The Orlando Bubble in 2020 was an unusual and, for some NBA players, challenging experience. Far from ordinary, stars needed more than just mental toughness. The bubble was a test of patience and character. In this test of endurance and resilience, some prevailed. The most successful being the Los Angeles Lakers, led by LeBron James, who claimed the championship during the lockout season. Then there was the team that shared the same arena during the season.

The Los Angeles Clippers were the biggest rivals to the Purple and Gold that year. Reinforced with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, both two-way studs, they seemed almost unbeatable. They were touted as the only rivals with the ability to withstand the James-AD duo. For most of the season, it seemed true. Until the crucial moments came, and the Clippers “s**t the bed.” According to Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

“It would’ve been one of the best series that year. Everybody wanted it and we wanted it as well. We wanted that opportunity like ‘Alright, we going to put this s**t to bed. Lakers vs Clippers, here it is. And they just s**t the bed man,” KCP said on the Draymond Green Show.

The Warriors forward, who has won four championships, felt the Clippers “left a title at the table” in the bubble. The meltdown attests to his sentiments. The Clippers held a 3-1 lead over the Denver Nuggets in the Conference Semifinals. One win and the NBA community would have their wishes answered. But what followed was inexplicable. Nikola Jokic and Denver forced a Game 7, battling overwhelming odds.

In the decisive game, the LA team had a 12-point lead. In the two previous games, they had a 16-point and 19-point advantage at different points. The Clippers had it in their grasp. All they lacked was the composure to hold on, and the Nuggets refused to concede. Eventually, the Clippers were routed in Game 7, the protagonist being Jamal Murray’s 40-point performance.

Now, with the George-Leonard era officially finished, the Clippers still remain without a championship. 2020 was likely their best shot. They simply weren’t built for the isolation of the bubble. As KCP said, it was one of the “hardest” experiences of his basketball career.

Paul George and other Clippers struggled in the bubble

It wasn’t so much a basketball meltdown as it was the emotional difficulties that led to the 2020 demise of the Los Angeles Clippers. One of their pillars, Paul George, detailed his struggles when he spoke to his friend Serge Ibaka on his show in 2022. Notably, George had a terrible postseason, averaging only 20.1 points and shooting under 40% from the field in the playoffs.

When talking to Ibaka, he spoke about his irretrievable state as he lay in bed unable to sleep.

“I wasn’t sleeping. So you put that on top of having a bad game and ain’t nothing else to do there. You’re surrounded by basketball, there’s no escape, there’s no outlets. We’re stuck in our rooms in a hotel. All we got is our phones. You get on social media – oh it’s a meme here, it’s a joke there. So you mix all of that on top of not sleeping and I didn’t know what to do, I was just lost,” George revealed in 2022.

In that Game 7, the prolific duo of Kawhi Leonard and PG13 combined for just 24 points. They didn’t score at all in the fourth quarter and their absence was reflected in their combined -41 net differential for the contest. George was arguably at the lowest point of his career and nothing seemed to fall.

But he wasn’t the only Clippers player suffering. Veteran scorer Lou Williams admitted not wanting to be part of the bubble experience a month before their playoff downfall. The Clippers’ mental instability played an instrumental role in the turn of events. According to Williams, “Mentally, we were not in it for the long game”.

The conditions were suffocating after all. The players couldn’t bring any family members, there was no interaction, and they could hardly escape the confines of their hotel room. There was no medium to recover from their mental hurdles. Coupled with their postseason shortcomings, the Clippers were never truly a cohesive team.

If history had gone another way, the Clippers might have a banner in the newly built Intuit Dome. Unfortunately, it seems the cards were never in their favor.

In the meantime, make sure to watch the Dual Threat Show with Bulldogs star guard Silas Demary Jr picks his GOAT, Drake or Kendrick Lamar, and more in the video below.