, that’s all. I know that come playoff time he’s not going to be available,” said Smith on First Take. He’s known for running his mouth about any speck of information he finds newsworthy, but his points about Leonard’s injury concerns hold an ounce of water. The Clips might be doing fine now, but the Klaw is no alien to getting injured when it matters most.
Flashback to the 2023 Western Conference semis against the Suns. Leonard posted a game-high 38 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in a 115–110 win in game 1. But fast forward to the 3rd game, he’s out with a torn meniscus on his right knee. That and the injury to Paul George was enough for LA to lose the series in 5 games. SAS believes this is the reason they shouldn’t be resting their hopes on the two-time ring holder.
“The reason I’m not sold on the Clippers is because … I’m just waiting for Kawhi Leonard to get hurt. I know that come playoff time, he’s not going to be available.”
@stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/sRuaAQFavT
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 19, 2025
“I can’t get excited about the Clippers because yes, last night was an impressive win. Cleveland- 2 losses in a row after a 16-game winning streak. I get all that… I’m just allergic to excitement for anything that involves Kawhi Leonard,” said the ESPN analyst as he ended his rant.
But the 2023 incident was a déjà vu of the 2021 conference semis loss against the Jazz, and a trailer for the 2024 first-round loss to the eventual conf. champs Mavs. In all the cases, there’s one thing common- the Clippers seemed primed to continue, but a knee injury to Kawhi wrote their destiny on the wall. SAS might be known for making mountains out of molehills. Fans have called his take an ’embarrassment for actual journalism‘ and said that he ‘can’t even give him simple props without deflecting to the same talking points‘. But if I was coach Lue, I’d bank my hopes on someone else.
Chandler Parsons keen on Clippers vs Thunder playoff possibility
Former Rockets and Mavs forward Chandler Parsons has been quite active on the analysis front since his forced retirement. He might not have had the stellar career he had in his mind, but the dream goes on- this time on the analyst desk on FanDuel TV. On their breakdown of the Cavs vs Clips game, he made sure to give props to the ones who made LA’s best dub of the season possible.
“Kawhi Leonard- he’s back, he looks great, he looks healthy, he’s getting new spots, he looks like vintage Kawhi Leonard. Zubac’s 28 in 20- he’s having a career year… They got Norman Powell back, he’s probably been their best, most consistent player all year till he went down. And James Harden– he’s just been there, he’s been the same guy he’s always been. Giving everyone involved, giving everyone the bucket when needed,” said Parsons.
The Beard dropping Evan Mobley (and his hysterical reaction to it after) might make the headlines as much as Leonard’s performance. But game recognizes game- Chandler made sure to praise newly joined Bogdan Bogdanovic for his 20-4-7 masterclass off the bench. But the real crux of the matter came after- when he talked about Lob City being best-of-the-West OKC Thunder’s biggest worry come playoff season.
“So this team did show something last night that this is a scary matchup for a young Thunder team that they have to go through all these vet, experienced guys in the first round possibly of the playoffs, that’s not ideal.” While the idea of a bunch of kids playing seasoned veterans might seem daunting, the regular season standings tell a whole different story.
Image Credits: Imagn
You still have to remember- the Clippers are still 8th, and with good reason. The regular season doesn’t quite give us a taste of what’s to come in the playoffs. But their win over the Cavs might seem to have rallied the supporters to think they can win it all. Do you think this is justified, or is it all just an overreaction?
The post Everyone Is on the Same Page About Stephen A. Smith’s Kawhi Leonard Remark as OKC’s True Challenger Emerges appeared first on EssentiallySports.
