Last year's trades played vital role in transforming Clippers into title contender
BOSTON - As Landry Shamet entered the locker room inside Boston's TD Garden, he had no idea what he was walking into.
The rookie guard's previous 48 hours had been a whirlwind. He'd been traded by Philadelphia at 2 a.m., flown coast-to-coast and met his new Los Angeles Clippers coaches and teammates in a blur. He knew two of the Clippers' plays - and that they now trailed Boston, on the road, by 21 points at halftime.
What he didn't know, on Feb. 9, 2019, was how the new-look Clippers would respond to such dire circumstances in their first game together. But inside the spartan visiting locker room players stayed composed. Somehow, coach Doc Rivers' halftime message was upbeat.
"I walked in and said, 'I like us more watching us in the first half than I did before the trade,' " Rivers said. " 'Now we've
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