The first time you blow a big lead when you have a chance to clinch a playoff series … OK, it’s an aberration.
The second time? Ah, these things happen.
The third time? I think it’s fair to say you’re in trouble.
So this is what the Clippers face Tuesday night, in a Game 7 they didn’t expect but maybe should have. They will face a Denver Nuggets team that has been through this drill often enough that it seems impervious to nerves, or anxiety, or even worry. Denver won three straight in the last round to eliminate Utah.