NBA playoffs: What Kawhi Leona...

In Los Angeles Both the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers have scar tissue that never seems to go away and may suddenly flare up and trigger all kinds of unpleasant memories from the recent past.

It's the Suns' most recent postseason disappointments. Putting together ideal visions with defective elements that constantly seem to fall flat at inconvenient times is far more difficult for the Clippers.

On Thursday for Game 3 of the first-round series, Kawhi Leonard was dressed casually. It would have been his first home playoff game since tearing his ACL against Utah in 2021, making it a triumphant homecoming and a means to get back to the most important stage while also validating the long-term approach he's taken to healing from injuries.

However, he was forced to miss Game 3 of Phoenix's 129-124 victory at Crypto.com Arena because his right knee flared up at some point in the first two games. His first two games were outstanding, serving as a reminder to the basketball community that he is capable of evolving into a new self that can compete with or perhaps surpass the sport's top individual players.

Leonard would not be available for Thursday's game, the Clippers learned hours before tipoff, when they were hoping to create some serious doubt in the Suns' favor. Although it isn't the feared "load management," it has prevented what could have been the finest basketball series ever.

The Clippers expressed all of their excitement for Leonard's return in this series by saying all of their positive things about him. It's anyone's guess if Leonard will return with Game 4 scheduled for early Saturday afternoon and the series continuing every other day the rest of the way, especially given the cautious approach he's taken to his injuries in San Antonio, Toronto, and now with the Clippers.

Prior to the morning shootaround, according to Lue, he learned Leonard wouldn't be available, giving him a crucial window of time to change his game plan. Leonard's consistency allowed Lue to switch up coverages and lineups, and the opposition Suns publicly acknowledged that Lue's mad scientist strategy kept them on their toes.

With the shifting lineups, Norman Powell, a guy who doesn't know if he'll get seven shots or 17, exploded for 42 points on 15 of 23 shooting, including seven triples. He and Russell Westbrook were both exuberant bundles of energy who constantly moved their hands and bothered the Suns. Given his recent unsuccessful seasons, Westbrook had a game with 30 points, 12 assists, and 8 rebounds that few people thought was feasible.

After 36 minutes of battling the Clippers' vigor, the Suns seized a 13-point lead early in the fourth. The home team then had one more flurry. With 1:44 left, Westbrook's two free throws brought the score to three points.

Leonard stated, "You prepare for this time of the year all season," according to Durant. "It's just a difficult situation; you wish you had more control over [the injury]," You feel like you're disappointing a lot of people, and you want to be out there with your teammates. You've got a lot on your mind right now. You just try to concentrate on your recovery and return as soon as you can.

The Phoenix Suns, even if they are merely in the mood to exorcise their own demons, are the club that the Clippers need to turn to if they want to understand the unpredictability of the present being influenced by the past.