Suns need to evict Clips from playoffs

For all the wrong reasons, the Clippers are a hard group to say goodbye to. They don’t leave a playoff series willingly or just because you ask politely.

They put their feet up on the good furniture, leave dirty dishes on the counter and dominate the remote control.

You have to evict them with defense, toughness and grit. You have to pick them up by the waistband of their shorts and toss them out the door.

The Suns failed to do any of that Monday evening in losing 116-102 in Game 5 in Phoenix. So, there’s a Game 6 Wednesday evening in Los Angeles, a city the Suns didn’t plan on seeing again until the off-season.

The Clippers had no business winning Monday, not if the Suns had been on point, or as folks like to say nowadays, “locked in.”

Instead, the Suns appeared locked out of their own house.

“It’s pretty obvious we can’t play with the ‘show up’ mentality,” coach Monty Williams said. “We showed up in the first quarter and they played with desperation. It’s just unacceptable the way we started the game.”

It was unacceptable the way the Suns played in the other three quarters, too.

It was a puzzling performance by a Suns team that’s prided itself on humility and work ethic. On this night, they were out-worked and humbled in front a home crowd that was anxious to help them win a game and clinch an NBA Finals berth for the third time in franchise history and the first time since 1993.

Instead, the series is 3-2 and heading back to Los Angeles.

Afterward, Williams credited the Clippers toughness and desperation. What’s troubling about that is he sounded almost the exact same thing after game three, the Clippers’ other victory in the series.

Back then, he said the Clippers were desperate and the Suns weren’t. He repeated that after Monday’s game.

The Suns were good enough offensively. Not great, but good enough to beat the Clippers. What the Suns lacked Monday was the defensive tenacity, and, apparently, the self-awareness to realize they should want nothing to do with a continued relationship with the Clippers.

That’s why this series remains a series. And if anyone thinks the Clippers can’t win two more, then they weren’t paying attention to how the Clippers came back to beat the Mavericks and Jazz after falling behind 2-0.

The Clippers had no business winning Monday. They were missing three starters and had to put together a rotation with electrical tape and paper clips.

Kawhi Leonard and Serge Ibaka have been out the entire series. Center Ivica Zuba missed Monday’s game after suffering a knee injury Saturday.

So the Clippers went small because they had to. It worked only because the Suns allowed it to do so.

Marcus Morris had his way in the first quarter. Paul George had his way throughout. DeMarcus Cousins came off the bench to score 15 points in 11 minutes.

That small lineup scored 58 points in the paint, Williams said. A lot of the points came through “straight-line drives and no help,” guard Devin Booker said.

The Suns made runs. They closed large gaps in the last three quarters, even took a lead midway through the third.

Each time they were threatened, the Clippers looked around, said “we kind of like it here,” and extended their lead.

The Suns helped that cause with defensive mistakes, turnovers and missed shots.

After the Suns took a one-point lead in the third quarter, the Clippers outscored them 30-16 the rest of the quarter.

And when the Suns closed to within four midway through the fourth, the Clippers answered like this: a threepointer by Reggie Jackson, a dunk by George and another three point by Jackson.

Just like that, the lead was back to 10 points.

Morris, one of the most disliked Suns players in history, gave Phoenix fans more reasons to detest him, 20 of them in the first half on 8 of 10 shooting. He finished with 22 points but his fast start gave the Clippers life and a 10-point lead in the first quarter.

Clippers guard Pat Beverly, disliked in Phoenix and every other NBA city, was a pest, as usual, and enjoyed the sellout crowd’s disdain for him.

Where do the Suns go from here, other than to Los Angeles Wednesday for Game 6? They gave the usual answers. Look at the video on Tuesday, see what they do better and make the necessary corrections.

But the solutions aren’t in details such as defending pick-and-rolls, preventing George from getting to his favorite spots and moves, or rotating properly on defense.

To end this series, the Suns shouldn’t expect the Clippers to cooperate in their exit.

The Clippers intent to continue playing basketball this season was clear when they opened the game by outscoring the Suns 20-5. It was clear every time they repelled a run by the Suns.

“Paramount in my mind is we have to play with way more force and competitive edge,” Williams said. “And we got to guard the ball.”

If they don’t, we can all meet again Friday at the Suns Arena for Game 7.