Officially qualified! Hello, Leonard! The "Warrior Card" reappears in the NBA.

What?

Leonard has reached 65 games played this season, truly, and is now eligible for major award considerations.

Actually, Leonard's attendance rate isn't that poor; over his seven seasons with the Clippers, he has played 50+ games in five seasons. Only the 21-22 season where he was sidelined and the 24-25 season where he played only 37 games seriously dragged down his record.

This season so far, Leonard averages 32.1 minutes per game, contributing 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 steals, with shooting percentages of 50.5%, 38.7%, and 89.2%. This year, he has a strong chance to be selected for the All-NBA First Team again since the 20-21 season.

It's utterly unexpected that this guy, at age 34, is experiencing a second peak in his career, with his average scoring being a personal regular-season career high.

Of course, Leonard's main task now is to lead the Clippers into the Western Conference's eighth seed; they are tied with the Trail Blazers at 41 wins and 40 losses.

The Clippers have only one regular-season game left, against the Warriors who are tenth in the West; the Trail Blazers also have one game left, against the Kings who are second-to-last in the West.

According to the play-in tournament rules, the seventh and eighth seeds in the West play first; the winner advances to the playoffs as the 7th seed. The loser then plays another play-in game against the winner between the ninth and tenth seeds to compete for the 8th seed playoff spot.

Simply put, the 7th & 8th seeds have two chances, while the 9th & 10th seeds have only one chance—the difference is clear.

Moreover, entering the playoffs as the 8th seed would face the defending champion Thunder; if as the 7th seed, they would face the Spurs, who are also formidable but lack playoff experience.

Thunder or Spurs, both are poison, but the latter's toxicity is slower, perhaps offering a slim chance of survival.

Speaking of which, the Clippers are definitely the most dramatic team this season: they were once at the bottom of the West, sent Paul home late at night, traded Harden... Yet their fate is truly tough; despite a disastrous start, they still kept playoff hopes alive. Championship coach Lue has some tricks.