The Clippers organization, from top to bottom, exudes a strange vibe.

The Clippers vs. Heat game can be described as the strangest game I've watched this season.

The game was full of ups and downs; the Heat opened with a double-digit lead, the Clippers went ahead in the second quarter under Leonard’s leadership, but then after Tyronn Lue’s timeout during a strong run, the Clippers faced their worst collapse of the season.

At 46-47, after Powell made a three, Tyronn Lue called a timeout. Following that, the score quickly extended to 46-64 as the Heat went on a scoring spree. Including the three before the timeout, it was a 20-0 run. But it didn’t end there—Powell kept hitting threes, and at the peak of this offensive burst, the run reached 32-4.

When Powell kept sinking threes and Tyronn Lue called another timeout, the broadcast showed an interesting scene: Harden looking at Lue, who called the timeout, with Powell between them, and in the bottom right corner, the massive 32-4 scoring run.

At the start of the second half, the Heat’s three-point barrage continued relentlessly, quickly stretching the lead to 32 points. Tyronn Lue called another timeout and then put in the entire third-string lineup, giving up on the game less than two minutes into the third quarter.

As the game went on, the Clippers' deficit kept growing, and the third-string lineup was completely dominated. Eventually, Lue brought back the starters in the third quarter, with Leonard playing almost until the end. What was once a 38-point deficit was cut down to a final loss by “only” 17 points.

To be fair, Leonard was indeed playing well today, mostly responsible for the second quarter comeback. Once he left the court, the Clippers quickly fell apart. But in garbage time, Lue brought Leonard back, which is quite interesting. The whole world thought Lue had given up, but was it actually a fake surrender?

Meanwhile, Harden never returned to the court. A Clippers reporter who likes stirring things up noted that during the time Leonard was on the floor but Harden was not, the Clippers outscored the opponents by 33 points.

Harden’s performance today was indeed poor: 20 minutes played, 2 of 6 shooting, 11 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 turnovers. His plus-minus was -39, marking the worst of his career. The 32-4 run by the Heat happened during Harden’s time leading the team.

However, blaming all of the Clippers' recent poor results solely on Harden based on this one game is unfair. The Clippers have only won 2 out of their last 16 games, but many still remember how those two wins were achieved.

Against the Mavericks, Harden led the team to an overtime victory with a 40+ triple-double; against the Hornets, he scored an incredible 55 points, showing his best form. Leonard was absent during this period. You can’t dismiss all previous efforts just because Harden struggled this one game.

This Clippers team is now in a deep slump that definitely isn’t caused by just one person or even a single group. From management to coaches to players, there are significant problems throughout the organization—it's rotten from top to bottom.

After losing the “Battle of the Kings” to the Mavericks in the last game, Harden expressed despair when asked about improving the team’s overall level: “I don’t know, I really don’t know, things here are complicated.” Over the years, when Harden speaks so negatively after games, it signals that the team’s issues are beyond what he alone can fix.

Tyronn Lue has been increasingly checked out lately, standing with his hands in his pockets after calling timeouts, always showing a detached attitude. The timing of his timeouts is also very confusing; today after a timeout, the Heat went on a scoring run. This has happened multiple times this season.

The Clippers’ biggest problem this season is clearly severe aging. Their offseason acquisitions all failed, essentially wasting Powell, a key offensive weapon. Beal’s season-ending injury left the Clippers’ offense thin, and now they rely only on Harden and Leonard. If either of them plays poorly or doesn’t play at all, the team collapses immediately.

Ultimately, it comes down to the Clippers’ management. Every offseason seems busy, but the roster has actually been downgraded continuously. Since letting George go for nothing, the Clippers have failed to fill the gaps, making them even bigger.

What’s even more despairing is that the Clippers don’t hold their future first-round picks. The 2026 pick was traded to the Thunder, the 2027 pick swap rights also to the Thunder, and the 2028 and 2029 first-round picks and swap rights to the 76ers. The Clippers have very few future second-round picks left, most of which have also been traded away.

The original trade for George wasn’t necessarily a bad move, but what followed was beyond the management’s control. My advice to the Clippers now is: while some players still have positive trade value, it’s time to make moves.

Don’t hold on to this roster with hope anymore. A stagnant pool will only get fouler over time if it doesn’t flow.