Five biggest losers of the 2020 bubble’s NBA playoffs

1. The entire LA Clippers organization

The LA Clippers spent the entire regular season leading us to believe they were built for the playoffs. They maintained their status as championship contenders was enough to get them to at least the conference finals before the real challenge would start.

This was no ordinary blown 3-1 lead. LA, the title favorite according to many, led by double-digits in each of the last three games. The two stars they mortgaged the next decade of draft picks to acquire combined for 28 points on 10-of-38 shooting in the most crucial game in franchise history.

Kawhi Leonard learned the hard truths of the difference between being a team’s best player and serving as their leader. He’d always thrived as the former but his quiet demeanor and indifference towards the regular season weren’t right for this demonstrative and inexperienced Clippers bunch as the latter.

The list of Paul George’s playoff shortcomings grew larger in the bubble. LA thought they exchanged the farm for the reigning MVP finalist last summer. They instead got a first-hand experience on the rollercoaster that makes PG one of the more baffling stars in the NBA.

Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell may have played themselves off the Clippers with shortcomings at the forefront of their role in LA’s disappointing finish.

LA had every reason to comply with the OKC Thunder’s trade demands. Stars are what get you closer to a championship than anything else and acquiring George meant getting the reigning Finals MVP as well.

Pulling that trigger, though, came with a risk knowing either could hit free agency as early as 2021, providing just two concrete seasons of high-level contention. One of them ended in historically bad fashion, putting that much more pressure on the organization to make the most of the other.