⏳ Time Is Running Out On The Clippers

The Clippers are hurtling toward the brink of another doomed campaign. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: The Clippers are in an 0-2 hole and are showing no signs of urgency ... we take a look at why the feud between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau is good for the sport of golf ... and details surrounding the fourth edition of Capital One’s “The Match” are here. Paul George says he is “not concerned” as the LA Clippers’ season tumbles towards a premature end. Ty Lue has the same evaluation: “not concerned” – as his squad looks vacantly for answers against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Kawhi Leonard doesn’t say much, but he doesn’t look too concerned either, as his time in Los Angeles seemingly rumbles to a close with nothing to show for it. How to fix the Clippers? Hmm, how about getting concerned? Now, stress doesn’t do anyone any good but how about some urgency, some kind of a response to looming failure? The Clippers, supposedly one of basketball’s finest collections of players these past two seasons, are hurtling toward the brink of another doomed campaign and it looks like they’re still waiting for the alarm to go off and the coffee to be brewed. [STORY IMAGE 1] The NBA is too competitive to sleepwalk your way through any series, against anyone, especially a marauding, transcendent talent like Doncic, who has a couple pieces of added motivation powering his elbow. Doncic was hurt by losing to the Clippers in six games a year ago and wants to atone for it. Oh, he’s atoning aplenty, rustling up 31 and 39 points over the first two games, both Dallas road wins that were more comfortable than the 10-point and six-point margins sounded. Just in case he needed an extra jolt as the series moves to Texas, Doncic also just found out that this was what the Clippers wanted, having tanked their way down to fourth place specifically to avoid the Los Angeles Lakers in the bracket, knowing it would bring them this first round matchup. “I didn’t even know they were doing that until somebody told me in the first game,” Doncic said, in reference to the Clippers losing their final two regular season games against the woeful Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder to, ahem, just so happen to fall into fourth. “If you want to win a championship, at the end of the day you’ve got to win against everybody,” he added. “We just go out there and play.” [STORY IMAGE 2] When Doncic “just” plays, with freedom and a sense of fun, it is a problem for whoever is on the other side of the court. All things considered, concern would be an entirely appropriate emotion for LA right now. A 22-year-old superstar in the best form of his life, an 0-2 hole, and statistics that tell us dropping the first two at home has led to a series loss 87% of the time it has happened? Maybe just a little worry? “There is none,” George said. “We got to rise to the occasion. Fact of the matter is if we don't, we're done for. There's no level of concern.” His coach agreed. "They won two games on our home floor and now we got to return the favor,” Lue said. [STORY IMAGE 3] If that doesn’t happen, there are some serious ramifications at stake. When Leonard came to LA after leading the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 title he demanded George join him for the ride. The idea was to dominate, both against LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ Lakers in the battle for the city, and against the rest of the league as well. It hasn’t worked out. A 3-1 leading position against the Denver Nuggets was surrendered in the bubble and now there is this, the possibility that by Sunday the team’s campaign could be over and that the machinations for a Leonard exit may begin. The rumor mill is already linking him with the Miami Heat as he again becomes eligible for free agency. [FOX Bet]( has the Clippers as sixth favorite at +1300 to win the title, just ahead of the Mavericks at +1600. It’s not impossible, but it feels like a heck of a long way away. While the Lakers responded to adversity by leveling their series against the Phoenix Suns, the Clippers had no defensive answer on Tuesday, getting mauled by Doncic and then picked apart by the open 3-pointers he fed to others, Tim Hardaway Jr. knocking down six of eight. [STORY IMAGE 4] “It is over,” [FOX Sports NBA analyst Chris Broussard said](. “(The) Clippers are done. Finished. Toast. Dallas is just better. The evidence is overwhelming. On paper the Clippers look better but when they get on the court and face each other, sometimes matchups make games. I just don’t think the Clippers are mentally tough enough to bounce back from a 2-0 deficit.” Not tough enough, not concerned enough, not prepared enough – somewhere in there lies the answer as the clock threatens to run out on Leonard, George and the Clippers. Or maybe, even, for all that talent, just not good enough. [STORY IMAGE 5] Here’s what others have said ... Colin Cowherd, The Herd: “If I was a Clipper executive this morning, I would update my LinkedIn. I would polish off my resume.” Nick Wright, First Things First: “This series is over. This Clippers era is over. And the Clippers future of the franchise is as bleak as any team in all of pro sports this side of the Texans.” Mason Bissada, Sports Illustrated: “They’ll never admit how concerned they truly are, but to say there is no concern at all feels a bit disingenuous. It’s only natural to be worried in this situation, and LA needs to harvest that worry and use it as fuel to fight their way back.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - Anthony Davis had a strong Game 2 for the Lakers, rebounding from a bad outing like he always does. [FOX Sports NBA Writer Melissa Rohlin has the story](. - In the eighth year of his up-and-down career, Nerlens Noel has found a steady home with the New York Knicks. [FOX Sports NBA Writer Yaron Weitzman has the story](. - The viral video featuring Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau is no longer on the internet, but it should be. Drama like this is good for the sport, [FOX Sports Columnist Charlotte Wilder writes](. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( The Match is back! How does this sound … The PGA champ and Super Bowl MVP vs. the US Open champ and the NFL MVP? Yes, that’s right, Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady will take on Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers in the fourth edition of Capital One’s “The Match.” The event will be held on July 6 with coverage starting at 5 p.m. ET from Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana. And the best part about it all? The event is for charity! Mark your calendars. This one should be a ton of fun! [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Los Angeles Dodgers at Houston Astros (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET) Trevor Bauer takes the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who take on Luis Garcia and the Houston Astros. Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks (TNT, 7:30 p.m. ET) Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks go up against Julius Randle and the New York Knicks in Game 2 of this Eastern Conference Playoff matchup. Memphis Grizzlies at Utah Jazz (TNT, 10 p.m. ET) Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies take on Rudy Gobert and the Utah Jazz in Game 2 of this Western Conference Playoff matchup. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Kansas City Royals at Tampa Bay Rays: Rays -1.5 Tyler Glasnow takes the mound for the Tampa Bay Rays, who go up against Mike Minor and the Kansas City Royals. The Rays have been on a roll as of late, winning 11 of their last 12 and sitting in first place in the AL East. Glasnow has been exceptional this season, sporting a 4-2 record with a 2.90 ERA. His 87 strikeouts are the fourth highest mark in Major League Baseball. On the other side, the Royals will send Minor to the mound, who has struggled this season with a 3-2 mark and a 5.14 ERA. Look for the Rays to stay hot with a win over the Royals on Wednesday. [WHAT THEY SAID] “I like being the underdog so they don’t expect what’s going to happen. It pushes me to work harder and do the things I’m not doing better.” — Kawhi Leonard [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2021 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](. FOX Sports respects your privacy. Click [here]( to view our Privacy Policy. Fox.com Business & Legal Affairs - Manager Digital Media P.O. Box 900 Beverly Hills, California 90213-0900