Patrick Beverley: Clippers Are 'Pissed Off' After Playoff Collapse vs. Nuggets

Los Angeles Clippers fans can at least rest easy knowing their team will be motivated for the 2020-21 NBA season.

Patrick Beverley provided a glimpse into the squad's mindset Sunday and said players are "pissed off" after blowing a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN: 

"The attitude around here is guys are pissed off. Which is good. We should be pissed off after our exit last year in the playoffs. I think that within itself is extra motivation there, come in training camp with a team put together [that] looks good on paper [last season] ... and when you come up short, you get kind of pissed off.

"That gives you a little wood to kind of burn inside for the fire. So everybody is kind of pissed off, so it is a little quieter workplace and guys are more locked in, more focused, and that is the way it should be."

To call what happened a collapse would be an understatement.

L.A. had arguably the most talent in the league and was in full control of the series and well on its way to a much-hyped Western Conference Finals showdown with the Lakers. Instead, the Nuggets came storming back as Kawhi Leonard and Paul George struggled in Game 7, and the Purple and Gold marched on to a championship without much of a challenge.

Things will look different for the Clippers this season after they parted ways with head coach Doc Rivers and moved Tyronn Lue into the position.

Lue was an assistant coach with the Clippers last season, which is notable because George said on All The Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson that the team did not make many adjustments as it collapsed against the Nuggets:

His comments seemingly placed the blame on Rivers, but Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported there was a "lack of buy-in" with the team that started with Leonard and George. The preferential treatment the stars received apparently rubbed some the wrong way, which was surely exacerbated by the way the season ended.

If Lue can find a way to balance the chemistry on the team, this is still a championship contender.

While Los Angeles will miss Montrezl Harrell, it brought in Serge Ibaka and still has enough star power and depth to challenge the Lakers. If Beverley is to be believed, they are angry enough to do just that.