The LA Clippers erased a 31-point deficit Monday night—the largest comeback in playoff history—stunning Golden State with a 135-131 road win to even up their first round series.
And according to head coach Doc Rivers, the Clips are looking to win more than just a single game against the Warriors.
Lou Williams led the way with 36 points off the bench, and rookie guard Landry Shamet capped the Clippers’ historic comeback with a clutch three-pointer that gave them a 133-131 lead with a 15.9 seconds to go.
Per The LA Times:
“There were no nerves, not at that point in the game,” Shamet said. “Nervous early on I think means you care. If you’re not worried, you should be a little nervous. That’s just how I look at it. That’s how I operate. That’s how I perform my best. But once you’re in the flow of the game, you’re not thinking and you’re just playing.”
Shamet wound up taking the shot because the Warriors doubled-teamed Lou Williams, who had scored 36 points and was carrying the Clippers in their dramatic and unreal comeback. But Williams found rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the middle of the court. Gilgeous-Alexander then found Shamet, who calmly sank his three-pointer.
“That shot was huge,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “The best part of the game for me was Shai got stuck with the ball and he made a play, and then Lou trusted Sham and Sham makes a three. Those are two rookies. The last two out of three possessions, our rookies were involved in the scoring.”
Shamet had made just one field in Game 1, missing his other six shots.
“I think I’m always a little nervous before games,” Shamet said. “I always tell myself, like, ‘Be a little worried if you’re not nervous.’ It means you probably don’t care as much. It didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary, honestly. Obviously, there is a heightened excitement, anxiousness because it’s playoff time.”
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