Kawhi Leonard: 'Meant a Lot to Me' For Clippers to Overcome 0-2 Deficit vs. Mavericks

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard took a level of personal satisfaction from seeing his team beat the Dallas Mavericks 126-111 on Sunday to advance to the conference semifinals of the 2021 NBA playoffs.

Leonard told reporters how it "meant a lot" to him to witness the Clippers recover after dropping their first two games to oust Dallas.

Nobody could really be blamed for writing preemptive eulogies of the 2020-21 Clippers. After their collapse last season, losing back-to-back games in Los Angeles was a foreboding sign.

However, this series could become the turning point at which L.A. showed the mental strength necessary to capture an NBA championship. The Athletic's John Hollinger explained last September how spectacular failure can often be the catalyst for success on down the road.

In Game 7, the Clippers got the kind of collective effort that was lacking against the Denver Nuggets in the conference semifinals one year ago. Marcus Morris Sr. hit seven three-pointers en route to a 23-point evening. Reggie Jackson had 15 points. Terance Mann and Luke Kennard combined for 24 points off the bench.

Leonard, meanwhile, just missed out on a triple-double after posting 28 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, four steals and one block.

Just as the panic about the Clippers looks to be misplaced for the time being, maintaining some perspective about this series victory is important.

Los Angeles didn't sign Leonard and trade for Paul George to get to the conference semifinals—or just the conference finals for that matter. When you assemble a roster with the primary goal of winning a championship, that becomes the bar.

The positivity L.A. generated Sunday will fade quickly if the team starts slowly against the top-seeded Utah Jazz.