The LA Clippers reached the 2021 Western Conference Finals, falling to Phoenix 4-2 on June 30. Game 6’s 130-103 loss at Staples ended it. Paul George’s 28.7 average shone sans Kawhi. The Suns’ first Finals in 28 years eclipsed them. Fans cheered a gritty, cursed run. LA’s breakthrough hit a wall.
The series began with two Suns wins, Ayton’s alley-oop clutch. Game 3’s 106-92 LA win sparked hope, George hot. Kawhi’s knee injury from Utah lingered, absent. Reggie Jackson’s 23 in Game 5 wasn’t enough. Phoenix’s Booker and Paul outlasted them. The Clippers fought, faded.
LA’s Utah upset without Kawhi promised this stage. Their 51-31 season defied ‘other LA’ tags. The Suns’ 2-0 lead tested grit, they bent. Fans packed Staples, a rare deep run. The 2021 Finals slipped away fast. Phoenix rose, Clippers fell.
Post-loss, LA eyed Kawhi’s 2022 return, healthy. The Suns hit the Finals, losing to Bucks. The 2021 run was Clippers’ peak tease. Fans clung to George’s fight, hope alive. The curse lingered, just less. Phoenix stole their sun.
