The Warriors can learn about themselves through Clippers failure

The Golden State Warriors have been on the wrong side of history before. This time, they can learn from it as the Clippers collapse shocked the NBA world.

Having been on the wrong side a 3-1 in the 2016 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors know a thing or two about blowing huge leads.

Thankfully, this time around it wasn’t them that make history — it was the Los Angeles Clippers. Doc Rivers has now blown a 3-1 lead with three different teams while the Nuggets were the first team to come back from down 3-1 twice in one postseason.

The Clippers were favorites to win the 2020 NBA Finals when the bubble was announced. It was certainly different than having tens of thousands of screaming fans packed inside of Staples Center, but battling through difficulties is what the NBA playoffs is all about.

Going into Game 5, the Clippers had no problems. However, Paul George never played up to par. The Clippers oftentimes didn’t play their best defensive unit, exposing themselves to Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray’s wrath far too often.

The bigger picture is how tough it in to integrate a star into an organization even after an entire season.

The postseason is different, and George just didn’t look comfortable sharing the court with Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, and Patrick Beverley. He struggled, and without a few crucial Marcus Morris and Leonard shots, the individual games may have been blowouts.

For Golden State, they’re coming into an offseason where they’ll have every opportunity to trade for a high-level star.

Joel Embiid, Bradley Beal, and even Giannis Antetokounmpo should all be considered in their range given the team’s assets — the No. 2 overall pick and a top-three protected 2021 first-round pick. But, is it worth bringing in a player that may not be a perfect fit?

Beal and Embiid would certainly not be quintessential fits as Beal would force Thompson to play the three and Embiid would potentially shrink the court and force defensive collapses in the pick-and-roll. Giannis, the league’s reigning two-time MVP, would be a good fit for any organization.

That said, we can learn from the Clippers that getting the perfect fits around a superstar is more important than shedding all your assets for another star. However, every situation is unique, and the Warriors may still view bringing in a third true superstar worthwhile.