The Los Angeles Clippers have never made the NBA Finals in franchise history. James reached the NBA Finals in 2012 with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Thunder lost to the Miami Heat in five games.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue won the 2016 title with the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Kawhi Leonard is a two-time champion and a two-time Finals MVP.
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So even though the Clippers have never won it all as an organization, they have a coach and players with Finals experience.
Los Angeles is tied with the Denver Nuggets at 1-1 in the first round of the 2025 playoffs. Harden, the 2018 MVP who will be in the Hall of Fame one day, told Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he believes the Clippers can reach the promised land this year.
“I’m so comfortable in my world and what I supposed to be doing out there,” Harden said. “I think we got the team. We can play isolation basketball with two great ISO players. We got postgame with Zu [Ivica Zubac] and Whi [Leonard]. Defensively, we’ve been really, really good all year.
“So, for me, it’s about just keeping my composure, just going out there and reading the game and doing what I am supposed to be doing. We got a chance to be the last team standing, which is easier said than done. But we focus on ourselves. We are playing well right now.”
Los Angeles Clippers stars James Harden and Kawhi LeonardMatthew Hinton-Imagn Images
Harden is in his second season with the Clippers. The 11-time All-Star averaged 22.8 points and 8.7 assists during the regular season while shooting 41.0% from the field, 35.2% from 3 and 87.4% from the foul line.
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Through two games against the Nuggets, Harden is averaging 25.0 points and 9.0 assists while shooting 40.0% from beyond the arc.
If Harden and Leonard continue to play at a high level, the Clippers could win the title this year.
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