After the Clippers were eliminated, Tyron Lu talks about how to keep Leonard and Harden in a tacit relationship

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyron Lu talked about how to keep Kawhi Leonard and James Harden in a tacit understanding after losing to the Denver Nuggets.

Tyron Lou and the Los Angeles Clippers exited the playoffs in a disappointing way, losing 101-120 to the Denver Nuggets. Although the Clippers were in a hot form in the playoffs — winning 18 of the last 21 regular season games — and winning over the sixth by an overwhelming margin to carry the series to the end, they failed to bring that momentum into Game 7. James Harden once again struggled, giving Kawhi Leonard little help, and the Clippers' season ended with a frustrating end.

"It's encouraging," Tyron Lu said after Saturday night's Clippers' season-reimbursed defeat.

"I think James is carrying such a burden. Kawhi missed 45 games and had to bear the burden all season. He did a good job in this. And I think after Kawhi's comeback, he is confident in his knees and believes that he can play more time and he can survive these games. If they both can play together for a season, I think it would be incredible."

"If they can play together for a season, I think it would be incredible."

Tyron Lu talked about the possibility of Harden-Kaywe's partner next season

Harden struggled, making 2 of 8 shots and only scored 7 points. Leonard scored 22 points for the Clippers and led the team to the first quarter, and they led the team with a slight advantage of 26-21.

"So, when your best player is out (45 games), it's hard to really get together to what we want. But I think we've been doing well that night. No matter what we need to do to win, they did it," the Clippers head coach continued. The Denver Nuggets' appearance of a tug-of-war game in Game 7 quickly turned into a rout. After the two teams attacked and defended each other in the first quarter, the Nuggets seized the opportunity in the second quarter and scored 37 points in a row. After the halftime break, Denver continued to make efforts, hitting a 15-0 climax in the third quarter, quickly widening the score gap and expanding the lead to 75-50.

Nuggets entered the fourth quarter with an absolute advantage of 93-66. Even though Nikola Jokic won the third, fourth and fifth fouls at the end of the third quarter, the Clippers still failed to significantly narrow the gap.

Denver once led by 35 points, dominating the game with a 54-42 inside advantage, and defeating the Clippers with a rebounding advantage of 46-36. They also made full use of the second offensive opportunity, scoring 22 points, while the Clippers only scored 10 points. The Clippers ended in a disappointing first-round exit in the Intuit Dome, a result that underscores the cruel fact that as long as James Harden and Kawhi Leonard remain the team’s top picks, the team could be in trouble. Both stars have passed their peak period, and the window for real championships seems to be closing quickly. The challenge for the team is how to maintain a competitive advantage while being prepared to make the best long-term decisions. For now, this means continuing to build a roster around Harden and Leonard.

The Nuggets were in chaos at the end of the regular season, fired Michael Malone with only three games left, and David Adelman served as interim head coach, but eventually advanced.