After a decade of failing to break through the Western Conference semifinals with the likes of Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Kawhi Leonard and Lou Williams, the Los Angeles Clippers found their man on Friday.
Er, Mann.
More specifically Terance Mann, the former second-rounder who barely cracked the rotation last year. Terance Mann, the bench guard who played less than 10 minutes combined in Games 1 and 2. Terance Mann, the spearhead of a 25-point second-half comeback to send the Clippers to where they have never gone before.
Behind Mann’s 39 points, the Clippers defeated the Utah Jazz 131-119 to win their series 4-2 and book the first trip to the Western Conference finals in franchise history.
The Clippers Clippers’d the Jazz
It was the kind of the game the Clippers have been on the bad side of for so long in their painful history.
The Jazz opened the game on a scoring tear, and it only got worse from there. A 21-point second quarter from Jazz Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson pushed Utah to a 22-point lead at halftime. The lead reached as much as 25 points during the third quarter.
And then Mann, who co-led the Clippers in scoring in the first half, reached a gear no one — repeat, no one — thought he could reach. He scored 20 points in the third quarter, and finished with a career-high 39 on 15-of-21 shooting (7-of-10 from deep).
Actually, we should be more specific. It wasn’t Mann’s playoffs career high. It wasn’t his NBA career high. It was the most points he had scored in a game since high school.
Mann had only been starting because of Kawhi Leonard’s ACL injury during Game 4. Throughout the first half, he ended up with Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert assigned to him via switches and punished the big man. Repeatedly.
Behind Mann, as well as 28 points, nine rebounds and seven assists from Paul George and 27 points and 10 assists from Reggie Jackson, the Clippers launched 40-12 run between the third and fourth quarters. That’s one way to exorcise some demons.
Clippers reverse another 2-0 series deficit
For a team whose most painful moments are constantly harped on, the Clippers have done nothing but instill nightmares in their opponents this postseason.
The team opened its playoff run by falling behind 2-0 to the Dallas Mavericks, then tied the series two games later. It fell behind 3-2 in Game 5, then won two straight to survive.
Facing the top-seeded Jazz, the Clippers again fell behind 2-0. No team in NBA history had reversed multiple 2-0 series deficits in a single postseason. Then the Clippers won four straight games, despite losing Leonard halfway through and falling behind by 25 in Game 6.
Who is Terance Mann?
In case this is your first introduction to Terance Mann, here are the basics. Terance Mann was a good but not great player at Florida State who entered the NBA draft after his senior year and ended up where good but not great seniors typically end up: the second round.
The Clippers grabbed Mann with the 48th overall pick of the 2019 NBA draft. He had one notable proponent: Clippers executive Jerry West, who predicted Mann would play a large role by the end of the season.
That didn’t quite materialize. Mann played in only 41 games during the 2019-20 season, averaging 2.4 points in 8.8 minutes per game. He played 27 total minutes in the Clippers’ disastrous playoff run.
Mann’s role expanded in his sophomore season under new head coach Tyronn Lue, posting some big performances off the bench while the Clippers dealt with injuries. He wasn’t exactly Plan A though, as shown by his lack of use earlier this series.
That probably won’t be true from here.
The Clippers will play their first ever Western Conference finals game on Sunday against the Phoenix Suns.
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