Clippers' Kawhi Leonard still has 'love' for game of basketball

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard dribbles up court to start a fast break against the Grizzlies at the Intuit Dome during a game earlier this season. The joy for the game of basketball remains strong for Kawhi Leonard. The injuries that have robbed him from playing time have not taken away Leonard's passion for the game.

The inability to play this season because of a right knee injury he had to manage has not lessened Leonard's happiness for basketball. He's 33 and has spent the last five of his 13-year NBA career with the Clippers, and his "love" for the game has only grown. Advertisement That is what has motivated Leonard through it all and it's what he will lean on when the Clippers face the Nuggets in Game 1 of the Western Conference playoffs starting Saturday afternoon in Denver.



"I love the game. I love the game and I have a passion for it still. I love to compete out there.

So, that's pretty much what drives me back," Leonard said after practice Wednesday. "You know, everything has its ups and downs. You got to go through those in life and you just keep going, really.

" This was yet another up-and-down season for Leonard. He missed the first 34 games and played in just 37, including only one set of back-to-back games. Advertisement Yet Leonard.

.. Broderick Turner.