by Darren Moore
History was made before the first sellout crowd at Staples Center in over a year on Friday night, as the LA Clippers booked their place in the Western Conference finals for the first time in their 51-year history.
It was a dramatic night as the Clippers defeated the Utah Jazz 131-119 to secure a 4-2 series win, having trailed 2-0 before winning four straight games. In the first round they had trailed the Dallas Mavericks 2-0, before going on to win that series in seven games.
It had looked as though the series against Utah was also heading for a decider with the Clippers having fallen behind by 25 points early in the third quarter, only for them to launch an incredible rally and advance to face the Phoenix Suns for a place in the NBA finals.
In doing so, they also became the first team to erase a 20-plus-point deficit in a series-clinching win over the past 25 seasons.
Cometh The Mann
The unlikely hero for the Clippers was second-year forward Terance Mann, standing in for the injured Kawhi Leonard for the second straight game, who scored a career-high 39-points, hitting 15 of 21 shots from the floor and sinking seven of 10 three pointers.
There were also 28 points, nine rebounds and seven assists from Paul George for the Clippers.
Donovan Mitchell, playing with a bad ankle, scored 39 points, hit nine of 14 three pointers along with nine assists and nine rebounds for the Jazz, but it was ultimately all to no avail.
It was a welcome change of fortunes for the Clippers, who a little over nine months ago blew a 3-1 lead in last year’s postseason in going out to the Denver Nuggets in the second round.
With the Clippers having broken their hoodoo, it only leaves the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans as the last two active franchises to have never been to a conference finals.
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Darren lives & breathes sports betting and is always sniffing out his next value bet. His favourite sports to bet on are the NFL, horse racing and UFC but he will bet on anything if he thinks the odds are favourable.
