\nEditor's Choice<\/h2>\n 2 Related<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n
Paul George agreed when asked if the Clippers appear to be a veteran-laden team that believes they can make things happen whenever they want.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, that\u2019s what we seem to look like, which is not good,\u201d George said. “We want to be a cohesive team and we want to establish an identity. I've always talked about having an identity and I think that's extremely important.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment, I don\u2019t think we have an identity.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Clippers played their best basketball in December and January, going 26-5 during a hot stretch and looking every bit like a title contender with new acquisition James Harden.<\/p>\n
But Ty Lue's team is in trouble. The Clippers lost Russell Westbrook (broken left hand) indefinitely on January 31. On Sunday, Harden returned from a two-game absence and played with a strained left shoulder, finishing with 9 points and 9 assists but shooting 3 of 10.<\/p>\n
Leonard and George have dealt with some injuries recently, and Norman Powell missed the loss to Atlanta with a bruised left leg and was using crutches.<\/p>\n
Playing for the sixth time in nine days, the Clippers lacked energy and sometimes seemed uninspired against Atlanta. When asked what he could do as the team's leader to lead the Clippers out of their current malaise, Leonard said it was a matter of action.<\/p>\n\nClippers coach Ty Lue cited basketball, transition defense, offensive rebounding and spacing as the four areas his team must be consistently good at every night. Harry Comment\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n\u201cI just see what we want to do,\u201d said Leonard, who scored 17 of his 28 points in the first quarter. “That's it. What type of team we want to be. If everyone says they want to be one of the last teams standing, then we have to go out there and do it.”<\/p>\n
Lue said the coaching staff repeatedly told the team what to do and what habits to practice. But the team did it in fits and starts. Lu cited basketball, transition defense, offensive rebounding and spacing as the four areas the team needs to be consistently good at every night.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they do it, it works,\u201d Lue said. \u201cWhen you have that much talent and you have guys who can do it so easily, they don't understand that your talent is great, but the talent also has to be for the team.<\/p>\n
“Maybe it's me. Maybe I need to do something a little different to make sure we're doing what we're supposed to do. [But] I'll never really overreact because I know we're a good team… If you want to win<\/a>, I know what that looks like. I went there, I saw it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n