Five years ago, the Doc Rivers-led Los Angeles Clippers blew a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. In those playoffs, it was James Harden and the Houston Rockets who clawed out of a deep hole to keep the Clippers from reaching the West Finals for the first time ever.
In 2020, lightning struck twice, as the Denver Nuggets overcame a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the Clippers and advance to the conference finals.
The Nuggets trailed by as many as 19 points in Game 6 before rallying to force the decisive Game 7. If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s the exact deficit that the Rockets overcame in their Game 6 against the Clippers in 2015. According to ESPN research, that remains the largest blown lead since 1997 with a chance to clinch a conference finals berth.
The Clippers led by as many as 19 points. That is tied for the largest blown lead with a chance to clinch a Conference Finals appearance since 1997. They tied themselves from 2015 against the Rockets in Game 6.
No team has ever come back from 3-1 multiple times in a postseason
— Matt Williams (@StatsWilliams) September 13, 2020
When the Rockets overcame their Game 6 deficit, the unlikely hero was 6-foot-9 forward Josh Smith. “J-Smoove,” as he’s also known, scored 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting (80.0%) during an incredible fourth quarter — which finished with the Rockets outscoring the Clippers, 40-15. Houston was +21 during Smith’s fourth-quarter minutes, and fans in the Clippers’ home arena at Staples Center were left in stunned silence.
Many faces on the Clippers have changed since then. On the court, the 2015 group was led by Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, while the 2020 version features Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. But one constant is head coach Doc Rivers, and Smith let him know about it on Instagram.
“We’ve seen this movie before,” Smith wrote on Wednesday, underneath an image of himself from his Game 6. “In fact, I wrote the script.”
Smith then included the hashtags “Bye Doc” and “The 3-1 Bum.”
One frequently forgotten subplot to the Smith-Clippers saga is that two months after that Game 6, he signed with Rivers and the Clippers as a free agent. But Smith’s role in Los Angeles didn’t materialize as planned, and months later, the Clippers traded him back to the Rockets.
Smith played only 14 minutes per game in 2015-16 with the Clippers, after averaging nearly 28 per game in the prior season. That experience may have left a bitter taste in Smith’s mouth when it comes to Rivers.
Now 34 years old, Smith hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2017-18 season. But he clearly still watches, and he jumped at the chance to revel in the Clippers’ shortcomings from Tuesday night’s Game 7.
