Remember 2019? James Harden was arguably the best offensive force in the world, who just led the league in scoring for the second straight year. And Kawhi Leonard turned into a Raptors legend by helping them win their maiden NBA championship. Feels like ages ago, doesn’t it? But the superstar duo seems to have turned back the clock with what they are doing together in LA.

When the Clippers’ season began, not many bet on them to succeed. They had just lost a superstar in Paul George, and Kawhi missed a majority of the games due to a lingering knee injury. Despite the setbacks, the LA team somehow managed to win 50 games and bag the fifth seed in the West. Now, they are up 2-1 in the first-round series against the mighty Nuggets. Major credit to Kawhi and Harden’s dominant performance.

But as the Clippers prepare for today’s Game 4, the two superstars’ availability is once again in question. Of course, Kawhi played only 37 games in the regular season, dealing with injuries, and Harden is an ageing superstar who might be a bit fatigued amid the hectic schedule. But don’t worry, Clippers fans. The superstar duo is highly likely to suit up for the crucial encounter as they are not listed on the latest injury report.

In fact, the only player sidelined is Seth Lundy. Reason? An ankle injury. However, he was never a part of Ty Lue’s primary rotation, so his absence will have no impact on the team’s strategy. What’s important is that Kawhi and Harden seem healthy and ready to go. Now, the Clippers can focus on the task at hand. The collective sigh of relief from Clippers faithful is palpable, knowing their star power remains intact for this pivotal matchup.

James Harden is looking forward to Game 4 as the Clippers aim to continue Nikola Jokic’s defensive shutdown

Of course, Harden and Kawhi’s availability is a massive boost for the Clippers. In the first three playoff games, The Beard has averaged 23.3 points and nine assists. With his elite playmaking skills, he has added more fluidity to the team’s offense by creating easy shots for his teammates. Meanwhile, Kawhi has been the mid-range maestro that everyone expects him to be. He is averaging 27.3 points in this series so far, showing no signs of slowing down. Their combined offensive output has put significant pressure on the reigning champion Nuggets.

So, Harden is ready for the next game, having complete faith in his squad, “When you think about an NBA team, this is what you envision. You know I’ve been on several different teams, and it’s probably one of the coolest teams… We got to start preparing for Game 4 now. We know what we’re dealing with.” Apart from Harden and Kawhi turning back the clock, a major reason behind the Clippers’ success has been their elite defense.

During the regular season, they were the league’s top defensive rebounding team. This massive shift in culture has been because of the signing of Jeff Van Gundy as their lead assistant coach. And it has even helped them shut down Nikola Jokic in this series. Sure, The Joker is still getting his triple-doubles but the Clippers’ defense is making him work extra hard for every point.

Even Ty Lue credited Gundy for his contribution in stopping the Nuggets, “We thought Joker knew how we’d been playing in the first two games. He was baiting us early on, but JVG did a great job adjusting. Once they hit us with those early cuts, we cleaned it up.” In Game 3, they limited the Nuggets to just 83 points. Surely, they would aim to continue this effort today and gain a commanding 3-1 lead with Harden and Kawhi leading the charge. The strategic brilliance of their defensive schemes, particularly against the reigning MVP, has been a revelation.